Aztaparreta is a beech forest that has been left alone. High in the Pyrenees of Navarre, at the head of the Roncal valley, in the karst massif of Larra-Belagua on the border with France, this forest has never been logged, and its trees, some of them centuries old, grow, die and decay naturally. It is one of the components of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe, a World Heritage Site that brings together beech forests from across the continent, from the Carpathians to the Pyrenees. Walking through it is like entering a cathedral, with tall grey trunks, a green canopy high above, and a thick carpet of moss and fallen leaves.
The Roncal valley has a strong identity. Its people were famous for their independence, and they have their own traditions, costumes and, until recently, their own dialect of Basque. Every year on 13 July, on the Piedra de San Martín pass on the border, the mayors of the Roncal valley and the neighbouring Barétous valley in France meet for the Tribute of the Three Cows, a ceremony that dates back to a medieval treaty settling disputes over grazing rights, and is said to be one of the oldest treaties in Europe still in force. The valley is also known for its cheese, Roncal, made from sheep's milk, with a protected designation.
The road from Isaba up through Belagua to the Col de la Pierre Saint-Martin, at 1,760 metres, is one of the great rides of the Pyrenees, climbing through beech and pine forests, past meadows full of cows and sheep, and onto the bare limestone of the high karst, with views over the mountains on both sides of the border. The road is well surfaced but narrow in places, with tight bends and steep sections, and livestock wander freely. Snow closes the pass in winter, and fog and storms can be sudden in summer.
Ansó and Echo, in the neighbouring valleys of Aragón, are lovely stone villages with traditional houses and good restaurants, and Isaba and Roncal have fuel and basic services. The nearest larger town is Oloron-Sainte-Marie, on the French side, about thirty six kilometres away. The weather is mountain weather, with cool summers, cold winters and rain at any time of year.