Vuelta a las Enkartaciones

Tour d'Enkartaciones

The route starts in Sodupe (Gúeñes). Numerous buildings of historical and cultural interest faithfully testify to its important historical past, the cradle of noble families. The Santa María Church, with its excellent Gothic facade, shares the center stage with Villa Urrutia, the current city hall, in whose gardens ArenaTzarte was created, a space dedicated to avant-garde art where exhibitions blend in perfect symbiosis with its botanical park. Easily accessible, the route reaches Alonsotegi. The most striking characteristic of Alonsotegi is its pronounced orography, as it has a strong difference in altitude, a minimum height of around 50 m where the urban core is located and a maximum height of almost 1,000 m on Mount Ganekogorta, which makes Alonsotegi one of the most mountainous municipalities in Biscay.

From there, the route climbs gradually until it reaches the periphery of the Gasterantz Peak, from where it descends to the Peñas Negras Interpretation Center, a place where we can appreciate the profound transformation of the environment, mainly due to mining activity, a characteristic that will accompany us for several kilometers. The route continues its descent, passing through the mythical and historic city of La Arboleda, a mining town where iron ore was extracted. The former mines are now artificial reservoirs surrounded by a unique green environment that is essential to discover.

The route goes north and goes down to the Museo de la Minería del País Vasco (Basque Country Mining Museum). The Basque Country Mining Museum is a center dedicated to the study and dissemination of knowledge about the culture and history of the mining industry in the Basque Country and in particular of the mining area of Biscay. A non-profit organization born out of a social initiative developed in 1986, the year in which the Asociación Cultural Museo Minero (Association of Mining Museums) was created, among others, former miners and metallurgists who, in the midst of an industrial crisis, observed how the elements that had formed part of what had been the essence even from Biscay until then and have begun to be forgotten. The stage ends in Muskiz, on La Arena beach, where you can enjoy a well-deserved rest.

The next stage takes place between Muskiz and Turtzioz. This mountain stage covers the former Alen mining network.

The Coto Minero de Alen (mining site) is composed of three mining areas: Sorpresa, Amalia Juliana, which were worked in open pit, and María, whose work was done in the gallery. The Bocamina Santa Lucía (pit head) differs from this mining reserve. Inside is a hermitage with 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.

With a significant slope that crosses the route through the Alen mining reserve, which, by circumscribing the slopes of the Pic d'Alen, will begin its descent to the town of Turtzioz; end of the stage. The next stage begins in Turtzioz, with a continuous ascent, through the pastures of this breeding environment.

In the direction of the Parque Natural de Armañón, the route passes through an area of terrestrial and karst landscapes. Thanks to these stone massifs, Armañón benefits from a microclimate that has allowed oaks and Mediterranean beech trees to grow a few kilometers from the Cantabrian coast. During the route, of moderate difficulty, you will walk along the Remendón oak grove, a forest of enormous centenary trees, the largest in Biscay. From here, you can see Armañón Peak, a rounded peak inhabited by horses, pottokas, sheep, and cows that graze. Turtzioz shares ownership of the Armañón Natural Park with the Karrantza Valley. From there, a descent of about 12 kilometers begins to the Bi-630 highway where you can access Ambasaguas, a place to rest and regain energy for the difficult stage the next day.