{"id":17698,"date":"2018-11-02T13:02:11","date_gmt":"2018-11-02T12:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/goierriturismo.com\/uncategorized\/patrimonio-cultural-tunel-de-san-adrian"},"modified":"2026-05-06T17:34:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T15:34:16","slug":"cultural-heritage-san-adrian-tunnel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goierriturismo.com\/en\/nature-en\/cultural-heritage-san-adrian-tunnel\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultural heritage: San Adrian tunnel"},"content":{"rendered":"
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San Adrian tunnel<\/h1>\n

Cultural heritage<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

San Adrian tunnel<\/h3>\n
You can get to the tunnel by car and walk the last 20 minutes or take a\u00a0<\/span>2 hours circular route<\/strong>\u00a0by foot, which is very beautiful and well sign-posted.\u00a0<\/span>Zegama<\/a>\u00a0and Aizkorri-Aratz Natural Park will be your North star. Just keep in mind these simple directions: If you\u2019re coming to Goierri through the port of Etzegarate, take the\u00a0<\/span>first turn<\/strong>\u00a0on the road to get into Zegama, instead of getting in through the town centre.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
In five minutes you will reach the top of Otzaurte and in front of the Otzaurteko Benta Restaurant<\/a> (gorgeous your beans!) You must continue on a concrete track about 10 minutes by car until you find a parking enabled, parking lot of Aldaola, large and with gravel.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The\u00a0<\/span>parking area in Aldaola<\/a>\u00a0has plenty of signs to explain the hiking trail. At the beginning, you will cross the small channel of water and keep going up the mountain towards\u00a0<\/span>Casa de los Mikeletes<\/strong>\u00a0-an old construction for taxes collection and goods control-. When you get there you will<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>start to see the tunnel<\/strong>\u00a0and the mountains. Go through the tunnel! Inside there\u2019s an old hermitage and the remains of other old constructions.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
The route continues following the\u00a0<\/span>green and white marks<\/a>. Stay on that path and to get to San Adri\u00e1n\u2019s balcony<\/a>\u2026 amazing views are waiting for you! This is one of the best viewpoints in Aizkorri-Aratz Natural Park. You will\u00a0<\/span>see the tunnel from the opposite<\/strong>\u00a0side and Guip\u00fazcoa and Navarre\u2019s orography.<\/span><\/div>\n

Connecting Europe to the Cantabrian Sea<\/h3>\n
You are in a magic place known by the ancients as the hole to hell, where significant evidence of prehistoric settlements was found, and not just burial sites. From the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages, San Adri\u00e1n was one of the entrances to the mountain chain. When Guip\u00fazcoa and \u00c1lava became part of the Crown of Castile, San Adri\u00e1n was the\u00a0<\/span>mandatory route<\/strong>\u00a0connecting Europe and the Cantabrian Sea. There was even a castle that guarded the border to Navarra. San Adri\u00e1n was the scene of many clashes and an area frequented by bandits. The citadel was abandoned when Castilla was annexed to Navarra in 1512. The stone path you will see looks Roman, and it\u2019s popularly known as\u00a0<\/span>Calzada Romana (<\/em>Roman Road<\/span>)<\/em>, but it\u2019s actually from the Middle Ages and it was the \u201cRoyal Path of Relay\u201d.
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[\u2026] We crossed the Pyrenees through San Adri\u00e1n\u2019s port, and both the ascent and the descent were rough, full of stones and mud\u2026\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 Andrea Navagiero, Ambassador of Venice in the Court of Madrid, 16th century.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

San Adri\u00e1n became a famous legend, feared in the whole world. Travelers would describe it as a daunting place: cliffs edges, trees beaten by the wind, caves that were the shelter of muggers, isolated spots.
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