In 1969 two young men exploring a hillside above the Sastarrain valley near Zestoa crawled into a narrow opening and found themselves in a gallery of painted horses. Ekain is one of the finest Palaeolithic painted caves in Europe, its walls covered with images of horses, bison and other animals made some fourteen thousand years ago with remarkable skill. The horses in particular are famous, drawn with shaggy manes and round bellies, so lively that they seem about to move.
You cannot visit the original cave, which has been closed to protect it, and it belongs to the UNESCO group of Palaeolithic caves of northern Spain. Instead, a few kilometres away in Zestoa, Ekainberri reproduces the main chambers with great accuracy, using the same techniques the original artists probably used. The replica is genuinely impressive, with guided tours that explain how the paintings were made and what they might have meant. It is worth booking in advance in summer.
The landscape is the green, folded heart of Gipuzkoa, where steep valleys run down to the coast and every hillside is pasture, forest or apple orchard. The roads between Zestoa, Azpeitia and Zumaia are twisting and well kept, with plenty of tight bends, sudden climbs and views that change around every corner. The main road through the Urola valley is busier, carrying traffic between the coast and the interior. Expect rain at any time of year, and slippery surfaces in the shade under trees. Weekends bring cyclists and families heading to the coast.
Azpeitia, six kilometres away, is a town of fourteen thousand with fuel and shops, and on its outskirts stands the huge baroque basilica of Loyola, built around the birthplace of Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. Zumaia, on the coast, is famous for the dramatic layered flysch cliffs that featured in Game of Thrones, and a walk along the clifftop path is a fine way to finish a day. Zestoa itself was once a spa town, with an old thermal establishment by the river. A cider house meal in season, with salt cod omelette and steak, completes the Basque experience.