Aoiz-Ochagavía (3rd stage)

The queen stage of this route largely follows the route of EuroVelo 3 along gravel tracks and minor roads, passing through a landscape which, as you get further north, becomes more and more mountainous.

Near the village of Nagore, you skirt the Itoiz reservoir to the Arce palace. This is where the first hard part of the day begins as you ride along the side of the Arce valley and there is considerable elevation gain. There is the option of taking the road up the valley (NA-1720), which has very little traffic and involves much less elevation gain.

At kilometre 35, you reach the area of meadows where the villages of Burguete and Roncesvalles, full of charm and influenced by the passage of the Way of St James, sit.

Without leaving EuroVelo 3, just past Roncesvalles there comes a tough stretch, this time in the Pyrenees proper. The Orbaizeta Arms Factory, located at km 50, announces that the Irati forest is very close. After riding up a concrete track, you enter Irati, which is one of the largest and best conserved beech-fir forests in Europe. You ride around the Irabia reservoir before tackling Alto de Tapla by asphalt and descending to the end of this stage: Ochagavía.