Ursuya from Macaye

Loop passing through Mount Ursuya, a peak jutting out from the hills.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.50 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 285 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 288 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 678 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 380 m

Photos

Description of the walk

In Louhossoa, take the D252 towards Mendionne for about 3 km. In Macaye, there are two restaurants opposite each other, Claverie and Ogibarnia. Turn left at the corner of the Claverie restaurant.
At the next crossroads, with rubbish bins, continue straight ahead, then turn right twice until the end of the tarmac road, at a crossroads with three tracks. Park at the side of the track, taking care not to obstruct other traffic.

(S/E) Go straight ahead uphill towards a second sheepfold, ignoring the path that runs alongside the first sheepfold on the right. Stay on the main path marked in yellow.

(1) Turn right off the main path onto a dirt track that climbs to the summit along a ridge that is initially grassy, then stony, then grassy again.

(2) At the junction with a wider grassy path, continue straight ahead to reach the summit of Mount Ursuya.

(3) Descend from the summit along the ridge line towards the east.

(4) The path makes a hairpin bend to the right. At the next bend, keep to the right to pass along the upper edge of a wooded area. A little further on, opposite a sheepfold, keep to the left and then turn right. When you reach two sheepfolds, turn right again to pass between the two buildings and reach the junction with a wide track.

(5) Follow this track to the right until you reach a bend at a sheepfold. Turn left, follow a barbed wire fence, make a hairpin bend to the left with the path and you will reach another fork.

(6) Turn right at an acute angle. You will come out onto a small road with two sheepfolds on your right. Turn left and return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 398 m - Parking along the track
  2. 1 : km 0.99 - alt. 459 m - Path climbing to the right
  3. 2 : km 1.71 - alt. 567 m - Crossroads, straight ahead
  4. 3 : km 2.28 - alt. 678 m - Summit
  5. 4 : km 3.06 - alt. 528 m - Right-hand bend
  6. 5 : km 3.82 - alt. 434 m - Track junction, on the right
  7. 6 : km 4.48 - alt. 381 m - Fork in the road, right at the hairpin bend
  8. S/E : km 5.5 - alt. 398 m - Return to the car park

Notes

No water along the route

Worth a visit

Respect the water catchment area between (1) and (3).

In the village of Macaye, the town hall is remarkable and the church is worth a visit.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 24 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
caroliina64
caroliina64

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 24, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Not a very long walk, but a nice one, with lovely views

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tibocoop
tibocoop

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike. The conditions were ideal: slightly cloudy but good visibility and a temperature of around 20ºC. A little steep before the summit but the reward is worth it: the view is absolutely magnificent! You can see both the ocean and the mountains

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PatBallade
PatBallade

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The hike took place on a beautiful afternoon. The directions to the starting point are reliable and the signposting along the route is good, although the Visorando app is handy.
Be careful on the first part of the route: turn right at the sign indicating the grazing area, as the path is not clearly visible, and at the top, the starting point is not very well marked.
Other than that, there are magnificent landscapes, a 360° view and beautiful horses and foals, one of which had just been born.

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User 3041636

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice family hike. Lots of fog. Too bad!

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Eric64-40
Eric64-40

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant hike, a few steep sections but the view from the top of Ursuya is well worth the effort. Definitely worth doing. For us (not keen walkers) it took 1½ hours without stopping.

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Liya
Liya

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very pretty hike with a magnificent 360-degree view at the summit. Pottoks all along the way. However, it's uphill on the way there and downhill on the way back. We followed the Visorando app. Luckily, because we got lost several times as there are several paths. The little bell warned us when we strayed from the hiking trail. Thank you, Visorando! I recommend this hike.

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Steph40
Steph40

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice hike 😊
Majestic views throughout the route ⛰️🦅🐴
No particular difficulty, simple route

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Sopadrabrocas
Sopadrabrocas

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A short hike, but what space up there and what a view!!! Superb!!

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sercla
sercla

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The situation has changed since the description was written
the arrival at PC 397, at the intersection of several tracks, now leads to a large car park just after passing through a cattle grid
there is an identification post at this location (make sure to take note of it, as signs are rare in the Basque Country!) ---> Col d'IRAMALDA, remember this, because on the way back down in thick fog, this pass is marked on some yellow signs and there are numerous intersections around this mountain
admittedly, it is not marked on the IGN 1/25,000 map... but it can be found on the 1/50,000 "Hiking Map" published by Rando Editions based on IGN data!
the start of the trail at point 1 is not marked, there are several tracks on the ground that are difficult to see in foggy weather (which is frequent), with each hiker creating their own path on the start of a grassy ridge, which, a little further on, becomes a wide, well-trodden path, grassy and stony, as described
the exit is very popular, as the summit attracts hikers who access it via a multitude of routes, coming from all directions
hike completed on Sunday 8 September 2024

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Tximeleta
Tximeleta

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike with magnificent views and few people around on this particular day. Be careful at waypoint 1: do not continue along the path, but turn right onto the grassy path, which is not visible at the start.

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Gegeboubou
Gegeboubou

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice easy hike with children. Beautiful parish-specific view of the Basque Country

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Benoit Marly
Benoit Marly

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Magnificent views. The first part was a little too crowded for my taste at this time of year.

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Didmd
Didmd

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk with breathtaking views. The well-located and well-equipped car park means you don't have to walk all the way up from Macaye. All that's left to do is enjoy the view. Please note that there are a few very steep sections...

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Madeleine64
Madeleine64

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant and easy hike to the summit of Ursuya. Beautiful views throughout the hike. Thank you

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lolicht
lolicht
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a superb hike, fairly short but steep! The landscape changes throughout the climb, with views of the sea, plains and mountains thanks to this promontory jutting out from the Pyrenees... truly enchanting! And groups of mares with their foals along the way (visited in early August)

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