spaincolours.com, A bridge towards spain - From Lekeitio to the Oma forest

Colour symphony at Spain

Among the blues of the Cantabrian Sea that are glimpsed from Lekeitio or Elantxobe and the bright colours of the Oma forest, the suggested route across the coast and the inland of Bizkaia is a chromatic symphony to be appreciated with wide opened eyes.

We will start looking at the sea in Lekeitio. The town where the Queen Elisabeth II spent the summer keeps its sailor taste. Besides visiting the Santa María de la Asunción (Saint Mary of Assumption) it is recommendable walking around its port, going to its beaches and crossing up to Saint Nicholas island with low tide.

The Saint Mary Basilica is one of the best examples of the late Gothic in Bizkaia. It was built in 1480 and it stands out with its façade and its wonderful Gothic-Flemish polychrome altarpiece.

We will leave Lekeitio following the BI-3238 road, which goes past Ispaster, Ea and Ibarralangelu up to Elantxobe whose houses hang on a hillside. The small village of Elantxobe is a good example of terrain adaptation. In a rough coast Elantxobe’s houses practically hang from the mountain whereas the port takes advantage of an inlet in the shelter of the Orgoño Cape.

After having a look at the horizon we will go towards the inland following the BI- 3237 in search of a castle - the castle of Arteaga, which was reconstructed following the likings of a lady - the empress Eugenia de Montijo. The original tower was from the 15th Century. But in the 19th Century it was reconstructed with marbles by order of Eugenia de Montijo, descendant of the Arteaga dynasty and empress of France as she was married to Napoleon III

Following the BI-635 we will gain access to Kortezubi in whose municipal district is found the Santimamiñe cave – sanctuary of the rock art in the Basque Country. It is a pity that due to conservation reasons the visits are now restricted.

Bisons, bears, stags, wild boars… Almost a hundred of animal figures are painted on the walls of the Santimamiñe cave. They belong to the middle Magdalenian period (from 14000 to 9000 B.C.).

Anyway we can leave our car close to the cave and we can breathe surrounded by the green landscape and immerse ourselves on foot in one of the most stimulating visual experiences - the visit to the “enchanted forest” that was painted by Agustin Ibarrola in Oma. It is unforgettable. “The search of a new relationship between art and nature” in words of Ibarrola encouraged him to transform the Oma forest in a colourful experience where the pines conform different forms as the walker moves forward.

Note: from eitb24.com