On terra firma… Hikes

In the Pyrénées Atlantiques, the variety of different mountains means that hikers of all levels can enjoy a walk.

Whether you opt for a day-long walk or a more extensive circuit, you will see the same splendid views and feel the same desire to discover the local life and the same pleasure of entering into communion with nature.

There are of course the signposted routes, including the famous GR10 long-distance footpath which runs across the Pyrenees from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. There are also the pilgrims’ roads to Compostella – the four main routes converge in the region. And there are a thousand more walking routes that the tourist offices can tell you about.

With your guidebook and map in your rucksack, breathe in the pure air of the wide-open spaces. Protected nature and charming villages with their ancestral traditions provide an ideal setting for picnics with the local ewe’s cheese and salted meats.

The exceptional sites (Soule canyons; Europe’s biggest lapies* on the Pic d’Anie; the vertiginous chemin de la mâture near the Fort du Portalet…) will be vying for your attention with the woodchucks, izards, birds of prey and other rare species.

… depending on the season and your whim. For cyclists there are plenty of cycling tracks and signposted trails and for the more sports-minded, there are tougher courses.

For horse-lovers there are outings on pottoks (a species of Basque pony), a circuit in a horse-drawn carriage, or simply a horseback ride …

Or wearing snowshoes during the winter season.

In other words, the joys of the mountains all year long!

*lapies: superficial grooves of varied shapes formed by the water in limestone.