Stephen Branley's photos with the keyword: Pyrénées-Atlantiques

A mountain view from the village of Accous...

The pretty town of Bedous...

I caught some lovely light on the hillside...

The Legend: In 1170 Queen Sancie, widow of the recently deceased Gaston V of the Béarn, was accused of the murder of her newly born and malformed son. King Sancho VI of Navarre, brother of Sancie, decides that only the trial of water can certify the guilt or the innocence of the accused. The ordeal takes place in the presence of 3,000 people gathered near the bridge. The queen is thrown from the bridge into the Gave, bound hand and foot. But instead of being engulfed by the living waters, her unconscious body resurfaces further down the river and deposited on the beach. The queen is declared innocent and is acclaimed by the crowd.

The river Saison, better known as Le Gave de Mauléon, flows through the town...

I was watching a game of Basque Pelote. This version of the sport is played essentially in Basque France by 2 teams of 3 players on an outside court referred to as ‘Place Libre’ meaning free space. The origin of this sport is tied to the decline of the ancient jeu de paume (palm game with glove) circa. 1700. While the game evolved to the modern jeu de paume (with racquet, called real tennis in England) and eventually to tennis, rural Alpine and Pyrenean communities kept the traditional game...

The Château de Mauléon, known as Vieux Château (old castle) is a fortified castle that sits high above the town of the same name on Matalon hill (439m/1440ft). The old castle of Mauléon originated in the 11th century, when it was erected on a hill, in those days it was simply composed of a wooden tower, flanked by a farmyard, all protected by a palisade surrounded by a moat. Between 1272 and 1287, Edward I, concerned with the quality of his strongholds, imposed repairs and strengthening of the castle fortifications.

In 1274 the bridge had a single span and two towers, by 1589 there was only one. Today it is well known for its single tower and unequal arches...

The old bridge of Orthez over the River Ousse was built in the 13th century on the orders of Gaston VII de Moncade when he made Orthez the capital of Béarn; it connected the city centre to the suburbs....

The old bridge of Orthez over the Gave de Pau was built in the 13th century on the orders of Gaston VII de Moncade when he made Orthez the capital of Béarn; it connected the city centre to the suburbs. In 1274 the bridge had a single span and two towers, by 1589 there was only one. Today it is well known for its single tower and unequal arches...

At each side of the towers were wooden decks that could be withdrawn if the bridge came under attack. Which it did twice; in August 1569 by the Protestant Huguenot troops of Montgommery after the battle of Orthez where the attacking force threw the Catholic priests from one of the windows in the towers into the raging waters of the Gave de Pau...

In February 1814 the forces of the Duke of Wellington attacked the retreating troops of Napoleon Bonaparte where 45 rearguard troops of the rearguard army of Marshal Soult resisted continued attacks for a day and eventually tried to blow up the bridge but failed, the assault resulted in a partial rebuilding and widening of the structure...