4 Best Sights in Roncal Valley, The Pyrenees

Two kilometers (1 mile) south of Ochagavía, at Escároz, a small secondary roadway winds 22 km (14 miles) over the Abaurrea heights to Aribe, a tiny town—population 36—known for its triple-arch medieval bridge, ancient hórreo (granary), Zamariain viewpoint, and Zubi Esekia suspension bridge.

Nearly every July 13 since 1375, the "Tribute of the Three Cows" unfolds in the heart of the Roncal Valley on the French border. Local mayors, dressed in traditional gowns, gather near the summit of San Martín to receive the symbolic payment of three cows from their French counterparts, in memory of a settlement of ancient border disputes that's believed to be the oldest surviving "pact" of its kind in Europe. Feasting and joyous imbibing follow.

The road west (NA140) to Ochagavía (Otsagabia in Basque) through the Portillo de Lazar (Lazar Pass) has views of the Anie and Orhi peaks, which tower over the French border. The village itself, with original cobblestone streets and riverside promenade, is a pleasant spot to stretch the legs.

A 15-km (9-mile) detour north through the town of Orbaizeta up to the headwaters of the Irati River, at the Irabia Reservoir, gets you a good look at the Selva de Irati, one of Europe's major beech forests and the source of much of the lumber for the Spanish Armada. Today it's a popular nature reserve that's veined with trails from which you might glimpse wildlife like deer, woodpeckers, wild boar, and even wolverines. Notably it also contains megalithic cromlechs and dolmens around the villages of Azpegi and Orbaizeta.