Encartaciones and Carranza valley route
The Encartaciones area occupies the most western area of Bizkaia, and it has
been historically the main mining area in the Basque Country. We leave Bilbao
on the BI-636 to Güeñes, where we can visit the Parroquia de Santa
María church. We continue towards Zalla to see the Palacio Barroco de
los Murga; on the way to La Herrera, we visit the San Pedro Zarikete hermitage,
where according to legend, one must enter and leave through different doors
while throwing salt, in order to frighten away evil spirits. Next stop is one
of the oldest Basque towns, Balmaseda, with its medieval layout, and interesting
sites like the Puente Viejo (Old bridge), which used to be the customs office,
the City Hall, and the gothic San Severino church.
From Balmaseda we take the BI-630 and then the BI-2701 to see the Casa de Juntas
of Avellaneda, an ancient site for the local government council during the Middle
Ages. Then we take the BI-630 through Traslaviña and Villaverde de Trucios,
to reach the Carranza valley after climbing the Escrita port. On its descent,
take the turning towards Virgen del Buen Suceso sanctuary, a good place for
a picnic and sightseeing. In this valley we also find the Bizkaia ecological
park, located in El Karpin farm, and the near-by Pozalagua cave.Estimated time: half day
Public transport: www.feve.es
+ info: www.karrantza.com and www.enkartur.net
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