From the Caves of Sare to Peña Plata

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with an initial climb up to the cliff, then a return trip around the cliff.
Varied landscapes, magnificent view of the coastline.
The weather conditions were ideal for us (23°C), but bring water as the first part of the hike can be hot in high temperatures.

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Date of your route : Jul 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike ending in the clouds. The climb is a little tough at first. The markings were clearly visible even in fog with visibility of only 50 metres. Be careful of the slabs at the summit, which are very slippery when wet.

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Date of your route : Apr 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I'm not used to hiking, especially as a guide. When I read the text, it only helped a little, but not all the time. I relied mainly on the GPS and, as we went along, we realised that the yellow markings were the ones to follow, except at the very end to complete the loop. I recommend this hike. It's quite steep, but the scenery is superb, and we loved being close to the animals: vultures, horses, goats and sheep in the middle of nowhere. It was really enjoyable. I had planned this hike months in advance, so despite the forecast showers (and thunderstorms), we stuck to it, and that may be why we only encountered one other group.

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Date of your route : Jan 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Good signposting, not too omnipresent.
Wide main paths and narrow side paths. Passage along the ridge with views of the mountains and sea.
Be careful on the way back as you will come across a network of different paths.
I used the GPS track, perhaps because I was distracted.

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Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A good steady climb to get your heart rate up. The pottoks are waiting for us at the top. Beautiful view of the Rhune and the ocean.

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Date of your route : Feb 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike! Having our feet in the snow gave us an extra adrenaline rush! Thank you for sharing

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Date of your route : Sep 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that is well worth the effort when you reach the summit of Atxuria with its superb panoramic view of the Basque Country.
Under the vultures... surrounded by pottoks.

When will we see the loop that starts at the caves and passes through Zugarramurdi (...home of the witches)?
To avoid the difficult climb up Pena Plata...

When it's beautiful... it's always worth a hike...

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Date of your route : Nov 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike with superb views.
The climb is a little steep, but we took our time and reached the summit in an hour.
At the end, we avoided point 8 by going directly from point 7 to point 2 (the path that passes below the Loretxoa kayolar), for a total of 2 hours and 20 minutes.

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Date of your route : Aug 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike with magnificent views of the Rhune, the coast and the surrounding peaks of France and Spain.
Park in one of the two car parks on the right of the quarry entrance and, if possible, use the second car park (the one closest to the start).
This is an easy hike but the climb is a little steep. Allow 1 hour 15 minutes to reach the highest point; the last section is quite steep.
Total time: approximately 3 hours.
The yellow markings are sometimes quite difficult to spot, so using the VISORANDO app is a real bonus to avoid detours and wasting time.

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Date of your route : Jun 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Trip already completed on 11/11/2011. Still exceptional and magnificent. Hike without any difficulties except for the ford, which is more challenging after heavy rain. This time, we used the GPX file.
Parking at the upper car park, the start is at this level.
Encountered pottoks, manesh sheep, wild goats climbing the steep walls, and of course vultures.
Many thanks for this highly recommended hike.

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Date of your route : May 31, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk in good weather, but a difficult descent.

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Date of your route : Sep 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The return route via Spain is less well signposted. But it's a nice route to warm up on.

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Date of your route : Sep 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A note for the start: do not go to the car parks on the left of the caves. Drive past the cave ticket office and park on the right of the quarry entrance at the second car park (because on the left of the quarry there are also two car parks with a road leading off to the right, and it is easy to make a mistake (yes, I did!). To climb up, just follow the yellow markings, which will take you to the top.
A very beautiful hike to do in good weather, the view is superb. The only downside is that the quarry is very noisy.
Alain

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Date of your route : Sep 02, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike, the highest point is at 756 metres. You have to look carefully for the signposts, which are few and far between, or at least when there are herds around, there are lots of tracks on the ground... But you can't get lost
the estimated time is too long for a good walker, but it's a beautiful hike in any case.
Jeff

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Date of your route : Jun 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The second part of the route is described very briefly, which causes confusion with the signposting for other routes... Furthermore, the time indicated seems overestimated to me, or based on slow walkers...

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