Why this ride
From Zestoa it runs 144 km to Zestoa; allow about 2 h 43 of riding. The stops in between: Collégiale de Ziortza, Santimamiñe and back through Collégiale de Ziortza.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ekain and Santimamiñe
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 144 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 43
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Basque Coast Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 47 km this is Basque Coast Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 47 km
- Named road
- Basque Coast Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Ekain
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.
Read the complete Ekain write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ekain is where the day begins. Next is Collégiale de Ziortza.
2. Collégiale de Ziortza
High on a green hillside above the village of Bolibar, in the Biscayan interior, the collegiate church of Ziortza looks out over a valley of meadows, farmhouses and eucalyptus and pine plantations. It is a tranquil, solid place, a church and cloister built of grey stone with a fortified look, and it stands on the Camino del Norte, the coastal route to Santiago, so you will often see pilgrims resting on the benches outside.
Read the complete Collégiale de Ziortza write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Collégiale de Ziortza comes up about 47 km into the recorded legs. Next is Santimamiñe.
3. Santimamiñe
In 1916, a group of boys exploring a hillside in the Basque Country found paintings deep inside a cave, and Santimamiñe became one of the most important prehistoric sites in the region. The cave, near Kortezubi in the Urdaibai valley, contains Magdalenian paintings of bison, horses, goats and deer, made around fourteen thousand years ago, and it is part of the UNESCO listing of cave art of northern Spain. To protect the paintings, the cave itself is closed to the public, but a visitor centre offers a virtual tour that recreates the interior in detail, with guides explaining the art and the people who made it.
Read the complete Santimamiñe write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 72 km into the recorded legs you reach Santimamiñe. Next is back through Collégiale de Ziortza.
4. back through Collégiale de Ziortza
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Collégiale de Ziortza write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Collégiale de Ziortza, late in the day. Next is Ekain.
5. Ekain
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ekain write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Ekain. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Ekain to Collégiale de Ziortza
Ekain → Collégiale de Ziortza is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Collégiale de Ziortza to Santimamiñe
Collégiale de Ziortza → Santimamiñe is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Santimamiñe to back through Collégiale de Ziortza
Santimamiñe → back through Collégiale de Ziortza is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Collégiale de Ziortza to Ekain
back through Collégiale de Ziortza → Ekain is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.