• on foot : 8h30 - Difficulty Difficult
  • Distance : 24km
  • Vertical rise : 1306m
  • Public : Sportifs
A very beautiful and mountainous route, this itinerary is for experienced hikers. The length of this hike allows you to enjoy beautiful viewpoints from the summits of the Mondarrain and the Artzamendi. There will be plenty to discover, particularly the betizu, the small cows of the Basque Country, or the pottok, manex and blondes of Aquitaine. In addition to these domestic animals, there is a whole range of local fauna and flora to discover on this route. Ideally placed halfway along the route, the Esteben Borda restaurant offers a good meal before starting the second climb of the day. After the Artzamendi, the descent into a wild valley will delight the hiker before finishing the loop that leads to the Pas de Roland. For the athletic one, this route can be considered a trail.
Itinerary

  • Step 1 :

    From the village of Itxassou to the Legarre pass ( Leave the parking lot and turn right onto the road. After 170m, at the crossroads, take the road opposite and then, 200m further on, turn right at the branching junction. Cross the bridge and turn left. At the end of the road, continue on a track that runs through undergrowth until you reach a crossroads. Take the first path on the ride as it rises. At first wide, the path narrows and passes between meadows before entering an undergrowth. Go along a low stone wall on the left for 100m until you reach a road at a bend. Go up on the left and after 200m, take a faint track in a meadow. Continue on this track, which twists and turns a few times. At a chestnut grove, leave a path on the left and continue on the right-hand track. As you climb, leave the path on the left and continue straight up. Reach a bend and continue on the track, leaving a grassy path that goes to the right. Continue for about 50m and then turn right at a fence before passing a cedar hedge. Continue until you reach the Legarre pass.

  • Step 2 :

    Climbing the Mondarrain Cross the road and take a wide path behind a fence. Climb this stony path until you reach a coniferous grove at the Amezketa pass. Go around the trees to the right and then along the edge towards the Mondarrain summit. Continue up the steep slope to a beautiful beech forest. The path through the undergrowth is not easy. Stay alert to the yellow markings so as not to leave the path. Cross the forest to reach an open area with some boulders. The path leads to the foot of a steep climb between rock faces. Reach a plateau below the summit and head towards large boulders on the left. Walk along a wall on the right before starting a short climb towards a beautiful hawthorn bush. After a few dozen metres, reach the Mondarrain summit.

  • Step 3 :

    Towards the Zuharreta pass Enjoy the view from the summit and then continue the hike on the opposite side. Pass to the right of the cross before starting the descent. Be careful on the first steep section. Continue to the left of a rock face and continue on the path that goes through large boulders before descending a grassy area that leads to a pass. Pass to the right of a corral and follow a well-marked path up the mountainside. Cross an area dotted with hawthorn shrubs that descends towards a grassy ridge. Continue downhill to join a track and follow it to the right until you reach the Zuharreta pass.

  • Step 4 :

    To the Veaux pass There are several paths at this pass. Be careful and take the dirt path that goes up to the right of the GR10, on the side of the mountain, towards the Bizakailuze ridge. The path is then more obvious. Follow the ridgeline without straying too far from it. After 1.5km of walking, the ridgeline widens. Be careful to follow its upper part to reach a tarmac track. Turn left on this track. Reach the first bend and continue on the track, leaving another one on the right. Continue downhill and pass by the Ezteben Borda restaurant. 250m further on, turn left onto a path that runs alongside a fence shared with the GR10. Once you have reached the road, take it to the Veaux pass.

  • Step 5 :

    Climbing the Artzamendi Cross the road and take a wide dirt track. Follow it for a hundred metres, then take a bend to the left, leaving another track that goes to the right. Continue this way until you reach a small plateau with two meadow entrances. Turn left onto the path that is still shared with the GR10. The climb continues through gorse and along a fence on the right. At the end of the meadow, turn left on a path until you reach a road. Turn right and follow it for 2.5km to the top of the Artzamendi.

  • Step 6 :

    Walk through the summer pastures Pass on the right of the radar between two low walls. Keep an eye out for the signs, which are the only way to find your way at the beginning of the descent. Follow a grassy path for 1.2km then pass near outcrops of rock where the path becomes more visible until you reach a new rocky outcrop. Be careful to follow the markings. Go along a rocky bar on the left in the form of a stack of strata, following the main valley. Pass two ruins on the left as you continue down the valley. At a third ruin, join a wide grassy path and pass a rocky bar on the right. Follow a grassy path for 360m before heading downhill on the left.

  • Step 7 :

    Descent to the Lax valley The path heads towards a rocky stratum bar before passing an area of gorse and descending steeply. Continue on a flat area on the mountainside. Cross a scree slope and then pass on an oak tree on the edge of the path. Once out of the valley, the path turns left. Just after a bend, leave a path that goes down to the right and continue straight ahead on the flat path. Reach a ridge and descend it to reach an enclosure. Turn left to follow the path downhill. At first, it is dirt, then it continues over a section of pink sandstone boulders. Once past the scree, the path descends to a ridge and passes a large blackthorn tree. The slope steepens through small borage bushes before reaching an undergrowth. Continue along the path and reach a wide path where you turn right. Descend to a junction where you turn left, leaving a wide path that climbs to the right. After 100m, a new path goes off to the right. Leave it and reach the road.

  • Step 8 :

    Return to the village Turn right onto the road and follow it for 2.3km until you reach the Laxia neighbourhood. Pass a fronton on the left and continue on the main road. After a left-hand bend, the road continues into the beautiful gorges of the Nive, where the famous Pas de Roland is located. After leaving the gorges, cross a neighbourhood and, at a junction, turn left and then left again onto the first road. Pass by a car park and leave it on the right before turning left, 100m further on, onto a track in the undergrowth. Follow this track for 470m before reaching a crossroads where the route originally passed. From here, follow the opposite route from the start to find the car park.
Don't miss
  • PLRV1017sirtaqui4
    The Mondarrain summit (Panorama)

    Situated at 749 metres above sea level, the Mondarrain summit offer, on a clear day, an exceptional view of the whole province of Labourd and a part of Lower Navarre. From this viewpoint, where the ruins of an old fort remain, the hiker can observe the Navarrese mountains, the ocean and the beginning of the Pyrenees chain up to the high Bearnese peaks

  • PLRV1017point-d-interet3
    The cromlechs (Rural heritage)

    Funerary monument dating from the Iron Age (800 to 300 BC), the cromlechs are circles of stones driven vertically into the ground. In the centre of this burial is a chamber called a “ciste”, in which the cremated remains of the deceased were placed. The cromlechs are a true witness to the very ancient occupation of the Basque mountains. At the Mehatse pass, explanatory panels give precise information on this type of monument.

  • PLRV1017point-d-interet4
    The Artzamendi millstones (Rural heritage)

    Exploited since 1771, the pink sandstone of the Artzamendi was used to make millstones, slabs, lintels, whetstones, press stones and border makers for instance. Evacuated from the site by ox-drawn carriages, these products were shipped to Cambo les Bains for mills in Bayonne and Dax. The current remains (150 millstones currently listed) concern mainly the Artzamendi mount and Itxassou.

  • PLRV1017point-d-interet5
    The Pas de Roland (Nature site)

    Located on the path bordering the tumultuous waters of the Nive towards the Artzamendi, the Pas de Roland takes its name from Roland, a knight of Charlemagne at war with the Saracens. In 778, as he set out to reach the border, a rock blocked his path on the banks of the Nive. With a blow from his horse’s roof, Roland opened the passage to continue southwards.

Points to note / Informations :

Cet itinéraire de randonnée est sur une zone pastorale, merci de prendre connaissance des bons gestes à adopter.

Points to note :

  • Descente raide et pouvant être glissante par temps humide (43.3018945;-1.4321550)
  • Etre attentif au balisage pour ne pas se perdre par temps de brouillard. (43.2892188;-1.4382618)
  • Etre attentif au balisage pour ne pas se perdre par temps de brouillard. (43.2833113;-1.4068851)
  • Descente nécessitant une certaine vigilance de part sa technicité. (43.3000845;-1.4022184)

Nearby routes

Atharri

Atharri

The typical village of Itxassou is the starting point of many hiking…

ITXASSOU
See more

Nearby accommodation

Agenda

Salon du livre

Salon du livre

Cette année le salon a pour thème : “Rosemonde Gérard et les Femmes écrivaines”. Les marraines de l'édition 2024 : Laurence Catinot-Crost & Bernadette Pecassou-Camebrac. Seront mis en lumière : Anne-Marie Lagarde…

CAMBO-LES-BAINS
See more
Image publicité de Bipia, conserverie artisanale de condiments à base de piments d'Espelette