Children’s Route 11
Route published by Pedro Pablo Uriarte “15 circular routes from Gorliz for families with children”
View map of the route on Wikiloc
FILE OF THE ROUTE:
Duration: 3 hours 21 min
Distance: 16,33 km
Cumulative elavation gain: 261 m
Difficulty: Easy
This is the longest route in this “Guide of 15 routes for families with children from Gorliz”, as it exceeds 16 km, although there are hardly any significant slopes. However, I think that a route of this length may not be suitable for very young children, being preferable that the boys or girls are already a little grown up to prevent us from failing in the adventure and not being able to walk to see the wonderful castle of Butrón. I think that from the age of six or seven, chivalry can make a route of this kind. It is a classic route where all sections of the road are beautiful and almost all of it runs along a stretch of the GR 280 (Great Route of Uribe Kosta)
In this case I will explain the route of how to get from Gorliz to Butron Castle, returning exactly the same way, which will no longer need any explanation. My grandchildren have already abandoned us and I have to make the route alone. Some have already left for Barcelona and the others have not yet returned from their holidays. I hope that next summer they will join me on more routes.
I leave from Iberre Street and like many times I climb up to the roundabout of the boat to continue along Andra Mari bidea to the roundabout of the road of Munguia and to the next roundabout. I go down Kautela bidea on its left sidewalk and at the stop of Bizkaibús turn left to immediately do it again getting into Musuaga bidea. I go along this country road that serves the hamlets of the area and I see that some fig trees already have many ripe fruits. I try one that is within reach of my hand and I find it delicious. On the way back I’ll take a few to make a jam.
The road comes to Mandañu bidea at the height of the workshops of Curvados Urduliz and turn left to reach the junction a few hundred meters higher. Here are signs of GR 280. I turn left and immediately right to take a wide road that will take me to the Castle of Butrón, about five kilometers from here.
The path descends a little next to a meadow separated by a fence, passes a thin pine and then an oak, reaching almost the height of the waters of the Plentzia estuary, which you can see to the right very close. On the other side of the Ría you begin to see the villas of the Fan. The road – often frequented but today I do not agree with anyone – is completely flat and without ups and downs, which makes it possible to take a good step. At all times the road continues parallel to the estuary and has no difficulty, but after a while of quiet walking it begins to climb a little, reaching the height of a deviation to the left that is where the GR goes down from Andraka. There is a sign reading “Butroi Gaztelua”.
The road now becomes stony and follows an uphill stretch, until it enters under the trees. At all times we walk beside a fence on our right marked by cypresses of Lawson. After a while of walking on flat ground the road begins to descend, and before ending in a wider track we see on the left another branch of the GR 280 that also descends from Andraka and that is also signposted.
A few meters away you reach a wider track next to the entrance to a farmhouse. I continue straight ahead and the road now turned into a cemented track with gray, passes under the trees next to the entrance of two other country houses until I reach a road that reaches the Castle of Butrón. It is a very quiet road, wooded and practically no road traffic. After a while, I passed a sign pointing to the right: “Arbina Prey”. It is only a small wooden platform from which you can see the aforementioned dam, which is the border between Ria (of Plentzia) and Río (Butrón), border between brackish and fresh waters.
I continue along the road and a few dozen meters from passing a house, I see a small path almost hidden among the vegetation that goes to the right. If we enter it we reach a few tens of meters to the Arbina dam itself, where on the other side there was an old tidal mill. The mountain continues ahead under a forest of oaks, alder, lime trees and acacias, until you reach a junction with a bridge on the right, through which we go and in a few hundred meters we are in front of the majestic Butrón Castle.
I get a little closer to the castle to take a picture and I turn around immediately. I don’t think it’s necessary to comment on the route back to Gorliz, as I’m going exactly the same way.
