Port de Larrau and Pierre-Saint-Martin, French–Spanish loop

127 km · 3,000 m · Tardets-Sorholus

Base

Tardets-Sorholus

Distance

127 km

Elevation gain

3,000 m

Difficulty

Very hard

Type

Loop

Highest point

Col de la Pierre-Saint-Martin, 1,760 m

Cols

Port de Larrau (1,573 m), Puerto de Laza (1,129 m), Col de la Pierre-Saint-Martin (1,760 m)

Season

June–October (best July–September)

A wild, remote day in the Basque and Navarrese mountains. The Port de Larrau is one of the steepest climbs in the Pyrenees: from Laugibar, 15 km with over 1200 metres of climbing and long stretches at 10 per cent, in a landscape without trees, villages or traffic. After the descent into Navarre you go over the Puerto de Laza to Isaba and then climb up through the Belagua valley to Pierre-Saint-Martin, a much kinder side (about 23 km at 4 per cent). The finale is 25 km, mostly downhill, through the forests down to Arette. The Larrau was used in the Tour de France in 1996 and 2007; Pierre-Saint-Martin was a finish in 2007 and 2015.