Around Hendaye: Up the coast and inland
France > Pyrénées > Pays Basque > Côte Basque > Hendaye > Around Hendaye: Up the coast and inland
The best thing about Hendaye is in fact getting there, for the stretch of coast from St-Jean south has remained miraculously unspoilt, especially in the region of the Pointe Ste-Anne promontory, accessible from the Chemin Piéton Littoral footpath, which runs parallel to the coastal D912 "Corniche Basque" road. It's equally accessible from the beach at Hendaye-Plage.Inland, both trans-Pyrenean walking routes – the GR10 and HRP – officially begin their course in Hendaye-Plage at the former casino on the front. The first, two-hour stage is dull and gives no sense of the glories that lie ahead. Go along boulevard Général-Leclerc, through the town on rue des Citronniers, under the rail line, then 50m east on the N10 before following the waymarks to the right towards the A63 autoroute. A cattle track passes underneath and continues to the tiny hilltop village of BIRIATOU (Biriatu), where the walking starts to get interesting. If you're not concerned about the romance of starting at the very beginning, splash out on a taxi and start at Biriatou. A short steep section leads to a Basque church with a collection of weather-worn Celtic-type tombstones, next door to the pretty Auberge Hirribarren, a temporary haven for many escaping Allied soldiers during World War II. From here the main footpaths and a number of local variations rise rapidly above the coast to semi-isolation, where only the buzzing power lines (soon left behind) and the occasional walker or jogger disturb the peace.
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