SAINT-BARTHELEMY

ville SAINT-BARTHELEMY

PANORAMIC VIEW ON THE ADOUR AND THE PYRENEES AND THE PYRENEES

Saint-Barthélemy is a village of 400 inhabitants located on the banks of the River Adour, just a few kilometres upstream from the mouth. The River Adour’s barthes are a particularly remarkable and original wetland made up of woodland and flood plains which are home to a wide range of birds (cranes, spoonbills, storks, herons, gulls, sparrows …), as well as many protected species of animals (otters, mink, terrapins, stag beetle …) and plants (angelica, marsilea…).

visuel SAINT-BARTHELEMY
The river’s dyking up completed by an ingenious system of flood gates (imported from Holland in the 16th century) enabled the level of water to be regulated in the barthes and for a very characteristic habitat to take root there: large farms generally made up of a barn on the ground floor (floating floor), living quarters upstairs and an attic under the roof. Although residents sometimes had to deal with major flooding, they nevertheless were able to take advantage of a fertile soil and a river with plenty of fish (eel, lamprey, shad …).

We have to leave behind the banks of the Adour to discover the small centre of Saint-Barthélemy. It consists of several houses with Basco-Landais architecture from which the town-hall and former school stand out. The Gothic church perched on a rocky peak provides a panoramic view over the barthes, the Basque Country and the Pyrenees. A viewing table is the point of departure for a signposted walking tour of approximately 12 km, highly appreciated by nature observers.

ACCOMMODATION IN SAINT-BARTHELEMY

LEISURE & ACTIVITIES IN SAINT-BARTHELEMY