Ossau Valley

At the entrance to the Ossau Valley, the Béarn foothills rise in tiers of meadows, forests and villages, beneath mountains that the summer haze paints in shades of blue. In the distance, caught through a telephoto lens beyond the hills, the Pic de Ger (2,613 metres) rises between the Col d'Aubisque and the Pic du Midi d'Ossau, above Eaux-Bonnes and Gourette.

Closer in, at the foot of the mountains, the villages of the foothills spread out between meadows fenced with wooden rails and forests. Along the way: horses in the shade of the trees, a Blonde d'Aquitaine cow in its pasture, the church of Buzy at the entrance to the valley, moss on the rocks and the Buzy dolmen, one of the stone monuments raised here thousands of years ago.

These royalty-free photos suit stories about the mountains, rural life, hiking or travel in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and can be downloaded for free on Pexels.