From Pau we crossed the border into Spain and quickly exited the highway and followed the route along the ocean.
Winding little streets darting out of the forest and into seaside towns. Up and over each ridge before dropping down to meet the next stream as it meets the ocean. Sadly it was getting dark and we didn’t really stop for any photos and those taken in motion didn’t come out so well.
Finally we turned a bit inland and found ourselves at our hotel – Castillo de Arteaga.
Our rooms were in the main central tower, but the outer wall has 4 large towers which also feature suites with private pools on their roofs!
That night, Gorka, Jon and Bea met us at the hotel which has a fantastic restaurant for some gourmet Basque fare.
The food was very good and the service excellent, but the surprise of the night was the local white wine – Txakoli – which we enjoyed quite a bit. The red was very good too.
- August 6- The Hike in Itxina – Gorbea Natural Park
On the fourth day, Jon planned a hike and Gorka provided the catering. The weather was quite overcast, very misty, but we actually got lucky it only ever drizzled for a few moments at a time.
After a brief trail through the woods, we quickly came out on the side of a slope and headed straight up before Jon noticed us huffing and puffing and showed us the switchbacks. Regardless, we made our way up to the doorway to a “natural castle” of some Basque legend.
The path wandered among huge rock fields…
and then open grassy areas which were amazingly manicured….
Through the mist we could hear bells everywhere and finally some clear skies reveals the source:
They may not look it, but these mushrooms were almost a foot in diameter:
Up and over another ridge and a slightly different sounding bell off in the mist… the source?
And around the corner…
Slowly it feels like we are going more down than up… now we’re on some large plain, but really can’t see the extent of it. We meander a bit looking for our lunch spot… a mountaineering club’s cottage on the mount.
What a feast Gorka has prepared, Spanish omelet, ham, roast peppers, manchego cheese…
And something excellent to wash it down!
After lunch, we began the decent for real through some switchbacks along a steep ridge.
Here goats hopped about munching on everything and at times following us. Sadly there are no clear shots, but among the goats was one very brazen mountain cow, standing on a ledge.
Soon we reached our start point after a nice long loop.
For our after-hike hike we climbed a nearby hill with a church atop it. It’s origins are still being researched, but it certainly has some spectacular views. Here you can see the valley with the hotel and an estuary behind.
This night we were quite tired, we had a simpler dinner at the hotel, but as is customary, we had excellent wine:
All photos here.