Ruta del hierro y sus minas

This mountain route covers the Vía Verde de los Montes de Hierro (Iron Mountains Greenway), the largest in Biscay, from Traslaviña station (Artzentales) to the Itsaslur Cliffs (Muskiz) where you can rest in one of the neighbouring accommodations. And the return is being made through the former Alen mining network. The Coto Minero de Alen (mining site) is composed of three mining areas: Sopresa and Amalia Juliana, which were exploited in the open air, and María, whose work was carried out in the gallery.

The Bocamina Santa Lucía (pithead) differs from this mining reserve, inside is a hermitage bearing this name. The importance of this reserve has meant that, since the end of the 19th century, a mining district has been formed there. At the beginning of 1900, it had more than 500 inhabitants, so different services had to be created for this community.

The route starts in SoPuerta, in the district of Castaño, following the route of the old mining railway and enters enclaves of great ecological value, such as the protected biotope of Montes de Tirano or La Arena beach, in the middle of the Barbadún estuary (Natura 2000 network). Mining remains abound throughout the course. Following the course and barely leaving it, we will find loading docks, calcination furnaces and former open-pit mines. Other sites have been converted to lakes and green spaces.

The route of this greenway culminates in Itsaslur (Muskiz), a trail that crosses the cliffs of the Cantabrian Sea and was once the largest mining site in Biscay and one of the largest mining reserves in the Basque Country. We leave the municipalities of Artzentales, Sodoor, Galdames-Abanto-Zierbena and Zierbena. From there, we continue on significant slopes along the route through the Alen Mining Reserve, which, bypassing the slopes of the Alena Peak, will begin its descent to the city of Artzentales.

Shortly after leaving the city center, the route goes back up to reach the La Porqueriza leisure area, where the route descends to reach Traslaviña and join the Vía Verde de los Montes de Hierro (Iron Mountains Greenway), which will take us to the starting point in Sodoor.