Children’s Route 3
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: 2 hours 49 min
Distance: 12,89 km
Cumulative elevation gain : 400m
Difficulty: Easy
Today three of us are going to the mountain: my daughter Ameth, my eldest granddaughter Nahiah, seven years old, and I. My daughter certainly will, but I doubt if the girl will endure the whole route, as it is relatively long and very similar to “Ruta 11 Gorliz”. The difference is that in this case we detour before Ermua and, through Fanobidea, we go down the cement track called Txoznako Estrata to Urezarantza and the sports centre, to return to the centre of Gorliz.
Today we walk a little less than on route 11 (almost 13 km), and I have no doubt that the girl will go well up to Armintza, but then we almost have to climb up to Ermua, although the ascent is not very hard. We’ll see what happens, if Armintza says it’s okay we can take the bus back, that’s okay.
As I am a sufferer and I am very used to carry the backpack for the three of us with plenty of water and some food, including fruit. It’s a nice day but the heat doesn’t squeeze, so if everything goes well and the girl doesn’t get tired we’ll be able to complete the route.
We got up early, not without Nahia’s protests, and started to register the route on Wikiloc almost 8:30 in the morning at Iberre Zeharbide, next to the Plaza de San Pedro. We immediately reached the roundabout of the boat going up Tribiñu Kalea until turning for Ageo and a little further up we left the city center.
We got up early, not without Nahia’s protests, and started to register the route on Wikiloc almost 8:30 in the morning at Iberre Zeharbide, next to the Plaza de San Pedro. We immediately reached the roundabout of the boat going up Tribiñu Kalea until turning for Ageo and a little further up we left the city center.
Without much trouble and talking about deciduous and perennial trees (such as the oaks next to which we passed), we reached the Orabille-Andraka road, just as a rider passes by on a beautiful white horse who is surely heading towards the Goikomendi Equestrian Club, located a little higher.
Nahia exclaims, who thinks it’s extraordinary to see someone on horseback here like in a cowboy film. We turn left and continue along the road, passing the beautiful Larrakoetxea restaurant and country hotel (in the photo), which is closed as it is still early in the morning. As we pass by the wire fence separating the Larrakoetxea estate, we take a look at the trees of one type or another, due to the great variety of trees in this garden. With my height, I manage to take a photo of the distant bay of Gorliz above the gate (photo opposite). We continue on and after a few metres we turn off to the right, towards the Urizar neighbourhood of Lemoiz.
hala! Nahia exclaims, who thinks it’s extraordinary to see someone on horseback here like in a cowboy film. We turn left and continue along the road, passing the beautiful Larrakoetxea restaurant and country hotel (in the photo), which is closed as it is still early in the morning. As we pass by the wire fence separating the Larrakoetxea estate, we take a look at the trees of one type or another, due to the great variety of trees in this garden. With my height, I manage to take a photo of the distant bay of Gorliz above the gate (photo opposite). We continue on and after a few metres we turn off to the right, towards the Urizar neighbourhood of Lemoiz.
The road is very quiet, with no traffic, and after about a kilometre and a half, after passing some meadows where the odd donkey grazes – which, by the way, are becoming fewer and fewer – we land on the main Armintza-Andraka road, which we cross to continue straight on.
We haven’t said it, but for a while now we have been riding along a section of the GR 280, the Gran Recorrido de Uribe Kosta, and along it we will go to Armintza, to then take another section of the GR 123, the Gran Recorrido de la Vuelta a Bizkaia, on the ascent to Ermua.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We cross the aforementioned road in the centre of Lemoiz and go straight ahead, passing a small roundabout next to a very old pollarded holm oak that still has shoots. After going down a little further, we reach the Urízar washing place, dating from the 19th century and renovated in 2002, as it says on a signpost. The truth is that the place is beautiful, surrounded by large oak trees that cast a magnificent shadow and, despite the persistent drought, the stream is still alive at its side. It seems that this awakens Nahia’s thirst and she drinks a good gulp of water.
The road continues ahead and forks. We take the one on our left, towards Ugarte and Armintza, because if we were to take the right we would go towards Bedarregi and the Urizarmendi mountain (see Route 24 Gorliz), and that is of no interest to us today. The road route is completely flat and runs between meadows and the odd well-kept farmhouse.
After about a kilometre it ends and turns into a gravel path that leads deep into the forest. This stretch is also very pretty, in the shade and with small ups and downs. We are in the typical Cantabrian forest of deciduous trees and we pass some magnificent oak trees. I take a couple of acorns to show them to the girl and to try to germinate them at home in a damp cotton wool in the warmth. We find some small posters on several trees advertising for us to scan a printed QR code to read a poem. Curious to say the least. Soon we reach a pair of wooden bridges, one smaller and one larger, this one over the Andrakos stream, which brings water despite the drought and flows down singing. To our left there is a hamlet that from the bridge and among the trees forms a beautiful image.
After crossing the bridge we continue along a yellow gravel path that takes us alongside the main road to a crossroads with GR signs, where we turn right towards two nearby farmhouses. The girl asks us if it is a long way to Armintza, and I tell her that it is not far and that the arrival is very pretty, right next to a small bridge. I doubt whether she will want to make the effort to climb the stretch from Armintza to almost Ermua, although we won’t get there. We’ll do our best. My daughter is also encouraging him.
The little road continues ahead and goes round a couple of bends next to some pretty farmhouses, and shortly before it comes out onto the main road, a path to our right leads us through orchards to the village of Armintza, after crossing the Andrakos stream over the little stone bridge mentioned above. Along the stream you can see many crocosmias, typical red flowers that usually grow near the water. Nahia and my daughter Amets love this picture, which certainly looks like something out of a fairy tale.
And now we are in Armintza. We decide to stop for a while in the shade to eat and drink something. Nahia eats a small mouthful of chorizo and some fruit, and is rewarded with some chocolate. The day is still magnificent and it’s not too hot either. Let’s see if we can convince the girl to face the hardest part of today, although it’s not that hard either.
Tras el refrigerio cruzamos la rotonda de entrada a Armintza y enfocamos una cuesta no muy pronunciada que poco a poco va rodeando el muro del hotel Arresi. Estamos en un tramo de la GR 123 de la Vuelta a Bizkaia. A nuestra izquierda han talado unos enormes eucaliptos que yo los conocía desde siempre. Tras pasar al lado de la puerta trasera del citado hotel, llegamos a una puerta metálica que prohibe la circulación de coches y motos. Cruzamos por el paso lateral y seguimos subiendo por pista de gravilla hasta encontrar enseguida a nuestra izquierda un camino terroso y pedregoso que empieza en una fuerte cuesta, o por lo menos eso le parece a la niña, que se queja de tener que subir por ahí. Me paro un ratito junto a ella y le digo que el monte es así y a veces cuesta un poco, y que enseguida el camino se hará más suave y se meterá bajo los eucaliptos, subiendo en sombra casi hasta el Ermua por cuestas menos empinadas. Entre lo que le digo yo y lo que le dice su madre nos hace caso y un poco a regañadientes sigue para adelante. Claro, yo no le he dicho que desde Armintza nos podríamos haber vuelto en autobús.
In fact, the path is already under the shade of the eucalyptus trees, which by the way I distract my two girls with my eulogy against the massive plantations of these foreign trees. See below in Did you know that…?
Y charlando, charlando, sobre todo yo para entretener a la niña, llegamos a la parte mas alta de este tramo del camino, que ya es una zona llana por la que transcurre el sendero, llegando a un cruce señalizado. Le digo a Nahia que si vamos por la derecha llegamos tras una cuesta a la cumbre del Ermua, pero que ya hemos subido todo lo que teníamos que subir y que mi intención es ir hacia abajo, hacia Urezarantza. Dice que como estuvimos hace unas semanas en el Ermua junto a su primito Pello ya no le hace tanta gracia volver, y que también prefiere ir hacia abajo. Así lo hacemos. Es mi hija la que se queda con las ganas.
And chatting, chatting, especially me to entertain the little girl, we reach the highest part of this stretch of the path, which is now a flat area along which the path runs, arriving at a signposted crossroads. I tell Nahia that if we go to the right we will reach the summit of Ermua after a slope, but that we have already climbed everything we had to climb and that my intention is to go down towards Urezarantza. He says that as we were on the Ermua a few weeks ago with his little cousin Pello, he is not so keen to go back, and that he also prefers to go down. That’s how we do it. It is my daughter who is left with the desire
From now on and until we get home Nahia knows the way. Soon we reach Fanobidea and a little further on we turn right to go down the cemented track called Txoznako Estrata. The views of the bay of Gorliz from this junction are spectacular.
We continue down the track and at the height of a charming chalet it becomes a road. Further down, after going down a steep slope, turning left and passing a couple of farmhouses, we come to the road to Urezarantza. Once there, we only have to cross the road to pass in front of the classic Kilimanjaro brewery and, after going round the sports centre, we reach Ondargane bidea.
We only have to walk up Aldapa Barrena to reach Itsasbide street and the small square of San Pedro, where we close the route after walking almost 13 km, which is quite a long way for a seven year old girl.
