Sentier des mulets / Mandobidexka

Collection : TOP 25 ET SÉRIE BLEUE

Scale : 1:25 000

13.90€

M1244OT - BIARRITZ HENDAYE LA RHUNE

166 DAX BAYONNE PAYS BASQUE

Collection : MINI TOP 25

Scale : 1:25 000

8.80€

TOP75023 - PAYS BASQUE

89030 - TRAVERSEE DES PYRENEES GR10®

Collection : DECOUVERTE DES CHEMINS

Scale : 1:100 000

9.10€

D64 PYRÉNÉES-ATLANTIQUES

Collection : CARTES DÉPARTEMENTALES IGN

Scale : 1:150 000

5.90€

NR11 NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE RECTO/VERSO BASSIN AQUITAIN

Collection : CARTES RÉGIONALES IGN

Scale : 1:250 000

6.80€

NR10 NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE RECTO /VERSO LIMOUSIN POITOU

Collection : CARTES RÉGIONALES IGN

Collection : DÉCOUVERTE DES PAYS DU MONDE IGN

Scale : 1:2 500 000

7.00€

Description

If the old oak of the Mulets track could talk, they would have many stories to tell the customs officers! Between Herboure and the Ibardin pass, they have seen dozens of traders and smugglers who used this old path day and night. The mules carried heavy loads on their back, the men were careful to avoid the controls. The route starts halfway up the Ibardin pass and, after enjoying the wide views of the coastline from the Aire Leku plateau, it winds its way through groves and clearings to find the start of the Mulets track. Head for the Ibardin pass, along a path, sheltered from view and the summer heat under the foliage of the Andureta valley. An original way to reach the Ibardin pass on foot, and why not do some shopping there.

Technical Information

Walking

Difficulty

Easy

Dist.

9.8 km

Altimetric profile

Starting point

64122 URRUGNE

Lat : 43.332033Lng : -1.687312

Steps

From Aire Leku wood to Herboure (D404 road)

At the intersection (215m) with a dirt track, follow it downhill to the right (ignore the side paths). The path curves to the left under a large oak tree (view of the Urrugne neighbourhood); just after a stream, at the Y-shaped intersection, take the path on the right, which descends steeply through the stones. At the entrance of a plateau ant its fern grove, fork left onto a new path (2 dead trees); it is extended by a small path. In the woods, just after the small bridge, take the path that goes up to the left. It then goes between clearings and copses and crosses three new streams. When you reach a fenced-in meadow, follow the path to the left, along the fence.

From the Ibardin pass to the Abeilles Pass

At the « Lapurdi » sign (315m), leave the tarmac road to climb the dirt track to the right, marked in red and white. When the path bumps against a gate, go up the very steep grassy path on the right along the fence, then in the ferns. Reach a grassy pass (385m), with a view of the Ibardin pass on the right and the Rhune on the left (the first path on the left allows a round trip to the Redoute des Emigrés). Continue 30m to an intersection of 5 paths: take the second path on the left, downhill (Biarritz in view). Go through an esplanade (quarrymen’s quay) and then, after the collapsed dolmen, continue downhill into the forest. At the bottom, after the barrier, take the left-hand path until you return to the starting point.

From the Mokoa pass to the Ibardin pass

Reach the bend in a wide track (325m), with a view of the Rhune, and follow It to the left. It runs almost horizontally, through the forests, with a few viewpoints and then later passes under the ventas of the Ibardin pass. At the end of the track, cross a parking lot on the left and go down the road to the Ibardin pass. At the pass’ small roundabout (benta Gorria), walk along the road to the left for 50m (towards Urrugne), until you see the small “Lapurdi” sign.

From the Ibardin pass to the Abeilles Pass

Points of interest

The hawthorn

In front of the door of the barn ruin is a shrub called hawthorn. Three-lobed leaves, red berries and strong thorns identify it. They bloom in May and produce edible fruits in September. Passerines (such as the wren) find the density of the branches to be ideal nesting sites

The old mule track

On the mule track, deep erosion marks in the rocky slabs leave no doubt that this path was once heavily used by travellers, traders and smugglers, so much so that the wheels of the carts are still carved in the stone. For the record, the novel Ramuntcho by Pierre Loti, written in Ascain, recounts these smugglers’ stories.

The witnesses of history

From this pass, you can walk along a path that highlights the heritage. You can reach the Redoute des Emigrés (remains of the Napoleonic wars), but also find protohistoric witnesses: a simple hole in a tumulus reveals itself to be a dolmenic chest (ancient dolmen), and further down, a stone lying on the ground is the remains of another dolmen, collapsed, dated –3000 years BC.

The Quai des Carriers

With an astonishing rectilinear low wall in the middle of a flat area, this site bears witness to the ancient exploitation of the mountain’s resources. This plateau is known as the “Quai des Carriers”, a former loading area for stones from extraction sites. There a many explanatory panels on the circuit.