Issor offers several distinct ways to enjoy a stay: hikes with specified distances and walking times, historic details at the church and fronton, and cheese-making at two farms. For planning, you can choose between two specific routes and explore a range of cultural and culinary themes.
Hiking in Issor
Hike No. 9 Barétous – Vallon de Lourdios from Issor is very easy, 3 km long and listed as taking 1 hour. The elevation gain is 70 m. The easy circular route No. 91 – Tumulus de la Serre also starts in Issor, covers 5.4 km and takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes. This gives you the choice of a shorter, very easy route or a longer circular route rated as easy. When choosing, you can take the distance, time, difficulty rating and circular format into account together.
Hike No. 9 starts at the car park at the entrance to the village, opposite the church; it is marked in yellow. The trail passes through woodland and crosses streams. In summer, the shade and cool conditions make for a pleasant walk. The starting point, trail markings and scenery supplement the distance and time details with practical information to help you plan this hike.
Culture and history
The Tumulus de la Serre are Neolithic burial remains. Stone circles near the Tumulus de la Serre attest to a very ancient tradition of pastoralism in these mountains. The hikes thus also offer a cultural history theme: traces of the earlier use of the mountain landscape.
The Église Saint-Jean-l'Évangéliste was rebuilt in 1687; its bell tower was built in 1924. Its furnishings include a remarkable gilded Baroque wooden altar from the 17th century, depicting the Coronation of Saint John the Evangelist. Two oak balustrades date from the 18th century. The building’s history and its furnishings offer distinct historical markers: the rebuilding and bell tower relate to the church, while the altar and balustrades are part of its furnishings.
The Fronton d’Issor dates from 1958 and is associated with Basque pelota. This traditional sport is played with a racket or with the bare hand. Issor’s cultural heritage therefore ranges from religious art and architectural history to a sporting tradition.
Cheese farms and production
Ferme Bidalot offers visits in Issor by reservation. Visitors meet 100 Basco-Béarnaise sheep and 75 Alpine goats. The visit explains the journey of the milk from milking to cheese-making and ends with a tasting of homemade cheeses. The products are also specified: Ferme Bidalot makes sheep’s cheese, goat’s cheese and a sheep-and-goat cheese speciality. The cheeses are available in pieces or as 2.5 kg tommes.
At Ferme Récébire, traditional mountain cheese is made in a small mountain farm using milk from 300 Basco-Béarnaise sheep and 40 goats, and can be tasted on site. The two farms offer different experiences: at Bidalot, the focus is on visits by reservation, an explanation of the milk’s journey and several types of cheese; Récébire is associated with traditional mountain cheese and on-site tastings.
Discover more destinations: Lagor, Ledeuix, MĂ©harin, Sauvagnon, Loubieng, Sare, Coarraze, Lescar.
For the broader travel overview: Pyrenees-Atlantiques.
