JULY 2023 BAYONNE & THE TOUR DE FRANCE Be here on July 3rd 2023 for a Stage Finish (the 3rd) in the Basque Country as the riders arrive from their ride accross Gascony.

Like many French towns, Bayonne, the capital of the Basque region, was founded by the Romans on one of the few routes into Spain and where the River Nive flows into the River Adour.

Famous nowadays for its Basque culture and cured ham, during the Middle Ages it flourished as a result of being part of the dowry of Eleanor of Aquitaine when she married King Henry II. The City remained in English hands till 1451 following the Hundred Year’s War.

Many of Bayonne’s significant buildings were constructed during this so called ‘Golden Age’ of English control including the Château Vieux and the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Ste-Marie. Check out the Medieval sanctuary knocker on the north door.