Walking, Basque Culture & Gastronomy

A quirk of fate  has landed us in Ituren, a tiny Basque hamlet in the Spanish Pyrenees.

A UNESCO-related project has given Ituren international recognition for the pagan depths of its carnival traditions, while its beautiful walks and mediaeval village architecture have won the hearts of guests from all over the world.

Our home in Ameztia, Ituren, is open year round to individuals or small rambers groups (see below) to walk the Pyrenees and explore the little-known and often misunderstood culture of the Basques.

 

 

Several times a year we also offer more specific walking holidays in the Pyrenees. Our dates usually coincide with local events, where our guests are invited to join our neighbours, side-by-side, in their carnivals and fiestas.

The Walks

Thanks to the labours of smugglers and shepherds this part of the Spanish Pyrenees has inherited a maze of wonderful walks easily adapted to walkers of all levels and abilities.

Our walks in the Pyrenees are taken at a relaxed pace. Some walks follow rivers and streams through shaded groves of oak and chestnut, others along mountain ridges with views of the Atlantic.

However, all paths pass some isolated homestead with its rich green fields and dry-stoned walls and a small Basque village where cold beers are inevitably served in the the local bar.

Our walks take on various themes as we follow in the footsteps of witches, pilgrims and refugees to explore possibly the oldest culture in Europe.

 

And – as we visit the stone megaliths on the mountain passes and the working watermills along the valley floor, pass herds of wild horses and vulture colonies,  sample sheep’s cheese, chocolate and Patxarran – we reflect on the origins of this enigmatic (and often misunderstood) people.

 

House Party Dates for 2012

The Carnivals of Ituren & Zubieta (28th January - 4th Febuary 2012)

This is the week of the incredibly visceral carnivals of Ituren and Zubieta where the whole valley errupts into life after the deep winter months. Not only is this week an intensely moving affair for all of us here, but the carnivals have also attracted extensive anthropological interest in their early pagan origins and links to the energies of the earth.

Here we have the unique opportunity to witness this deeply moving. primordial and still local village carnival with bells, whips, petticoats and ‘bears’. We join in the celebrations and eat side-by-side with the our neighbours and Joaldunak.

 

The Day of the Joaldunak     (16th – 23rd September 2012) 

This walking week coincides with ‘the day of the Joaldunak’ (Bell Wearers), the mysterious carnival personalities of my village of Ituren,  recognised for their pagan origins and anthropological value.

Although the carnivals of Ituren and Zubieta are in early spring, (see above), this day is dedicated to the Joaldunaks’ ancestors as they stomp en mass, in trance-like state,  blessing my neighbours’ mountain farms.  During the day we join my neighbours and Joaldunak for pintxos (tapas) on their homesteads and then lunch in the village square.

(The walks are run in English & Spanish)         

 

 

Autumn Walking & Basque Gastronomy (7th – 14th October 2012) 

The autumn colours in the Pyrenees are so wonderful that it is sacrilige to keep these beautiful landscapes to myself: the trees fill with figs, walnuts and chestnuts, and as the morning mists clear, Maika, Luis and Ignacio can be found mushroom hunting in the grove of oak trees near my house. 

Usually a time of glorious indian summers, this week is the ultimate tonic before winter sets in, combining relaxed, inspirational walks, great Basque cuisine and a backstage entrance into my neighbours’ lives as the farms busily prepare for the winter ahead.

 (The walks are run in Spanish)

 

The price for the house-party walking holidays above: £845.  (Prices include full-board accommodation at the farmhouse with unlimited food and wine and all restaurant meals.  There are NO hidden extras and NO single supplements. We provide a full 5-day walking & cultural programme.  We also provide a free shuttle to and from Biarritz airport and San Sebastian bus station.)

We also run bespoke Walking, Basque Culture & Gastronomy weeks for two people or more.  More information. 

 

 For telephone enquiries call +44 (0)121 711 3428 or +34 650 713 759

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Walking in the Pyrenees (Basque Traditions & Gastronomy)

SAMPLE ITINERARY

Day 1 – Arrivals and Introduction
Airport pick-up from Biarritz airport (15.05).  Welcome dinner in Ameztia and introduction to life in the Basque Pyrenees.

Day 2 – The Basque Farmer and Mountain Village Life
Today we gain an insight into daily life in the Basque Pyrenees and take a walk into the hills past the numerous homesteads and mountain crofts that dot this agricultural landscape.  We drop down into the historic village of Amaiur for lunch (which lies on the path of the Camino de Santiago (Saint James’s Way) and examine the characteristics of the village, its layout and architecture. We visit the local (working) water mill to understand the central role that the mill (and the miller) played in village life.  We sample the traditional Basque peasant fare of freshly-ground corn   with other local produce: txistora, cheese, cider and Patxarran.

Day 3 – The Prehistoric Basque
(dolmens, stone circles etc.) that line the mountain cols and ancient shepherding routes and testify to the existence of the Basques early ancestors. We discuss the origin of these early Basque tribes and the unique features of this Pyrenean landscape that have helped safeguard their language and culture for so long?
Evening: Basque Ballads
Edorta comes to sing to us Basque (and Spanish) Ballads on the guitar.  What do their songs and ballads tell us of the Basque psyche!

Day 4 – The Basque Witch
The tiny border village of Zurgarramurdi becomes the focus of today’s walk.  Zurgarramurdi was made famous for its witchcraft andheavily persecuted during the Inquisition of the early 1600′s when many women were taken away to be burnt at the stake.  From the village we take a higher level walk over the hills to absorb the mysterious atmosphere of these borderland villages with views of both the French and Spanish Basque Country.  Why were the Basques so associated with Witchcraft?  What is its legacy?

Evening: This evening we go to the Michelin-recommended restaurant at Bentas de Donamaria where Lorea and Iziar (former presenters of a TV series on Basque cooking) give us a private Basque cooking lesson. Why is Basque gastronomy so renowned?  What are its secrets? And WHY did they reject a Michelin star when offered one?

Day 5 – Day free to explore the area
Public transport connections to Pamplona and San Sebastian (Other options can be discussed and we are open to ideas).

Day 6 – The Basque Smuggler
Today we follow the labyrinth of donkey tracks and smuggler routes through steep-sided valleys and over mountain borders into France.  We discuss the vital role that smuggling has played in the culture of the Baztan people over the past century.  What was smuggled?  Why and who?  And what are the consequences on daily life to this day?

Day 7 – The Carnival Basque.  UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY!
Today we drive to Ituren, and witness first hand the private parade of the Joaldunak (Zanpantzar) carnival personalities in full pagan dress as they pay private homage to their ancestors in my mountain hamlet.  The carnivals have been recognised and safeguarded by UNESCO however this is a very moving, personal ceremony only known to the local villagers.  Here you will also have the chance to try the local sheeps’ cheese and talk to the mountain farmers and Joaldunak personalities before sitting down to lunch with the locals at their comida popular in the village square.

Day 8 – Return to Biarritz (11.30 am)

This programme is flexible and may make the most of other cultural events that may be organised in the villages – at final notice.

Weather conditions and interests may also affect the choice of routes and visits taken.

Walks may extend from 4 – 6 hours, taken at a relaxed pace but ideal for people with walking experience.  Lunchtimes will either be in local family-run restaurants with the odd picnic in the hills, but there will always be a farmhouse-cooked meal and wine on our return.

It is not necessary to speak Spanish for this holiday; however, if you are interested in practising your spoken Spanish, during the week then please let me know as we do have native teachers and guides to help us.