Top 6 Mountain Passes around Oroz-Betelu

The Metkiritz pass is a very easy and accessible climb that offers cyclists a pleasant experience with its spectacular natural landscapes. The road is in perfect condition although there is traffic as it is a national road. The views from the top are not attractive, although the surroundings are.

It is a beautiful border pass between Spain and France, well known for being part of the most traditional route of the Camino de Santiago. Sportingly, the climb on both sides is easy, although on the French side it is much longer as it starts at a lower altitude. The Spanish side is just 6 km from Burguete, the last being the most difficult with an average gradient of 7%. On this side you pass the famous and well-known monastery of Roncesvalles. The French side is 18 km from Arnegui and an average gradient of 4%. The hardest part is 5 km from the summit, with one kilometre at 7%. The landscape on this side is of lush vegetation going up a very closed valley that hardly leaves room for views of the surrounding mountains. The road is very twisty. It is a port with very good asphalt and a lot of traffic in general... so, be careful!

The Ibañeta Pass, also known as the Roncesvalles Pass, is a scenic mountain pass in the Pyrenees, near the border between France and Spain. At an altitude of 1,057 metres, it offers breathtaking views and a rich historical background. The pass is best known for the Battle of Roncevaux in 778, a legendary event sung about in the epic poem “The Song of Roland”. A menhir marks the traditional site of this battle, emphasising the historical significance of the location.

A great climb up to the pass. Once you reach the top you get a great view. There is a small church at the top and also a monument. There has always been a hospital up here. However, only the foundations of it remain

Roland, who is commemorated here, died in 778 as part of the rear guard of Charlemagne's Frankish army. He himself was Margrave of Brittany and was the victim of a Basque revenge campaign against the Frankish conquerors who were retreating from a failed Saracen campaign. Those were complicated times, but things were not to become any less complicated in the Basque Country in the centuries that followed. An epic/song was later sung about Roland, which is part of world literature. The monument itself is simple and rough, exposed up here in the wind of the weather, and can therefore have an immediate effect, without pomp and splendor. Great! https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlacht_von_Roncesvalles

nice area with drinking water

The pass is an important crossing of the Pyrenees, and a monastery with a hostel was set up in Roncesvalles for pilgrims on pilgrimage to St. James. The monks of the monastery also manned the chapel on the pass and rang the bells in the fog to show pilgrims the way.

At the top of the pass stands the modern chapel of San Salvador, which replaces an older chapel. It marks the beginning of the Camino Francés, which includes three of the four French pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela: the Via Podiensis from Puy and Conques, the Via Turonensis - from Paris, Tours and Poitiers and the Via Lemovicensis - from Vezelay, Limoges and Périgueux coming.