Solid mass of Arbailles

The Arbailles , Arballa in Basque Souletin, constitute a Pyrenean solid mass separating the Soule from the Low-Navarre (Basque Country).

One called transport of Arbailles the central part of the Soule, between Basabürü and Pettarra (area of Sauguis, Aussurucq and Barcus).

At the end of the XIXe century, the forest of Arbailles partly covered the territories of the communes of Aussurucq, Béhorléguy, Camou-Cihigue, Musculdy, Ordiarp and Saint-Just-Ibarre.

The Solid mass of Arbailles is located between Low-Navarre and Pays of Drunk, in the middle of the Basque Country, in the North-West of Karst of the Pierre-Saint-Martin. It is a solid mass of medium mountains dominated by some peaks (Zabozé, Béhorléguy, Belchou, peak of the vultures, etc…) seldom exceeding 1200 meters (culminating point 1286 meters). Average altitude is around 800 meters. The climate is of type oceanic mountain, very sprinkled by precipitations, generally drowned in the fog and subjected to soft temperatures. Many resurgences delimit the periphery and the deep one moved back of the Bidouze the notch to the heart according to an axis south-north allowing of pretty balades.
Of west in is, when one crosses the solid mass by the only existing road, one initially discovers a vast grazing area (on marly grounds) with the soft and festooned relief, before being inserted in a splendid sometimes gigantic sifted doline forest, generally deep and escarpées. It is the Karst central, not easily penetrable, with vast lapiaz covered, collapses at the frayed edges and an immense polje surprising and suspended on the top of moved back of Bidouze of which sources resurgent 100 meters lower with the feet of white cliffs. One of the geological originalities of Arbailles resides in the fact that one finds there all the forms of relief which very characterize a karst on a zone réduite.
Explored by the speleologists starting from the Fifties, the prospections and the scientific studies allowed to count a thousand of cavities on the whole of the solid mass, ten underground rivers, large pits and many caves of which some conceal archaeological treasures. The solid mass, always in the course of exploration, gave beautiful discoveries, with several networks exceeding 5 km of development (the Nébélé network exceeds the 20 km) but it remains still much to discover to include/understand very complex morphology and the evolution of it.

At the beginning of century E-A Martel had traversed Arbailles and had explored several cavities. One owes him in particular the discovery of “Small Bidouze” (traditional of the Pyrenees) and pit of Landanoby (or TH 2).

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