In the Basque country
Joe and Elaine Ormerod took in the sun, sea, sand and spices during their trip to the French-spanish border
Joe and Elaine Ormerod tour historic places on the French-spanish border
WHEN I SAID we were going to Bidart, my son misheard me and thought I’d said bidet. Meanwhile, my brother-in law suggested that it sounded like bathroom art, but neither knew where it is. Bidart is in south-west France, not far from the Spanish border.
First, we had to get there. We crossed on the ferry from Dover to Calais and stayed at a campsite overlooking the English Channel so that we could load up at the nearby supermarket. The next day, we overnighted at Sées, treating ourselves to a meal in the town opposite the beautiful cathedral. We then made the short drive to Camping Les Portes de l’anjou at Durtal, where we’d decided to break our journey for a few days. The campsite is on the River Loir and we were delighted to find that our pitch overlooked this lovely waterway.
In the morning we set off to explore the town, and found a path through a park that turned into a walking tour of Durtal. We emerged on the main street, and once we’d crossed the Loir, were amazed at the massive château in front of us, considering that Durtal is only a small place.
Formerly home to the Counts of Anjou, the château is now a hotel. There were four gates – although one has been demolished – and a church. After coffees, we walked back along the Loir to the campsite.
Our next couple of days seemed to be dominated by châteaux. We glimpsed the château at Bazouges-sur-le-loir from the bridge, but on further investigation, found it had limited opening times. We continued on to Château du Lude at Le Lude, where Count and Countess de Nicolay live. It’s a solid-looking mansion that was built in the 10th century to defend the Anjou border, made up of four different ages of French architecture, each quite apparent from the exterior.
Inside, rooms are decorated with original furniture and tapestries. The gardens are beautifully manicured and there are old carriages in the stables.
We drove on to see the château at Baugé, but this is now the tourist information centre. The following day we travelled to Le Plessis Bourré, where there’s a magnificent moated château – it even has a drawbridge! It was built in just a few years from 1468 to 1473 by Jean Bourré, who was finance minister to King Louis XI.
Biding our time in Bidart
It was time to move on. After a couple more stops, we arrived at Camping UR-ONEA at Bidart. At reception, we were handed a leaflet recommending places to visit, with advice on the best way to reach the beach and the Basque hilltop centre of Bidart. This was useful because a busy road separates Bidart from the residential part. An underpass under the road took us to the fronton where the Basque game of pelota is played. Near this is an impressive church, which has three balconies and a model of a boat hanging from the ceiling, indicating the town’s close relationship with the sea. The main square with bars and restaurants is surrounded by typical Basque houses with white facades, red roofs and shutters.
Joe and I love to explore, whether on foot, on a bike or by car. That’s how we found St Madeleine’s Chapel, which is a stop for pilgrims on the way to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, and just a little further on is a more modern peace memorial. Here, there are great views of the coastline and the beach.
In the afternoon we set off again, following the path to the beach and stopping for juice at the beach bar. There we spotted a path leading up behind the bar on to the headland. It led to St Joseph’s Chapel, which has a large porch for lepers who wanted to join the service but weren’t permitted to enter the chapel. The path descended to the beach, where we found small shacks serving amazing food, continuing to the small port at Guéthary.
Just up the road is the classy, stylish resort of Biarritz. It’s a busy place and parking can be difficult, so we stopped
above a stunning surfer’s beach and walked in. This turned out to be another revelation as we passed the old port, The Virgin’s Rock and the fishermen’s port. Arriving on the main beach, we sipped coffee at the Café de Grande Plage and watched the world go by. We then browsed in Galeries Lafayette before returning to the car.
‘Arriving on the main beach, we sipped coffee at the Café de Grande Plage and watched the world go by’
Two tickets to ride
A mountain looms large in the area. It’s called La Rhune and there’s a rack and pinion railway that makes the 8km ascent in about 35 minutes. We’d been waiting for a clear day to catch the train – as had everyone else, judging by the crowds at the station! The railway entered service in 1924 and uses the same running gear and carriages. In the closed season, everything
is checked and serviced. At the top there are fabulous views looking towards northern Spain, the French coast and inland across the Pyrenees. I wanted to see some pottocks: small mountain horses, associated with the Basque region and La Rhune. I was lucky to see a mare with her foal at close quarters – in fact the foal seemed to pose for me! There’s a café where – because La Rhune is on the border of France and Spain – we chose to have paella for lunch.
We’d visited north of Bidart and been inland, but now we decided to explore to the south, starting at Saint-jean-de-luz. This is another popular place, featuring a glorious expanse of beach, a harbour for leisure craft and a fishing industry, and lots of bars, restaurants and independent shops.
We parked up and found quaint Basque houses linked to the promenade by bridges. We strolled along the promenade as far as the harbour where we saw fishermen mending their nets, then cut into the town centre where we had coffee at one of the many cafés. While browsing the shops selling Basque products, we came across an enormous espadrille shoe and an alarmingly still human life statue. On our way back to the car, we stopped at a café close to the beach and ate moules frites.
Spicing things up
The town of Espelette was recommended for a visit in the campsite’s handout, so we set off. It’s in the foothills of the Pyrenees and is famous for its pepper. It’s only a short journey from Bidart and we found it to be a true Basque town, with its fronton for playing pelota, a church with three wooden balconies and every house painted white and adorned with brightly coloured red or green woodwork. The shops selling peppers had strings of them hanging from their buildings to dry out, but now this is done more for the tourists.
There’s another local speciality sold in Espelette: Gâteau Basque. The traditional one – Gâteau Basque aux cerises – is filled with black cherry jam and it’s the one we asked for in the shop. When we got back to the caravan, we found we’d been given the one made with crème pâtissière. However, we weren’t going to waste it, so we cut ourselves a slice each. The gâteau might not look like anything special, but it’s delicious, believe me!
Being so close to Spain, we took the opportunity to drive to San Sebastián. We chose to go on a Sunday so that it would be quieter than a working day. San Sebastián, also known as Donostia, is a smart resort with beautiful buildings and stunning beaches. It sits on a shell-shaped bay with a hill at each end and in the middle is a small island: the Isla de Santa Clara. We parked under the Kursaal Conference Centre and when we emerged, found ourselves on Zurriola Beach, a favourite for surfers. We caught a tourist train that took us through the town, but also along to two other beaches: the fashionable Playa de Ondarreta and the larger Playa de la Concha. Later, we took a walk along the promenade and found a little harbour.
‘At the top there are views looking towards northern Spain, the French coast and across the Pyrenees’
A river runs through it
The next day was quieter, but we did go to a water mill – Le Moulin de Bassilour – just a couple of miles from the campsite. It was built in 1741 and retains the original machinery, which the owners switched on for us to see how it works. Most importantly, they sell Gâteau Basque aux cerises, as well as all types of bread and biscuits. We tried this gâteau and really couldn’t say which was our favourite – both types are yummy!
Our next trip followed the valley of the River Nive to St-jean-pied-de-port, one of my favourite places. It’s on the road to Spain, but is better known as a night halt for pilgrims walking the Santiago de Compostela route.
Pilgrims are identified by wearing a scallop shell and carrying a staff, and cheap lodgings are here for them. If you haven’t got the gear, there’s a shop which can provide everything a pilgrim might require.
The old part of town has a steep cobbled street lined with such lodgings, along with a few shops. I bought a Basque apron at one of these shops and received another, free. If you’re unable to walk, a tourist train will take you up the steep street. Walking down the street, I smelt herbs and spices, and at the bottom opposite the small church is a shop selling almost everything you could want. We bought peppercorns,
herbes de Provence and nutmeg but they didn’t have chervil. However, they did provide a substitute that goes well with fish.
There’s a more modern part to the town with bars, cafés and restaurants, but instead, we crossed the border to find another pilgrim halt at Roncesvalles or Orreaga. This is a major stopping point on the road to Santiago after crossing the Pyrenees. There, we visited the collegiate church and cloisters.
Our final visit in this area was also to Spain, to Las Cinco Villas de la Montaña – five Basque towns. The first was Bera, with balconies of beautiful flowers, then Lesaka, our favourite, with narrow winding streets and a stream running through the centre. Igantzi was remote, but in such a beautiful setting; at Arantza, another remote location, the road ended, and at Etxalar there was a lovely church.
By now Camping UR-ONEA should have closed, but every time I asked when they were closing, the manager said he was going to stay open while the good weather lasted! However, the number of campers was dwindling and there wasn’t the same atmosphere at the site, although the pool and restaurant remained open. We decided to move to Les Landes and Camping L’arbre d’or at Parentis-enborn. We planned to chill out here after all our visits at Bidart and just do some cycling, because it’s a very flat area. We did visit an amazing natural attraction, though: La Grande Dune du Pilat, a massive sand dune. It’s the highest in Europe, measuring 500m wide, 2.7km long and 100 to 115m high – although this does vary! One more fact: it’s made up of 60 million cubic metres of sand. How do they know that?
To enable visitors to climb to the top there’s a staircase in the sand, and Joe and I are testimony to the fact that it does move and change shape, because it’s a different staircase from when we last visited a few years ago. The views from the top are phenomenal, over the forest to Arcachon and across the Arcachon Bay. It was definitely a high point (literally!) on which to finish the holiday, and I hope that we’ve now put Bidart on your to-do list.
‘We did visit an amazing natural attraction: La Grande Dune du Pilat, which is a massive sand dune’