The Chapelle Saint-Antoine stands at an altitude of 702 metres on the road to the Col d’Osquich; from there, you can enjoy views across Soule and Basse-Navarre. A trip to Musculdy therefore offers culture and scenery, as well as a 14-kilometre hiking route with 700 metres of elevation gain and local connections to cheese and farming. When planning your trip, it is worth distinguishing the pilgrimage dates from farm visits, which have different visiting arrangements.

Chapel and church art

The Chapelle Saint-Antoine was built in 1385. The pilgrimage takes place on the second Sunday in July and the Sunday after 15 August. If you would like to plan your trip around one of these dates, these two clearly specified days provide a useful guide. The Église Saint-Cyprien also has a specific feature of church art: its two side altars date from the 18th century. They are made of carved, gilded and painted wood, with a marble-effect finish. The marble effect describes the surface treatment, not the material of the altars. This distinguishes the material from the surface finish.

Hiking: elevation gain and trail conditions

The hiking route from Musculdy to the Chapelle Saint-Antoine is 14 kilometres long, has 700 metres of elevation gain and is intended for experienced hikers. When assessing the route, do not consider its length in isolation: elevation gain and experience level are also important when choosing a hike. The San Antoni route passes through a forest of English oaks and meets the Way of St James, the GR78, at a broad pass. The route has muddy and slippery sections; hiking boots are essential. As ground conditions can change with the seasons, check them before setting out.

Cheese and farming

The artisan cheese dairy Azkorria is a cooperative of 16 farmers from Soule. It makes AOP Ossau-Iraty cheese from the milk of locally bred sheep fed a natural diet; fermented feed is not used. Ferme Arrokain works with hardy local breeds. These include the Basque Kintoa AOP pig, the red-headed Manex sheep, the Basque-Béarnaise sheep designated Ossau-Iraty, and Blonde d’Aquitaine cattle. The two farming themes are therefore distinct: sheep’s-milk cheese production on the one hand, and a range of local breeds on the other.

Planning visits

Visits to Azkorria are available by appointment. The production stages are explained, and tastings and sales are also offered. Ferme Arrokain offers a farm visit with tasting every Friday in July and August from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Visits on other days are available by reservation. Before travelling, check whether the relevant visit suits your travel dates. This allows you to take scheduled or seasonal visiting times into account when planning.

Discover more destinations: Aldudes, Carresse-Cassaber, Arnéguy, Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port, Hendaye, Maslacq, Itxassou, Ciboure

For the broader travel overview: Pyrenees-Atlantiques.