From St-Jean, the D301 follows the deepening valley of the Nive to the southeast, past small red- and green-shuttered farms and attractive villages, while the GR10 stays well northeast of the river, first on paved lanes and then on track or trail along Handiamendi ridge. Both routes converge at ESTÉRENÇUBY (Esterenzubi), 8km from St-Jean and an attractive spot, well supplied with accommodation. A good option is the Auberge Carricaburu (tel 05.59.37.09.77; €30–40), with a streamside restaurant and the lively village bar.Beyond Estérençuby the valley-floor road continues alongside the Nive, now no more than a mountain stream, tumbling down between steep green slopes, covered in hay and bracken. In late June and early July, you'll see entire families scything the meadows and turning the sweet-smelling hay with rakes. After 2km you'll pass another worthy establishment, the Hôtel Artzaïn Etchea (tel 05.59.37.11.55, fax 05.59.37.20.16; €30–40; closed Feb), a modern, well-run place with a popular restaurant (menus from €6.86). Some 4km from Estérençuby the road reaches tiny Béhérobie before climbing up to the border and fizzling out. Here, the Hôtel de la Source de la Nive (tel 05.59.37.10.57, fax 05.59.37.39.06; €30–40; closed Jan and Tues out of season, usually booked out in Oct for the wood-pigeon shooting season), beside the stream, is a marvellous place for a quiet stay, with a restaurant serving game-dominated menus (€12.20–27.44). Just before the bridge at Béhérobie, a lane leads to the left, signposted to the Source de la Nive. With a car, you can drive the 400m to the end of the asphalt, then continue on foot along the dirt track going left, not the one going over the bridge. After fifteen minutes, you'll reach the springs, where water percolates a thousand metres down through the karstic hillside to well up as surging rapids. Hidden in dense beech woods, it's a magic spot in any weather, with a faint mist often rising from the surface of the water. Alternate spellings:: France, Estérençuby, Estérençuby, Esterencuby
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