The Camino and the Pyrenees
San Sebastian to pyrenees Tour
The camino and the Pyrennes Tour is a walk through the history of the cristianism and preromanic cultures of the area.
The camino is a historic catholic pilgrimage to visit the namesake cathedral where the remains of the apostle Santiago are buried. In the 10th centurie the north of Spain was composed of 4 catholic kingdoms: The kingdom of Navarra, the kingdom of Aragon, the kingdom of Castilla and the kingdom of Leon. The royal authorities worked together to build bridges, Hospitals, and churches to help pilgrims reach their destination.
Nowadays, Saint James Route is still a very important destination for Catholics from all over the world. The spirit of the Camino is still alive because the route goes through little villages and very important historical places, some of which are more than a thousand years old, such as romanesque style churches and hospitals.
Saint Jean Pied du Port and Roncesvalles
This tour features the initial stages of the route between the Pyrenees and the Iberian Península. We start in Saint Jean Pied du Port, the first village in the Pyrenees on the French side. It is a completly walled medieval-style village, it was founded in the 12th century as a commercial, military and religious crossroads. A river runs through it and two beautiful historic bridges complete the city´s medieval charm.
Only 25 km away from Saint Jean Pied du Port lies the next stop on the Camino. Roncesvalles is located at the top of a valley. Once you arrive here, take your time to enjoy the views from the top of the mountain. In the ancient hospital at Roncesvalles you will learn more about the history of the camino as we visit some important places with an expert guide. Also you will have time to eat something in one of the restaurants with all the pillgrims surrounded by a unique atmosphere.
Roncesvalles
Pyrenees tours from San Sebastian
Irati, the ancient forest and The Pyrenees
The Irati forest is one of Europe´s oldest and most important. It is the second biggest wooded preserve after Germany´s Black Forest. Going for a walk in this forest of ancient beech trees is a true luxury. Pyrenees is a mountain range which separate France and Spain.
This tour features the initial stages of the route between the Pyrenees and the Iberian Península. We start in Saint Jean Pied du Port, the first village in the Pyrenees on the French side. Roncesvalles is only 25 km from Saint Jean Pied du Port and it is the next stop on the Camino. Roncesvalles is located at the top of a valley. After that, we will enjoy the nature of the region and we will drive to the highest mountain in the area.
Ancient stone monuments
The Pyrenean crómlech are small: their diameter sometimes does not reach three meters, and few are those that surpass the fifteen. The stones that form them are also small in size, and sometimes they barely stick out of the ground. There are crómlech whose interior was filled with a tumulus of stones (tumor chrómlech).
Various excavations have shown that the Pyrenean cromelech had a funerary function, such as collective graves.
All megalithic monuments are located in places with wide visibility: high hills, watersheds, landings or very clear slopes. Its high cultural value comes from its condition: there are very few remains that unite us with our prehistory.
