The French Basque Country
South west France, the French Basque country, was for many years perhaps the least accessible part of France from the UK. True you could take the ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao, Spain, 100 miles away at least, or Plymouth to Santander, a further 50 miles down the road, but in both cases it included a crossing of the Bay of Biscay, not know as the most hospitable of seas. In 1999 Ryanair opened up a route from Stansted to Biarritz, one of their earlier forays into France. The single daily service has now stabilised at around 75,000 passengers annually and it will be interesting to see how it competes with the budget airline's own new service into Pau, one and half hour's drive down the motorway to the east, which starts at the end of April. Both airports will compete for the lucrative Pyrenees skiing market.
In fact the British have had historical links with this delightful corner of France going back to the days of Edward I and the Black Prince and in relatively modern times they arrived to stay during the Napoleonic Wars, former members of Wellington's army finding the weather and general ambience of the area to their liking. With the coming of the railways from 1850 onwards the region was accessible from Paris, and hence London.
Biarritz, a one time whaling village, is today a vibrant and cosmopolitan town boasting spectacular beaches and plenty of sun combining to make a popular holiday destination for the French. The resort was made famous by Eugenie de Montijo, the wife of Napoleon III, and in 1854 Napoleon built a stunning palace in the town. Today it is the Hotel du Palais, a spectacular 134-bedroomed hotel that captures the grandeur of a bygone era. Queen Victoria was a regular visitor, as was Winston Churchill. The area is famous for surfing and in July surfers from all over the world gather for the annual Biarritz Surf Festival. There are galleries, museums and the town”s shops and restaurants to explore.
About an hour's drive down the motorway from Biarritz Airport, on the road to Pau, is the delightful medieval town of Orthez, once the capital of the Bearn region. Now mostly pedestrianised it has not suffered as much as most of regional France with the growth of hypermarkets. There are modern shops in ancient buildings, plenty of eating places, and more than enough to see and do for a two nighter. ABTN stayed at the La Reine Jeanne, a really splendid French two star family run hotel build around a roofed over courtyard forming what we now call an atrium. The cooking was delightful, the room practical and en-suite. Half board for less than £60 for two including a bottle of the local wine! Start your visit at the tourist office, itself a 16th century dwelling house, where you will be offered a simple but very informative guide in English. The ancient bridge (left) across the Gave de Pau (gave being the local name for a river) resisted Montgomery's Protestant troops in 1569 (no relation of a later Montgomery who never fought in this part of France) and Wellington's troops in pursuit of Napoleon in 1814. The ancient castle ruins dominate the town. Like all of this part of France the whole of Orthez was spotlessly clean the people very friendly. Somehow they have even managed to incorporate the SNCF into the ancient splendour without lowering standards. You can visit Orthez by train.
A 20 minute drive south of Orthez, is Salies de Bearn, busy on market day, the river Saleys winding its way through the centre. It is a spa town, founded on salt (with a salt museum) and the most grand of thermal baths, the Moorish architecture incorporates the latest therapies and treatments. In 2004 the famous Hotel du Parc (left) will be open again, a listed building incorporating an Italian style lounge and sweeping staircases. The backdrop for numerous films the hotel will incorporate 54 air conditioned rooms. It promises to be the outstanding place to stay and will incorporate a casino.
Further south still is Oloron Ste Marie the main town of the ”High Bearn”, the country of the mountains. It sits at the junctions of the D'Aspe and D'Ossau, the rivers dominating the landscape. A sparkling settlement it is also the base of Messier Dowty (landing gear) and Lindt chocolates, the two largest local employers. The Cathedral of St Marie is a UNESCO site. Placed in the local tourist office is a novel presentation, a ten minute cyberspace ”railway” ride designed to explain the local attractions which it does very well. As if to show up the inadequacies of British three-star chain hotels lunch was taken at the Alysson Hotel on the outskirts of the town, whose external decor could be easily forgotten. The building may not look much but where in England could you get such a memorable meal for just £10.
If you are English you will feel at home in the this part of France. The rolling countryside is not unlike the Downs and the popular sports are rugby, horse racing, fox hunting, white water events and golf. There is the occasional Irish pub and the gastronomic efforts of the locals are world famous, as are the local wines. The roads are not busy and if you hire a car at the airport (Hertz is the Ryanair partner) parking is no real problem. To drive on the right in a left hand drive car is easy. The popular two band mobile phones work fine which allows for contact with home. And there is skiing of course, from November to May. March to June and September to November are good touring months. It gets very hot in mid-summer.
http://www.tourisme64.com