Children’s route 4
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 32 min
Distance: 12,28 km
Cumulative elevation gain: 259m
Difficulty: Easy
This is a route of 12 km and 259 m of accumulated difference in altitude, which I consider relatively short and few climbs, very affordable to do with family and children. It also has some very interesting aesthetic attractions, being able to admire the bay of Gorliz in all its width from Barrika, an unusual image for most inhabitants of Gorliz.
Today I am not accompanied by any grandchildren and I have to make the route alone, without the always joyful children’s company. The two who have once accompanied me, Nahia and Pello, together with their younger brother and sister respectively, are on vacation abroad with their respective parents.
I leave Tribiñu kalea next to Eroski and start recording the route. By Itsasbide go down to the roundabout of the beach next to the PIE (Plentziako Itsas Estazioa). Going on that side of the promenade I enter the municipality of Plentzia, however the sidewalk in front belongs to Gorliz to the street Iturgitxi. I pass in front of the PIE and continue along the beach until the promenade of Ondarreta and the port, which I round to continue along the promenade. At the height of the Town Hall of Plentzia and the square I have already walked a couple of Km. I continue along the promenade at the edge of the estuary until I reach the station bridge, which I cross.
At the other part of the bridge turn right to reach the neighborhood of San Telmo by the super cantilever over the estuary that acts as a walk and that saves the very frequented and neighboring road (3 Km). Once in San Telmo I continue a little ahead to make a right turn and climb up to Barrika. There is a metal fence that closes a road to the circulation of cars and motorcycles. The access to the mentioned path is to go around the fence on the left side, access a little intricate, almost hidden among the vegetation, but not difficult.
The wide road now runs through the back of an apartment building in the San Telmo district, which, by the way, belongs to the municipality of Barrika. After a while it turns to the left and, without any detour, following a very trodden and obvious road, we reach after a while in a gentle ascent to Barrika. It should be noted that this section of the road is plagued, and it is a disgrace, by the invasive plant Cortaderia Selloana (Plumero de la Pampa), which where it colonizes does not grow any native plant.
As soon as we reach the top we pass a kind of open door on a metal fence that gives access to a street that later passes next to the football field of Barrika (4. 2 Km). I continue straight ahead until the street turns right, going down the road to Abaroa for a while until it becomes a track that reaches just above the beach of Muriola (5 Km). A container that acts as an emergency post, now closed, with signposts flanking a wooden passage with stairs that after several stretches descends to the same sand of the aforementioned nudist beach.
Without hesitation for a moment I continue on the road to the left and, after going up a little bit on a zigzagging dirt road and very trodden we reach the highest point of Txitxarro punta. The views are spectacular. Our view covers from the foothills of Ermua and Gorliz Lighthouse, Askorriaga Point and Astondo Point, in addition to the whole bay of Gorliz and, in front of the hospital albo. The truth is that ambient light is not the most suitable for the photo today, but in spite of everything I take the photo and stop for a while to admire the views.
My intention is to continue a little forward and return as soon as possible towards Barrika village and then descend towards Musaurieta. For this I turn to the left on the first path I find and at no point I return again to the path by which I have climbed to Txitxarro tip, and go down to the rescue post. Desiring the road I have done previously for Abaroa Street and, just when the road turns left, I continue along an asphalted road protected from the access of vehicles with some red and white bollards, until I reach the beautiful building of the old people’s home of Barrika, passing in front of it (6,5 Km).
I head down the sidewalk of the main road BI-2122 to a zebra pass a few hundred meters away and cross to the other side, continuing a little further down. I come to a detour to the right, and a sign tells me I’m in the Larretxe neighbourhood. I go down a small road and, after a few hundred meters, next to a hamlet, I turn right to turn again a few meters to the left, next to some greenhouses of lettuce.
I cross a little bridge and on the other side there’s an intersection. I take the little road on the left, which soon leaves me at the crossroads of Musaurieta. Instead of returning to the left through Txipio I decide to turn right here to arrive after a steep slope to the district of Musaurieta, which is constituted only by chalets. The road continues upwards, but immediately I turn left passing through the center of the neighborhood between single-family houses and some loose dogs that come out to bark at me to the road (8 Km)
As soon as you reach the lowest part of the neighborhood, the road continues upwards in a strong but short recess. It is without a doubt the hardest part of today’s route. I turn left at the first detour that I find and I enter a wide track that passes under a tree in front of the entrance of the beautiful Etxetxubarri hamlet, which has unfortunately been abandoned for years. Nowadays it is a stable of cows that graze to its width in the surroundings. The road continues ahead until you pass a neighbourhood of houses on the left, and a little later I enter Matrilune bidea, taking the sidewalk that spans the road until you reach the metro station. I cross the pedestrian bridge that I crossed a couple of hours ago, but now I continue to the right, passing by the Gazteluondo tidal mill of Plentzia, from 1506, the oldest in Bizkaia, which unfortunately was demolished and later rebuilt (10 Km).
Walking through Plentzia Park we reach the Gandia roundabout on the BI–2120, which after going up through Kautela bidea reaches the next roundabout, and a little further on to the wide roundabout of Mungia, where I already head towards Gorliz to cover the last stretch of today’s route.
Once in the roundabout of the boat we go down by Tribiñu kalea to the same point where we have started to register in Wikiloc from Gorliz this route for families with children, having covered more than 11 km. A perfectly accessible route for everyone.
