Family hike at the Ibardin Pass: between dolmens, streams and views of La Rhune

The climb of just over 300 m of elevation gain starts from the Saint-Michel-Garicoïts chapel (43 m), at the entrance to the famous Urrugne district. Along the building, there are a few parking spaces for your vehicle. Forget it here for a good three hours . Two hundred meters of tarmac open the way, time to admire on the right the renovated Urtubien Borda farm, a wedding setting . A wide stony path, colored with La Rhune stone , follows, neighboring the Insola stream. You are on an old Roman road with visible remains. And a false flat climb of about 2 km, interspersed with a steep slope. Follow the main track, leaving the intersections on the left.

At 2.1 km, after passing under a huge trunk covering the narrowed path (safe passage), an arrow on the right indicates Col des Abeilles and GR 10. The red and white markings will be your ally until the finish.

The slope rises. A forest of oaks and chestnut trees (three-quarters of the route is in the shade) protects you from the heat. You'll work up a sweat. At the top, at 3.2 km, you take a wider, sunnier track on the left. It climbs further. You console yourself with the discovery of the majestic La Rhune .

At 3.3 km, a sign attached to a wooden barrier details the rest of the adventure, marked: dolmens , "Trikuharriak", dating from -4000 to -2000 BC (4.21 km); a loading site for stones extracted from nearby quarries, between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, "Herri Kargatze Lekua" (4.30 km); peat bogs, wetlands with a remarkable ecosystem (4.54 km). Listen carefully, and you will hear the sweet song of a common frog .

At 4.84 m, a multiple-choice intersection: hard right, in the middle of the ferns. From your height of 383 meters, you can see Ibardin and its bustle. Go down to observe it more closely. Several steep paths are available, choose the one that seems most suited to your level. At the bottom, you join the road on the left for 100 meters, here is the border pass (317 m), after a 5.7 km walk.

If you don't have the shopping bug, leave the ventas on your right, the return begins, heading towards Spain and Bera . After 100 m, turn left into a hairpin (sign Benta Zahar). The comfortable descent, paved but without cars, stretches for 3 km. Just before its end, turn left towards the venta Inzola. It appears.

The path runs closely alongside another stream, Sagasti , for a few hundred meters. Be careful not to slip , this is the most delicate part of the route.

We find a wider track and again the remains of Roman roads. A marker marks the return to France. Less than 1 km further, a bridge made of logs and stones spans the Insola River. To the right, the outward route. 2 km without difficulty. Let yourself be carried away by the murmur of the stream.