Akhozia (Accoce)

Akhozia on Google Maps


About the area

Accoce belongs to the commune of Ste. Engrace, the eastern-most community of the French Basque Country. The house sits on the south side of the valley facing Spain.

The community has a famous Roman church containing a relic of the saint that gave the valley it's name, and it has two ravines of note: the Gorge de la Kakueta, the deepest and shearest gorge in Europe, and Eujarre, a fine wooded gorge leading up onto the high plateaus of the mountains and the site of battle between the Moors retreating to Spain and the Basques. At the head of the valley lies the ski station of La Pierre de San Martin, a center for both skiing and summer trekking, and the road into Spain. The famous cross-Pyrenees trail, the GR10, passes through the valley and trails criss-cross the high ridges.

In the neighbouring commune of Larrau, there is the world famous restaurant EtcheMaite, and nearby an old supension brige of 90 metres height across another wooded gorge. At the join of the two rivers where the valleys of Larrau and Ste, Engrace meet is a kyak center and swimming hole.

In and around Soule (Xiberoa), there are many restaurants, and further afield in the high pyrenees there are interesting jaunts to be made to see bears (in captivity), take cable cars to the high peaks and climb trails of all grades.

There is supermarket shopping in Mauleon, markets every week in local villages, swimming pools in Mauleon, Lanne and Oloron, and the famous Basque coast is less than two hours away, while the Spanish frontier is only 30 km over the pass.

How to get there

Accoce is:

1 hour 30 mins from Biarritz,

1 hour 15 mins from Pau,

4 hours from Santander,

3 hours 30 mins from Bilbao.

3 hours 30 mins from Zaragoza

There are airports at Biarritz and Pau with daily flights to London. Car Ferries go to Santander and Bilbao. TGV Trains go to Pau, Tarbes, Bayonne.

By car, taking the west coast autoroute, A10, south of Paris. Leave it at Peyrehorade and follow Sauveterre, Mauleon, Tardets, takes about 1 hour 20 mins from leaving the autoroute.


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