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The valley of Barétous
The valley of Barétous
Near Oloron Sainte-Marie and neighbour of the valleys of Aspe, Ossau and Roncal in Spain, the valley of Barétous, in the border of the Basque country, one is concentrated by height-Bearn, marked by the memory of Three Musketeers and by the former links with Spain: the Junta of Roncal, a peace treaty signed in 1375, commemorates every year on July 13th in the pass of Pierre Saint-Martin. Barétous is a valley very alive, well animate and protected by her inhabitants. It is also your garden of mountain to be shared with marmots, izards, jackdaws, capercaillies or gypaétes bearded men... To your binoculars!
Going through the valley from Oloron Sainte-Marie, we cross at first the green country of the villages of Féas and Ance where several quality shelters have just opened; then after about ten kilometres, we discover the landscapes of low mountain range of the villages of Aramits with a traditional market of Sunday, from Lanne to Barétous known for the traditional hunting about the wood pigeon and of Issor who opens breathtaking panoramas on the snowy summits. Of the village of Lanne in Barétous, by getting closer to the Basque country, we can reach the small resort of Issarbe, nested on a panoramic tray in
360 °. Finally, Arette, this village, situated at feet of the high mountain, is well known by the speleologists of the whole world for its massif of Pierre Saint-Martin, bigger karstic abyss of Europe as well as for the phenomenal earthquake of August 13th, 1967.
And while leaving the village of Arette, one gets closer to summits: more than 23 kilometres to be gone through to reach Pierre Saint-Martin.
Here the distances are short, but the landscapes are varied and so protected that we always practise here successfully pastoral activities which give quality products.