The best traffic-free bike rides around Mendive

An amazing place with magnificent views and birds of prey soaring just above your head. A spectacular sensation!

If you come to visit the Iparralde area... you can't miss it. It's worth a visit, either by bike or after the route. It has a lot of activity and life, especially in summer.

One of the most inhospitable and spectacular mountain passes in the eastern Pyrenees, with several slopes, all of them very difficult. The landscape is wild and wonderful. You can breathe absolute tranquility and you can dedicate yourself exclusively to enjoying the views, the horses, the sheep, the cows and the suffering on the bike. The summit is on the border with Spain, although there is no road that crosses the border, so the pass runs entirely in France. I have climbed it on 2 of its slopes. The first time I climbed it on the slope that crosses the Col d'Orgambide, on the D428 road, which starts from Estérençuby. The first 3 km are very easy, until you cross the detour to go up to Artaburu, where the road begins to have slopes of more than 10%. From there, to the summit, the climb is very hard, around 9%, on a very rough and bumpy road, with a lot of humidity and crossing a wonderful beech forest. Once you reach the top of the Col d'Orgambide, you turn right and continue climbing for another half kilometre with a gradient of 11%. There comes a small descent, to face the last 3 kms, the first 2 very hard with several 13% gradients. The last kilometre is very easy and has panoramic views that are simply wonderful. The second time I climbed it on the side that starts from Arneguy and Ondarolle. This side is harder than the previous one, with a central section that is hellish, being 6 kms at an average of 10%, and a very hard km at 12% and 18% gradients!!! The final part is more gentle. You cross the Croix de Thibault in the penultimate kilometre of the climb. The final kilometre is very gentle and with beautiful and exciting panoramic views.

In the idyllic setting of Iraty, at this crossroads between Col de Burdinkurutzeta, Col Bargargi (or Col d'Iraty as it is also marked on some signs) and Surzai Lepoa, this chalet is an ideal place to have a drink and enjoy the local produce, especially raw sheep's milk cheese. My experience at this chalet has been fantastic. The person in charge treated me very well, was very attentive to our group of cyclists and sold us some exquisite cheese. Without a doubt, a place to eat well!!!

It is a typical small village in Iparralde, right next to the main town Sant-Jean-Pied-Port-de-Port. There is nothing special about it, but if you pass by it, you should enjoy it. There is a nice fountain in the centre of the village.

It is a spectacular place, with the mountains, the lake, the trees, the meadows. Whenever I pass by there, it seems to me to be one of the most beautiful hidden places in this area of the Pyrenees. It brings together everything that characterizes the essence of the Irati area. It is a crossroads because the road that comes from Col de Burdinkurutzeta, the road that goes up to Col de Bargagi or Col d'Iraty and the road that comes from Surzai Lepoa converge here, heading towards Artaburu.

The final stretch of the climb to Col de Bagargi on its west side, once you pass the detour to go to Chalet Pedro, is beautiful. Before reaching the campsite, you pass two small idyllic lakes with beech forest in the background. It is another of the many gateways to the Irati Forest, in this case on the French side.

A remote port in the French Pyrenees with narrow roads in perfect condition where you can enjoy the beauty of the green pastures and the absolute tranquility of the place. It is an area where the weather is very changeable and you can have wonderful days or cold and rainy days in summer. It is an alternative road to the Col d'Errozate and connects with Surzai Lepoa. Without a doubt, a magical place and highly recommended.