Take advantage of your stay in the south of the Landes to visit Sorde-l’Abbaye. At the crossroads of Chalosse, Béarn and the Basque country, this beautiful village is famous for its abbey, a UNESCO World Heritage site, but not only that. People also come here to discover Île aux Kiwis in a galupe, canoe down the Gave d’Oloron, and step back in time to prehistoric times on the Pastou cliff.
Saint-Jean de Sorde Abbey, jewel of the Pays d’Orthe heritage
To the south-east of the Landes, at the gateway to Pays d’Orthe and 30 km from the
4-star campsite
Lou P’tit Poun, the village of Sorde-l’Abbaye is a major stopover on the road to
Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle.
This small village-museum is world-famous for its Benedictine abbey, founded around 960, on the banks of the Gave d’Oloron.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the abbey comprises an abbey church, a monastery and an abbots’ villa. From April to October, visitors can wander freely between the monastery buildings, the parlor, the cloister, the chapter house and the simple garden, just as they did in the days of the monks.
Built in the 11th century, the abbey church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste served as a place of worship for the monks living in the monastery. The church boasts magnificent medieval mosaics, historiated capitals and an imposing 18th-century marble high altar. Guided tours reveal the ancient mosaics of the abbey dwelling, built in the 13th century on the remains of a Gallo-Roman villa. More info
In addition to this architectural ensemble, which is unique in France, there’s a 70-metre-long underground gallery along the river, a jetty flush with the water, and a barge barn unique in France. Depending on the season, you may be lucky enough to see salmon spawning and slowly making their way up the Gave.
The Pastou cliff, a major prehistoric site in the Landes region
At Sorde-l’Abbaye, lovers of ancient history will be delighted to take part in a guided hike on the Pastou cliff, one of the Landes region’s most famous prehistoric sites. The four prehistoric shelters on the Pastou cliff (Duruthy, Dufaure, Grand Pastou and Petit Pastou) have been known since the late 19th century. The numerous remains discovered attest to the presence of man as early as the Magdalenian period (12,000 BC). These remains are on display at theArthous Abbey Museum of History and Archaeology in Hastingues, 10 km from Sorde-l’Abbaye.
Discovering Sorde’s Kiwi Island
Along the banks of the Gave d’Oloron, visitors are always surprised to see plantations of… kiwis. This has been the case since the 1970s, when Henri Pedelucq, an agronomist from the Landes region, began growing kiwifruit in the Pays d’Orthe. In 2009, Adour kiwifruit became the only kiwifruit to benefit from official Label rouge / IGP certification.
Opposite the monastery, the boatmen now offer crossings of the Gave d’Oloron in galupe, the traditional Landes boat, to discover the island of Bimiet, better known as Île aux Kiwis. On the program: guided tour of the plantation (pruning, care, harvesting, benefits of the fruit…), walk and cart ride around the island. An opportunity to taste this exotic fruit packed with vitamins, which has become one of the jewels in the Landes agricultural crown. Your choice: Hayward (green) or Zespri Gold (yellow).
Canoeing down the Gave d’Oloron
Sporty friends, let yourself be tempted by an outing in a canoe or stand-up paddle on the Gave d’Oloron, a mythical river of wild beauty. The river course at Sorde-l’Abbaye is interspersed with gentle rapids and calmer stretches, with plenty of pebble beaches for picnics or swimming. It’s the perfect opportunity to have a fun and sporty time! Meet at the base in the village of Sorde-l’Abbaye. More info