Children’s route 5
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 11 min
Distance: 8,46 km
Cumulative elevation gain: 307m
Difficulty: Easy
If we look at the circular routes published at www. visitgorliz. eus, we will see that Route 2 is the one I consider the most frequented ascent in the area, and so I titled it. It is a simple and short route, suitable for everyone, including families with children. Therefore, with some modifications, we recount it again and include it in this group of “Routes for families with children”.
Today again I have to do the route alone, as my grandchildren are not currently with me but on vacation with their parents. I really look forward to them coming back to my house to do some hiking with them.
I leave from Iberre Zeharbide about eight and twenty in the morning, hoping to make the route in no more than two hours walking with absolute tranquility and stopping to have a drink and take some photos.
I go down Itsasbide towards the beach and after the “Curve del Escribano” at the next roundabout, right there, in front of me, I take the path of Eloisa Artaza’s field to make a short cut to the beach promenade. Once there I head towards Astondo passing the veteran Hospital of Gorliz and turning at the height of the post of Socorro to get immediately to the left on the road to the Faro.
I pass in front of the entrance of the Foral Farm and continue upwards. There is a sculpture on the ground, the only surviving example of the many that existed years ago all along the coast to the Ermua and that globally the work was called “Ibilbide”.
Today I do not agree with the deer that usually grazes in this area. A little further up I leave to my right the entrance that gives access to the path commented on on Route 2 for children.
I continue along the lighthouse road and a little later I reach it, icon of Gorliz, turning immediately to the right to continue ascending little by little to the top of this stretch of road, to descend a little until I reach a closure with a net. We crossed the gate leaving it closed, seeing the hamlets of Fano down to the right.
The path continues forward among the dry grass due to the relentless drought of this year until we reach a little higher to another gorge that we have to jump. Now the road is clay and climbs until it immediately gets under the branches of the oaks. So we will go for a while until we reach, after a small recess, the summit of Ermua located to the left of the road behind some oaks that cover it.
The road goes on to reach almost immediately the stone hut with a geodesic pole on its roof, which by the way is being eaten by the brambles that grow profusely around it.
We continue on a clear descent between the oaks, until we reach the detour to the left towards the Etzandarri. I choose to continue to the right, to find almost immediately some wooden signs that indicate the direction towards Fano, where we are going, and towards Armintza, in the opposite direction, which today does not touch. Recently they have also placed new yellow signs of the “GR 123 Vuelta a Bizkaia” on the cruise.
The road, quite broken and stony, immediately gets under the branches of the oaks, going down little by little and leaving a fence on our left, until you reach the road to Fanobidea. In the middle of this stretch, on our right, comes the almost invisible path covered by the leaves of the holm oaks that descends from the top and crosses the holm oaks (see “Route 1 of Gorliz for families with children”).
And we reached Fanobidea, and a little later we reached the trifurcation of roads. We can continue on the road to Orabille, turn right on the concrete road Txoznako Estrata, or continue straight ahead, to get right into the “Camino Viejo”, which is what we do. Their access is like we’re going into a tunnel.
The Old Way comes up here from the Haurreskola or Children’s School. The truth is that it is an uncomfortable stretch to walk, especially at the bottom. It is a stony ground with oblique flich slabs on which we sometimes have to jump. Undoubtedly, whenever we walk on uncomfortable terrain it is much better to go up than down, as our security is greater. In this case we go down, and to avoid silly falls, we recommend to hold the children’s hand in the lower and broken part of this stretch. And of course, use canes, although this is always good. .
After a few branches we suddenly access the building of the Haurreskola next to a chalet. The road continues down to the Entrepinos area, where years ago there was a small hotel with a nice bar, now disappeared. Under some good oak trees starts a cemented road that avoids walking on the road, and after a few hundred meters we continue along the sidewalk until we reach the roundabout of the road of Urezarantza, a little ahead of the sports center.
Right there, to the left, starts a very steep concrete road between two houses. We climb it, and although there is a barrier to prevent the passage of vehicles outside the community, we can pass by. The road goes up a little further to reach a staircase that gives access to Basotxu kalea by which we continue straight across Larraganena Estrata, next to the house of the same name where the “Stela de Larragan” appeared. And we didn’t get to Itsasbide Street in front of Okela Restaurant.
Through the square of the Health Center and the street Krutzeta we reach the street Iberre where I conclude this classic route of only eight and a half kilometers, ascending a little more than 300 m and, like all the ones in this group, suitable for families with children.
