James and Diana Tamlyn moved to their 18th century farmhouse in France 15 years ago, enthused by the romance and beauty of the area. James’ love of the flora and fauna, their combined fascination for the food, wine and local traditions and personal contacts make the week a special experience that you could not enjoy as an individual traveller.

Minette Constant is a British Master of Wine who lives with her family in the Béarn, overlooking the Pyrenees. She will be delighted to introduce you to the wonderful variety of wines from this corner of France as well as enjoying more general wine conversation, naturally with a good bottle or two!

Day 1 After meeting James and Diana and the rest of the group at Biarritz airport you will be driven to the beautiful Domaine de Bétouzet standing in undulating countryside just north of Oloron. This is a very pretty eighteenth century chateau with a swimming pool and with six spacious bedrooms all with bathrooms en suite and which overlooks the distant Pyrenean peaks. Here you will meet Minette and Florence. Florence owns the chateau and is an absolutely fabulous cook and Minette of course knows rather a lot about wine and will be chosing the dinner wine for the next three nights. Candlelit dinner with James, Diana, Minette and Florence.

Day 2 We set off in the vehicles for a fifteen minute drive to be dropped off for a beautiful walk back to Betouzet. Picnic at the chateau. There are lovely views of the Pyrenees as we wander along the lanes. Lunch at Betouzet before an optional afternoon walk into the medieval village of Sauveterre to see the old witches bridge. Return to Bétouzet by car for a wine tasting with Minette showing the diversity of wines from south-west France. Dinner in the village of Laas with James, Diana and Minette.
Walk: 7 miles

Day 3 We drive for a walk to take us from the Béarn into the Soule country. This is a small region half way between the Bearn and the Basque which claims to be part of neither! A traditional lunch in a Soule village before walking through the undulating countryside to the village of Ainharp. Return by car for a champagne tasting with Minette. And for dinner, having focused on the excellent regional wines on the first two nights, we will now splash out on the grander appellations. We will enjoy both red and white Bordeaux which Minette has chosen from her cellar, before finishing with some delicious sweet wine. Walk: 9 miles

Day 4 We leave Bétouzet and drive to St Etienne de Baigorry. Here we will visit an Irouleguy vineyard. Irouleguy was wine first made by monks for the pilgrims on their way to Saint Jacques de la Compostelle. Now a great wine, one of the classic reds of the south west, made with the tannat grape grown on red sandstone terraces. We will eat trout at the riverside village of Banca before a ‘walk’ in the car up hill for a beautiful walk by foot downhill to see the Basque pigs in the Aldude valley. In the evening we arrive at Sare for our next three nights in the lovely Hotel Arraya situated to the side of the central square of this pretty Basque village. Here we are surrounded by Pyrenean peaks. Walk: 6 miles

Day 5 We leave the Arraya and the central square of Sare to walk towards the village of Ainhoa. A little up and down in the small hills between the two villages in this almost crater like bowl before arriving in the classic Basque village dotted with red and white painted houses and with wonderful charm. Lunch in Ainhoa before a voluntary walk up hill to the tiny chapel for outstanding views over to the Atlantic and the foothills as a whole known locally as the Pyrenankles. Dinner at the Hotel Arraya outside in the square. Walk: 12 miles

Day 6 Again up in the morning for another lovely French breakfast of dark black coffee and freshly baked croissants before we set off into the mountains for Spain! This is not too difficult a walk as there is a lovely way through the mountains towards the village of Bera. We will picnic on the way with some delicious Spanish wines and fantastic Basque ham (this is the ham that comes from the free roaming pigs that feed on chestnuts which lends it the delicious characteristic sweet flavour). You then return to Sare by car for a fabulous dinner of Basque beauty! Walk: 13 miles

Day 7 We drive to Hendaye and catch the pedestrian ferry across the bay to Hondarribia (Fuenterrabbia). This is a very beautiful port of almost Moresque beauty with balconies and brightly coloured facades and extraordinary boxed windows three storeys high. We will lunch here and enjoy wandering around the old port before continuing for our last night in San Sebastian. This is a very special city, a sort of nineteenth century Brighton with a perfect bay and a small island in the middle of the bay’s pincer edges. It is known as the gastronomic city of Europe having more starred Michelin restaurants per square metre of city than any other!
We will start our evening in a carefully chosen tapas bars eating fabulously well but in limitation (!) and drinking zooritos and txacoli (small Spanish beers or chilled Basque white wine) before finishing with a fabulous fish dinner on the bay. Last night is at the Niza hotel overlooking the bay.

Day 8 The Guggenheim extra day.  The Guggenheim Museum was designed by Frank Gehry and sponsored by the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation. This museum was specifically built to house exhibitions of monumental works and is I think one of the most beautiful buildings in Europe. Frank Gehry designed it around the idea of boat lines and fish and it has a wonderfully curvilinear and scaly quality to it with a tremendous sense of light. The fact that Jeff Koons’ 15 metre puppy guards it like Cerberus is an added bonus of floral contrasting with metallic. Well worth the detour!!
We leave after a relaxed breakfast for Bilbao and visit the Museum in the morning. A paella lunch in the famous Café Iruna before driving back to San Sebastian for a lovely dinner in the old city.

Day 9 We leave San Sebastian for the famous French port of S Jean de Luz. A small moment to shop in the pretty streets and see the wonderful church where Louis IV married the Infanta of Spain in 1654. A lunch in the town before leaving for Biarritz airport.

For those not coming to the Guggenheim we can either drive you for lunch at St Jean de Luz on Day 8 but if there are not enough people to make this viable with the group as a whole we will ask you to take a taxi at a cost of 90 euros

NOTE:  The itinerary is subject to change according to local conditions. All mileages shown are approximate.