Zubieta in the Basque Pyrenees

Wednesday, 17 August 2022 / Published in Basque Culture and Tradition, Basque Mythology, Ituren carnivals, The Basque Language, Visit the Pyrenees, Walking in the Pyrenees, Zubieta carnivals
Typical farmhouse in Zubieta
Zubieta is a traditional Basque village in the Pyrenees, its contrasts and contradictions, values of equality, honour and 'hard graft' are typical of Basque mountain life.

The Pyrenees with Michael Portillo

Thursday, 21 July 2022 / Published in Basque Culture and Tradition
The Pyrenees with Michael Portillo
'The Pyrenees with Michael Portillo', a portrait of filming behind-the-scenes in Zubieta, a traditional Basque village in Navarre. Here, we work with Michael and learn about his family background and skills as a linguist and presenter.

Comet Line Crossing of the Pyrenees

Tuesday, 20 August 2019 / Published in World War II Escape Lines
pyrenean experience sunset over the valley on our guided walking holidays in the Pyrenees
A detailed description of Jim Allison's escape from Nazi occupied Europe with the help of the Pyrenean escape route known as the Comet Line. First-hand details from the final survivors of the Comet resistance network.

Basque Christmas Traditions: Olentzero

Saturday, 26 December 2015 / Published in Basque Culture and Tradition
Olentzero on Christmas Eve in Ituren
Olentzero – an inseparable part of Basque Christmas Traditions As you would expect even Basque Christmas traditions dig deep into their pagan past and the Joaldunak, the pagan protagonists from the festivals we visit on Total Basque Mountain Culture Walking Holidays, appear again with fire and flame. Here, during the winter months, the flint-grey skies

The origins of our Self-Guided Walks in the Pyrenees

Friday, 12 December 2014 / Published in Visit the Pyrenees, Walking in the Pyrenees, Wildlife of the Pyrenees
people walking
The Telephone Call Our self-guided walks in the Pyrenees were pitchforked into action after a phone call from a Houston lawyer around Christmas 2012. Steve was heading to the Basque Country with a group of lawyer friends and wanted me to design 6 days of self-guided walks in the Pyrenees to lead them over the

Beautiful Basque Country Farmhouse B & B – with a tortoise on the tap

Thursday, 29 May 2014 / Published in Basque Culture and Tradition, Basque Lifestyle
Cottage in the Pyrenees, Navarre, Iaulin Borda,
Thirteen years ago our beautiful Basque Country farmhouse B & B in Ituren was nothing but a tiny mountain barn with a rustic outdoor toilet and a tiny brass tortoise on an outside tap! Once a haunt of sheep and wild ferrets (and a couple of grotesque toads that centered themselves up maliciously each night