Velatepas

The Velate Pass of Belate is a mountain pass in the Basque Pyrenees in the northern part of the Spanish region of Navarra. The pass is 847 meters high and connects Pamplona in the south with the Bidasoa valley in the north. Through this last valley, Irun and France can be reached.

The pass road was already used in Roman times. Remnants of this ancient road are visible at the pass, with several menhirs along the old route. The journey over the pass is an important stage of the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela. The Baztan route connects Bayonne via the Belate with Pamplona. The old route goes northwards through the municipality of Baztan over the 602-meter-high Puerto de Otsonde, but today a faster route runs west of the mountains near Hendaye through the Bidasoa valley. Even today, the Velate Pass still forms an important connection between Southwestern France and Spanish cities like Pamplona, Zaragoza, and Madrid. In 1995, the Belate tunnel was constructed under the pass.

Wikipedia