The Customs Officers’ Path from Biriatou

From Urrugne, head straight on towards Béhobie (D810). Once in this part of Urrugne, follow the signs for Biriatou. In the lower part of the village, turn right onto a road signposting the start of the trail 5 km ahead. Follow the Bidasoa river as you pass through several neighbourhoods. At Ihiztokia (2.5 km), the road continues opposite along the ‘Chemin de Liçarlan’ forest track, which is tarmacked on a smooth surface, leading to a car park at a right-hand bend.

(S/E) From the bend in the track (80 metres above sea level), start by climbing a stony path to the left, upstream of a stream (signposted ‘liaison GT2’). You’ll reach a junction of two paths (elevation 123), which you should note for the return journey.

(1) Follow the path to the right. This passes through a first copse, then descends towards the wide forest track, which you should follow straight ahead. At Lizarlan Farm, continue straight on along the grassy path downhill. Through the forest, reach the bed of the Lizarlan stream further down and continue descending along the right bank. A footbridge on the left allows you to cross the stream. On the other side, ignore the gate on the right used by the GRT2 near the ruins. Keep to the yellow-marked path straight ahead, which climbs steeply to the left and leads onto a wooded ridge, where a break under the magnificent oak trees will be most welcome.

(2) Take the path up to the left. After a viewpoint overlooking the Bidassoa valley, the path crosses a rocky outcrop (at an altitude of around 275 m) and continues its challenging climb. As you pass near boundary marker no. 3, the slope finally levels off. Follow the grassy path opposite, which crosses the Azkope dome (alt. 375 m).

(3) Descend on the other side towards a pass.

(4) At the pass marked by boundary marker no. 5 (alt. 360 m), ignore the wide path to the right and instead follow the steep border path straight ahead, which climbs along the edge of the trees.At the top of the slope (boundary marker no. 6), there is a beautiful view towards La Rhune and L’Ibanteli. The path passes to the right of the rocky outcrops, carved into the rock, then back to the left of the ridge to reach a grassy pass (alt. 465 m).

(5) As soon as you reach the first hawthorn bush, leave the ridge by turning left to find the start of a new path which runs for some time along the hillside until it reaches the Col des Joncs (elevation 421).

(6) Cross over to the opposite slope and follow the GR®10, marked in red and white, veering slightly to the left. Descend steadily above Lake Xoldokogaina to reach the Col de Pitare (316 m).

(7) At the Col de Pittare or Col des Poiriers, ignore the GR®10 markings and turn sharply left at the edge of the woodland, onto a path that immediately splits into two branches. Take the left-hand branch, which enters the forest, and follow the path as it descends through the woodland in two wide hairpin bends, then runs alongside a stream.

(8) Once you reach a dirt track (elevation 221), cross the stream and follow the track to the right to reach the Lantzetaerreka crossroads (alt. 200 m).

(9) Ignore the two tracks on the right and take the path leading down to the left to reach a remarkable oak tree.

(10) Turn left beneath the oak and head towards the bed of the Lantzeta stream. The path then follows its left bank and rejoins the first junction encountered on the way out (elevation 123).

(1) Follow the path down to the right to return to the car park (S/E).

Signposting: Yellow, White and Red.
Facilities and services: water point, toilets.

(3) Igneous rocks
The summit of Azkope features several outcrops of very hard rock. This is granite, sometimes containing linear veins of quartz. A magmatic rock, formed over 300 Ma ago, it forms the bedrock of the Pyrenean mountain range and can also be found in the Cauterets and Néouvielle massifs.

(4) The boundary markers
The definitive boundary between France and Spain was established under Napoleon III and Isabella II, Queen of Spain, by the three Treaties of Bayonne of 1852, 1862 and 1866. The boundary is marked in the mountains by boundary markers or crosses, numbering 602 from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.

(5) Butterworts and sundews
The Plateau des Trois Fontaines is a wetland with particularly acidic waters. It is the ideal habitat for sphagnum mosses, ancient mosses with exceptional absorbency, whose lower, dead parts do not decompose, thus forming a thick, spongy layer. A constant trickle of water and a little humus provide the ideal living conditions for two unusual insectivorous plants: the common butterwort and the sundew. To meet their energy needs, they have sticky leaves with which they capture insects that venture a little too close.