Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port: The Pilgrims' Gate, the Bishops' Prison and Irouléguy Wine
Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
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250
XP
+100 France
= 350 total
2 days
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port: The Pilgrims' Gate, the Bishops' Prison and Irouléguy Wine
250 + 100 XP
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the last French town before the road to Santiago climbs over the Pyrenees, keeps its Porte Saint-Jacques, cut through 15th-century ramparts and UNESCO-listed in 1998 with the routes to Santiago, below a citadel of 1625–1627 that François Ferry rebuilt between 1686 and 1700 on Vauban's instructions. On the Rue de la Citadelle stands the Prison des Évêques, a house of about 1584 over a vaulted 13th-century cellar, and on the terraces round the town grows Irouléguy, an AOC since the decree of 29 October 1970 and the only vineyard of the French Basque Country.
Required Activities
1
of 4
Climb the Rue de la Citadelle from the Porte Saint-Jacques, reading the carved door lintels in the pink Arradoy sandstone that give each house its name and date, then follow the access ramp to the citadel's west demi-lune for the view over the town and the basin of Cize
2
of 4
Taste Irouléguy at the growers' cave at Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, 10 km west, or at a grower on the terraced slopes, and compare a red of tannat and cabernet franc against a white of courbu and manseng from the same 250-hectare appellation
3
of 4
Go into the Prison des Évêques on the Rue de la Citadelle: find the mullioned window whose lintel is dated 1584, the words Prison des Evesques carved on the entrance keystone in 1927, and the two flights of stone steps down to the vaulted cell with iron collars still fixed to its walls
4
of 4
Walk down through the Porte Notre-Dame, the gate cut through the church belfry itself, and find its portcullis and heavy wooden doors, then cross the Pont Notre-Dame and look back at the old houses standing in the Nive with their wooden balconies
Climb the Rue de la Citadelle from the Porte Saint-Jacques, reading the carved door lintels in the pink Arradoy sandstone that give each house its name and date, then follow the access ramp to the citadel's west demi-lune for the view over the town and the basin of Cize
Taste Irouléguy at the growers' cave at Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, 10 km west, or at a grower on the terraced slopes, and compare a red of tannat and cabernet franc against a white of courbu and manseng from the same 250-hectare appellation
Go into the Prison des Évêques on the Rue de la Citadelle: find the mullioned window whose lintel is dated 1584, the words Prison des Evesques carved on the entrance keystone in 1927, and the two flights of stone steps down to the vaulted cell with iron collars still fixed to its walls
Walk down through the Porte Notre-Dame, the gate cut through the church belfry itself, and find its portcullis and heavy wooden doors, then cross the Pont Notre-Dame and look back at the old houses standing in the Nive with their wooden balconies
Before you go
The Prison des Évêques is free and open all year but only on four days — Wednesday, Thursday morning, Friday afternoon and Saturday — so a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday visit to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port cannot include it. The citadel above the town is a school and is not open inside; the tourist office runs guided tours of it in July and August only, and the rest of the year you walk the access ramp to the demi-lune for the view. The Irouléguy growers' cave at Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry is 10 km west over a hill road, so allow driving time.
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
250 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
350 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
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