Plazaola

On the border where the Cantabrian Sea and the Mediterranean seem to meet, the mist and the traces of iron coexist as if time were a suspended thread. The valleys of Larraún and Leizarán echo with the sound of the ‘tren txiki’ and the enduring beech forests that have watched over generations. It is a land of passage and mystery, where dampness envelops the tunnels and the stone, and every step along the track reveals a harmony that can only be discovered by walking unhurriedly.

What to see in Plazaola?

Between stations and meadows, Plazaola offers a route where nature and culture weave stories that unfold to the rhythm of mist and water.

• Plazaola Greenway: The old railway line that linked Pamplona and San Sebastián has now been transformed into a 60.3 km trail, where walkers and cyclists traverse valleys, forests and tunnels as time stands still.
• Uitzi (Huici) Tunnel: At 2,700 metres, it is the longest in the peninsula’s network of greenways and marks the watershed between the Cantabrian Sea and the Mediterranean, uniting geography and memory.
• Former stations: Buildings such as the one at Lekunberri, which houses the Tourist Information Point, and the one at Leitza, refurbished as a hostel and service centre for cycle tourists, preserve the memory of a railway that cut through the mist and the forests.
• Leizarán Valley: A Protected Biotope where the purity of the water and the riverside forest create a microcosm of biodiversity and serenity.
• Malloas and the Aralar Range: High-altitude pastures, prehistoric dolmens and ancient legends guard the route and offer panoramic views that reveal the harmony between nature and humanity.
• Farmhouses and traditional life: Stone-built farmhouses that recall the rearing of Lacha sheep and the production of Idiazábal cheese, where daily life blends with the tranquillity of the landscape.