Aroue

Aroue (officially Aroue-Ithorots-Olhaiby, formed from the merger of three villages in 1842) sits at the transition from Bearnais to Basque territory. The Eglise Saint-Etienne is of Romanesque origin with a circular apse and preserves 12th-century bas-reliefs from the old porch. It's the first hint of the Basque architectural style you'll see more of heading south.

The village has basic amenities for pilgrims. The walk from Navarrenx to Aroue covers about 19 km with 470 m of elevation gain -- the hills here are surprisingly steep and strenuous for what looks like gentle green countryside on the map.