Sightseeing
Here
is a short introduction of the sights you will see in and around
the mill. There is a host of wildlife in the area and the unspoilt
natural beauty in the area makes it a great place to see nature
at it's best.
Wildlife
You
will see from the mill a fine array of wildlife, 3 types of Vulture
can be spotted (Pyrenean, Griffin and Egyptian), also Golden Eagle,
various Kites and Buzzards, different types of Lizards will be
seen darting around on warm stone. If you are lucky you may see
a snake - the only dangerous one is the Viper but like all snakes
they are put off by the slightest noise and will keep away from
you. Other birds you will see include Kingfishers, Woodpeckers,
Tree Creepers and Bee Catchers to name but a few. The farmer's
horses and sheep might come and pay you a visit.
As for something a bit more unusual, the Brown Bear is starting
to make a comeback from near extinction in the Pyrenees, but you
will have to go way off the beaten track to spot one. The famous
Pottok horse can be seen on La Rhune (see our activities
page about the old train that climbs up the mountain)
Grottes
(Caves)
Isturitz
is the upper cave. 20 metres below lies Oxocelhaya,
and 15 metres below that, Erberua: these three caves are situated
one on top of the other in the hillside at Gaztelu, in the Arberoue
valley.
Millions of years ago, the Arberoue river flowed over a plateau
at the top of the current hills. The water ran down fissures and
gradually dug out parallel cavities. The river bed still runs
through the lowest, Erberua. It is reserved for scientific research.
The first inhabitants, 80,000 years ago, were primitive tribes
(Mousterians). They fought cave bears for the right to live in
the upper cave, Isturitz. In a freezing climate, the decimated
hordes fought mammoths, woolly rhinos and bisons...
20,000 years later it was the turn of the Aurignacians: standing
tall and upright, they are our direct ancestors - Homo Sapiens
Sapiens. They engraved and painted animal shapes. Experienced
bird hunters, they developed an industry using flint and bone:
they made blades, scrapers and polishing objects. This heritage
is currently being investigated during a three-year dig campaign
designed to expand our knowledge of Cromagnon man in western Europe.
General
Summary
In
the Basque country, more closely in Cambo-Les-Bains, you can visit
the prestigious residence of Edmond
Rostand, author of Cyrano de Bergerac. “Bonnat
Art Gallery” in Bayonne is highly rated among French
museums and was designed to host the works of art collected by
the artist Léon Bonnat. There are paintings, drawings and
sculptures of Rubens, Le Greco, Murillo, Goya, Ingres, Degas and
others. “Musée
de la Mer” in Biarritz is a marine museum with 24 aquariums,
a sea pool and shark aquarium. “Le
Petit Train de La Rhune” is a little rack railway climbing
the 905 metres (2970 feet) up to the peak of the Basque Country,
rising above the French and Spanish coastlines with a spectacular
view on the Pyrénées mountain range. “Grottes
Isturitz et Oxocelhaya” are prehistoric caves that were
inhabited from 80 000 to 15 000 BC with carvings and stalagmite
pillars.
Links:
La
Bastide Clairence
Caves
website
Sightseeing Information
Ryanair
Easyjet
weather
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN BOOKING:
E-MAIL: kingdesign1@mac.com
Website:
www.pierretoune.com
