La Rhune circuit from Olhette

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Parking has moved 400m down hill towards main road and is now a small parking

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At end of rd veer left over bridge that is actually just a telegraph pole, head through second parking and onto woodland track going left at end and start climbing very gently along GR10

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Sticking to gr10 reach a wider path with field and farm gate to your left. Go right and remain on gr10

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Hr 20 from the start reach this pass dotted with weathered conifer trees. Leave the GR 10 here and veer right through trees toward la Rhune summit. This is main trail now and can be busy to the top

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50min from pass after a reasonably steep haul up over fairly rocky terrain arrive at summit. Views along coast and in toward mountains are good enough to make you forget the invariably heavy crowds sharing summit with you. There are three cafe restaurant and ventas here and the train station

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From top walk east along summit hill and find a quieter spot for a picnic. Then continue east away from main summit and drop down right on a dirt road on Spanish side and follow this steep down for ten min There are some nice cliff side view point and vultures are common

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Dirt road bends back on itself and sinks below the radio towers at summit

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The dirt road flattens by a small grassy pass. Leave Rd here on track to right. There's a livestock water point

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Pass a couple of sprawling spreading beech trees and stick to higher path toward petit la Rhune the smaller morrow summit of la Rhune which is just ahead. Takes just five minutes to teach

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There are a couple prehistoric stone circles here though you wouldn't likely know it if a sign didn't spell it out!

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Cairn on summit of petit la rhune

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Return back to the beech trees and go left downhill on main trail

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Path goes below northern flank of petit la rhune

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Twenty minutes from getting back on main path the route drops slowly to a grassy bit of flat ground next to conifer trees. It's worth climbing two min here to the rocky Tor just in front but main path goes to the left of this down through woods

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View from Tor. After drop down to left and go through woodlands (there's also a route through braken if I stick to north side of ridge

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After a short steep drop down on a confused web of paths for ten min teach a venta and restaurant that is normally closed and dip back over grass ridge to french side passing the border marker stone and descend gently down WNW on easy path

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At grassy clearing with trail junctions go straight on back onto gr10 for a straight line dive back to start point

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Arrive at wooden gate and back onto Rd. Stroll downhill back to car. From signs by trail junction that said 50min back to parking and village it's actually half that.