- by bike : 1h45 - Difficulty Easy
- Distance : 13.5km
- Vertical rise : 130m
- Public : Tous publics
Step 1 :
From Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle to the Ibarron bridge From the “fronton” of Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle (Visitor’s bureau) cross the main street and take the stone path opposite. Walk along the church to enter the Nivelle sheperds park, which you cross to the right. After the exit footbridge follow the street to the left (old houses). Leave town by the old Utsalea bridge and then turn right onto the stoned path on the banks of the Nivelle. After passing under the D918, turn right onto the two footbridges at Zaldubia, which span the Nivelle. Then follow the D918 on the left, taking the bike path on the sidewalk. At the end of this road (1,5km) turn left onto Igel Karrika Street and continue straight ahead between the houses until you reach the Ibarron neighbourhood. From the pelota square, take Aroztegia Street to leave the hamlet between the houses. After 400m, cross the new bridge over the Nivelle and then, just before a farm, turn off to the left onto a path that leads to the old bridge of the Virgin.Step 2 :
From Ibarron to the lake of Saint-Pée Cross the bridge of the Virgin (2,7km) and return by the same route to the Ibarron neighbourhood and then to the footbridges of Zaldubia. On the opposite bank, leave the path on the left that you took on the way and continue straight ahead along a small road. Turn left at the first intersection (Urguri houses). Leaving the hamlet, go straight ahead on a dead-end road. The road is closed to traffic and runs up the Nivelle. At the intersection with the D3 (5,3km) carefully cross the bridge on the left and follow the road for 100m. Turn off onto the second street on the right (Capera Bidea road). After a short steep climb, go straight on until a stop sign (chapel): continue straight on along Gaxintoenea between the houses. Further on, you will come to the D918 which you will follow carefully on the right for 1,5km. At the lake roundabout, turn left to go up to the reservoir (on the left of the two small roundabouts).Step 3 :
Around the lake and return to Saint-Pée Pass over the dyke of the lake (7,8km) and follow the horizontal path around the lake on the left, on the shaded bank. At the upstream end of the lake, a bridge allows you to cross back over the right bank; pass over two ponds and come out onto a street. Use it to continue around the lake. At the end of the camper van parking lot, cross a bridge and turn left towards the supervised beaches (parking lots and bar-restaurants). 50m before the “Bizi” restaurant, look out for the Artzamendi passage on the right (green house) which is steep for 50m and then go up a street to the left between the villas. On the hill, right before a descent, leave the main street and turn right onto Motchokoborda Street. Go past a farm on a small downhill slope and turn left onto a gravel track (opposite two old oak trees). At the bottom, cross the stream over the concrete ford and continue on the track. As the road bends, go down to the right. Cross a farm and go straight on, until you reach Saint-Pée. After the schools and the trinquet, turn right onto the Gantxiki small square (the cultural area). A pedestrian-bicycle passage indicating “town centre” takes you back to the town hall in the main street (Visitors Bureau on the left).
The Nivelle (0,4km) (Nature site)Passing over this first Roman bridge in Utsalea, one of the many ancestral gateways to Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle (Senpere), there is the Nivelle riverbed. This peaceful watercourse is a coastal river that originates in Spain and flows for some forty kilometres before ending the port of Ciboure and Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
The Ibarron neighbourhood (2km) (Heritage)On the outskirts of Saint-Pée, the Ibarron neighbourhood is organised around the fronton square, the traditional playground of Basque villages. Note the architecture of the old houses, in particular the blood-red facade of the old Inharria farmhouse, overlooking the square and decorated with traditional objects and other engraved stones.
The bridge of the Virgin in Ibarron (2,7km) (Rural heritage)Ibarron is the oldest neighbourhood of Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle and its old stone bridge has probably spanned the Nivelle for seven centuries. A single arch crosses the river and supports a paved roadway with two slopes. A building subject to flooding, placed under the protection of a virgin, hence its dedicated niche and its name.
The lake of Saint-Pée (7,8km) (Nature site)In the gentle curves of a discreet valley, the Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle lake was created by the municipality in the 1960s. With its four streams, it covers 12 hectares and offers gentle facilities and quiet areas (shaded sites or sandy beaches). For those who wish, swimming is supervised during summer, but you can also try canoeing, pedal boats and the water slide.
the built heritage of Saint-Pée (13,4km) (Rural heritage)At the end of the ride, a careful look to the built heritage of the main artery of Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, Karrika Street, reveals beautiful traditional timber-framed and carved stone facades, as well as the imposing church. These buildings are worthy of the town’s past as a commercial crossroads and pilgrimage route to Compostela.
Points to note :
- D3 (route de Sare) à longer prudemment sur 100 m (43.34856 ;-1.55226)
- D918 à suivre sur 1,5 km, bien rester sur la bande latérale côté droit de la chaussée (43.34694; -1.54480)
- our complet du giratoire du lac à envisager avec prudence (43.34350 ;-1.52813)
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