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Goierri mining park: Mutiloa, Ormaiztegi and Zerain
Goierri mining park
Mutiloa, Ormaiztegi y Zerain
Welcome to Goierri´s mining park and the Greenway
We are in Goierri, in the Basque Highlands of Euskadi, where nature touches the sky and culture and gastronomy form a binomial with origin of denomination. The mining past of the region can be felt in the Goierri´s Mining Park, where we will be able to move to times when mineral extraction was the way of life of many goierritarras (people from the region).
We present Goierri´s Mining Park, formed by various elements, all related to the strong mining industry that, from remote times, has remained until the beginning of the twentieth century. As the main element we have the Green Way between Mutiloa and Ormaiztegi, which runs through the old mining railway used to transport the mineral extracted in the area’s minefields and transport it to Ormaiztegi, from where it was carried by rail to the nearby sea ports. In addition to the Via Verde we have 3 tracks to access and link with the old mining cores.
Now you will be able to enjoy the entire Goierri Mining Park from Ormaiztegi, Mutiloa or Zerain, walk the path through which the mineral was transported by air cable and be able to know the different resources of the area, such as the Zumalakarrangi Museum and the Ormaiztegi railway bridge, the ovens of Aizpitta, the ethnographic area, the hydraulic sawmill in Zerain, and the Barnaola area in the village of Mutiloa, as well as the town itself and the district of Liernia.
AIR CABLE WAY From the Aizpea ovens, the ore was carried by an air cable to Barnaola and from here it was transported by train to Ormaiztegi. We cannot go through the air, and that is why this new road has been created, which links Aizpea with Barnaola mines and allows us to go all the way that the mineral made.
TROI WAY The Troi route is the route to access to Mutiloa mining area. We started this route in the village of Mutiloa, and after a section on the road, near Troi river, to reach Barnaola. The structures of two decantation dikes and the storage and transport of Mutiloa minebox are lifted next to the same name. From here the mining railway linking with Ormaiztegi, now converted in a Grren Way, started. The road follows the signs of GR283.
Gi SL 36
From the village of Zerain a local path to access the Aizpitta furnaces from where we can make all the new journey to Ormaiztegi. This local path is also a circular route.
Mutiloa-Ormaiztegi green way
The Mutiloa-Ormaiztegi Green Way was a mining route of origin. It is attached to the mountainous slopes, above the urban areas to which it refers. Its beauty lies in the panoramic valleys at its feet and the forest mass surrounding it. There is an orientation game suitable for families and children. The map is collected at the tourist office of Ormaiztegi.
History of mining areas
In Mutiloa the iron ore, extracted in Caminza, Ollargain, Gezurmuño or Aizpuru was, since medieval times, the main supplier of the active ferrerías of the upper basins of the valleys of the Urola and Oria River. At the end of the 19th century The Mining Company of Mutiloa S.A imposed a more organized and systematic exploitation. To achieve this, it built up the necessary infrastructure to meet the requirements of the new production system: the mining railway that travelled the border from the vicinity of the Barnaola dwelling to the Ormaiztegi station, the inclined planes, the mineral washers and the decantation rafts… that together with the school, the canteens and the office occupied and substantially altered the slopes of the Ergoena neighborhood.
The iron ore fed the great English and French foundries such as Les Forges del Adour de Boucou in Baiona. In 1927 they shipped the last mineral load. During the Second World War a German company took a specific interest in this area and in the 1950s the company of Legazpi Patricio Echeverria S.A extracted the iron ore sufficient to supply the newly built sponge ovens. In the 1970s, the Canadian company Exminesa discovered the Trojan Mine’s rich lead filon which was active until 1993.
It was the last episode of a mining tradition rooted for centuries in both Mutiloa and the Basque Country. Also in Zerain a mining operation has been unequivocal since the Middle Ages. The most intense activity began in the middle of the 19th century and at the end of the 19th century foreign capital companies, English, Dutch, German companies reorganized the coto and began to work in a systematic way with the installation of new technological elements: internal mining railways, calcination furnaces, air cables…
This mineral was highly demanded by European steel companies. Market fluctuations and international war mainly meant that extractive activity was not continued. The last work of the cutoff took place in the 1950s when the company Patricio Echeverria S.A. from Legazpi was interested in iron films in view of the cyclical shortage of scrap which fed the furnaces of his steel industry. This activity has left us an interesting landscape and cultural heritage where the calcination workshop with its three impressive furnaces that receive us next to the Interpretation Centre of Aizpitta stands out.
Mutiloa-Ormaiztegi greenway
Do you know what is a green way? They are disused train tracks that have been converted into cycle itineraries and hikers for the enjoyment of people.
In Goierri we have the Mutiloa-Ormaiztegi greenway.
The Green Road is another good hike for families. It has a didactic game of a route that combines orienteering, hiking and a lot of fun.
This route is a circular trail, also suitable for the Nordic walking technique.
To complete the game, you need to answer questions about the 10 marks in the circuit correctly. The questions are about nature, the environment, and mining.
Come with your family and enjoy a pleasant walk enlivened by a nice game to have fun with family!
Tou and your kids will get the map and a pencil from the tourist office in Ormaiztegi, which is inside the Zumalacárregui Museum. If you preffer, you can download it from our website.
Shopping Goierri
Shopping Goierri is the open-air commercial area in Ordizia.
Enjoy our shops and find everything you need: clothes, shoes, accessories, furniture and more…
This association, Ordizian, is possible thanks to the effort of more than 98 merchants, who defend the collective interests of Ordizia and the tertiary sector of the town, together with municipal authorities.
Route by car or motorcycle across Goierri’s viewpoints
Leave Altzagarate and head to Zaldibia on your way to Gaintza, not taking A-1.
On your way up you will see a first shot of mount Txindoki! If you leave your car in Gaintza’s square, it might be a good plan to walk back just to enjoy those views more carefully.
From here, head to Lazkao’s exit, taking A-1. After one kilometre, take the roundabout to Lazkaomendi. The neighbourhood of Lazkaomendi shows a breathtaking view of Txindoki and Aralar natural park. Head down to Lazkao again and take the road to the next point, known as Goierri’s balcony: Olaberria.
Here you get views of both natural parks of Aizkorri-Aratz and Aralar. The monolith that indicates is located in one of the sides of San Juan Bautista’s church.
Next stop is Zerain. To get to this town, get back on A-1 towards Vitoria-Gasteiz, taking the exit Idiazabal-Segura. Leave your car in the square where the Ostatu is, and then enjoy the views in Segura, Idiazabal peaks, mounts Usurbe, Txindoki, Aizkorri…and enjoy the town itself: its ethnographic museum, the hydraulic sawmill, a craft, and all the landscape shaped by the mining industry.
Go back the same way and when you see Otatza cider house in Zerain, leave the car and walk 50 m towards Barbaris. You will reach a point from where you get a unique view of Segura, and its very well preserved medieval quarter. Crossing the town of Segura, get the path to Mutiloa and go up to the neighbourhood of Liernia.
Head to Gabiria, last stage of this route, following the signals at the exit of Liernia. In Gabiria you will find a small rural village located on a hill, all peace and quiet, offering a very nice view of the region.
If you still want to continue drving and visitng the highest areas of Goierri, you can access to Mount Usurbe, a mountain characteristic of the town of Beasain. You can leave the car in the car parking located a little below the top and in a pleasant 10 minute walk you will reach the top of the mountain and the viewpoint.
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Get to know Euskadi’s highlands
Basque Highlands
Cheese trail: Idiazabal
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A second plan is going to Ordizia, the key place if you’re into Idiazabal cheese. If you’re lucky enough to visit on a Wednesday, go to their market! The rest of the week you can walk the medieval town and d’Elikatuz, Goierri’s Nutrition and Gastronomy Interpretation Centre.
The land of Idiazabal also has other cheese houses and shepperd hut´s inside both Natural Parks that you can visit (only during summer season). If you are traveling in a group, you should not miss the chance of organizing a wine + cheese tasting!
Don’t forget to check Goierri’s schedule to keep an eye on their local festivities and gastronomic fairs during the fall.
These are the cheese houses you can visit:
– Ondarre cheese house. 13,050€ were paid at auction for just half of their cheese at the Idiazabal Cheese Competition held annually in Ordizia! If you visit this dairy, you will meet Goiburu family and they will show you their facilities and the sheep! You can also spend the night at their 500-year-old caserío, because it is also an farmhouse accommodation!
– Ondramuño cheese house. Brothers Aranburu -Javier, Juanjo y Jesús- will guide you through the cheese-making process, having the chance to taste different varieties of Idiazabal: white, smoked, young and aged. Their cheese was awarded the international ‘Super Gold’ at 2015 World Cheese Awards!
– Gaztañaditxulo cheese house. They have around 350 latxa sheeps. If you come visit them, you will see the shepherd dog working, you will have the chance to feed the lambs, see the milking… also see the process of making cheese and -of course- taste it with some natural cider!
– Garoa cheese house. Martina and Jon are passionate about heir job. You can visit them in their farm at the entrance to Zerain from approximately September to May because this family makes the transhumance and spends their summers in the Aralar Natural Park.
– Basazabal cheese house. Javier Muñoa is the shepherd of this traditional cheese factory located in a beautiful enclave and where, in addition to knowing the production process, you can see his flock.
– Baztarrika cheese house. Amelia and her family offer us the possibility of making Idiazabal cheese as well as seeing a photo exhibition about the life of the shepherd. You can buy local products in their little store.
– Otatza cheese house. Joseba Insausti is shepherd from Ordizia and he spent the year living between his hut in Aralar Natural Park and the family farmhouse located in Ordizia, one of the few remaining in the town. This is one of the shepherds who knows what is to get a prize in the famous Ordizia contest.
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