Path The Agin and Path of Antoñana

Description of the Path The Agin and Path of Antoñana

From Korres to Soila 2.6 Km

The Izki Natural Park House in Korres (0h 00min) is the starting point for our hiking route.​

Our route begins in the large car park next to the Izki parketxe, taking us up the street that enters from the nearby road.

Right at the end of the building, the path begins along which we must continue. At the moment we begin to gain height surrounded by thick vegetation, a prelude to what awaits us.

Vegetation that practically swallows up the road we were climbing. We quickly come across a first crossing, where a post indicates the continuation of the trail we are following.

Luckily, the vegetation that almost prevented us from passing leaves us some margin, allowing us to enjoy a pleasant tour.

The trail we follow, in spite of the lush vegetation that surrounds us at times, keeps its footprint. There will be several junctions that we will leave behind as we continue to gain height with each step.

The different paths that we cross and that run through this part of the park do not confuse the direction we should take. After a while, a fence gets in our way, allowing us to cross it without any problem.

The path we must follow, although signposted, forces us to be vigilant at the various crossroads we pass through.

In some of them the marks of the path are not as visible as in most cases.

Once again the vegetation makes our progress difficult, although fortunately the path continues to be visible below it. The slope alternates moments of greater demand with others much more relaxed.

We also alternate sections where the vegetation gives us a break allowing us to enjoy the landscape around us.

Soon the slope increases, warning us of the proximity of the ridge towards which we are heading. This area forces us to make a greater effort in order to keep gaining height.

As it could not be otherwise, our trail begins to wind along the mountainside looking to soften its slope.

Little by little we are gaining height by following the paved path that is guiding us in this section of the route. A solitary post warns us of our arrival at the pass where the descent towards Antoñana begins.

We leave this descent for later and set a course for Soila by climbing the ridge that separates us from it.

This area, now unmarked, continues to combine sections where the vegetation almost prevents passage with others that are more open.

We have to find several trails, in any case it is best not to lose the height gained and stay close to the ridge that we are bordering.

There will also be several trails that we will leave behind and that will rush down the slope. The summit of Soila (1h 00min) awaits us to give us wonderful views of the Izki Natural Park from the villages in the area, which more than make up for this detour.

From Soila to Korres 4,8 Km

After enjoying this place we will return to the crossroads that we left behind and that marks the beginning of the spectacular descent that we have ahead of us.

Once there, we looked at the most aerial section of the entire route. This is a trail that borders the strip that crosses the rocky outcrop that crowns the mountain.

To avoid problems, we have a rope that we use to pass through this dizzying passage.

The same rope marks the point where we must leave the cliff.

This short descent has good grips and the invaluable help of the mentioned rope.

After saving this first hurdle we continue with the descent following the, sometimes, decomposed trail that we have to walk.

This trail soon softens its slope and begins to border the cliff we had walked on before, leading us back to the top of the Soila.

This area has no greater complication than the stony trail. In exchange it allows us to visit the lords of the forest, some huge linden trees and the unique yew tree.

After doing so, a new stretch of dizzying descent begins, in which the company of the rope is missed, even more than in the previous stretch.

Once this steep and rough stretch of the descent has been overcome, both the slope and the difficulty are considerably softened. We continue to be guided by the yellow spots that mark our trail

After a while the trail reaches its end when it meets a path that goes up the mountain. A path that we will continue to descend without complications.

This section of the route allows us to enjoy the freshness of the beech forest we are walking through.

Almost without realising it, we arrive at the crossroads with the Path of Antoñana (1h 40min). Here we have to decide whether to walk the short kilometre and a half that separates us from this village or to head towards Korres.

In this case we will begin a new stretch of ascent that becomes harder than expected at this point of the route. Here we will also be leaving behind the paths that come out in our path.

Paths such as the one that connects our path, the Antoñana path, with the Bujanda Path (1h 55min) and which allows us to return to Korres through it by crossing the gorge it runs through.

In our case we continue to climb without abandoning the Path of Antoñana that will take us to Korres. This section of the route also has the freshness of the thick vegetation that covers these mountains, but in this case does not complicate our progress.

The rocks that characterize Izki can be seen without complexes, giving a special touch to this part of the tour.

A route that takes us to the proximity of a magnificent viewpoint (2h 15min) to which without hesitation we turn.

After taking a well-deserved break in this unique corner of Izki, we return to our path to continue towards Korres.

After passing another gate we start the final descent that will take us to this town in Alava. Although we still have a long way to go to reach it.

Once again, there will be several trails to follow. Until we reach the end of the path we were following.

Here, in addition to the signs along the way, logic shows us the way to go. This path gradually brings us closer to our final destination Korres.

The one we got to after going through another fence that cut us off. The route takes us around the village church to leave us in front of the street where we must continue.

This street leads us directly to the Izki Natural Park House in Korres (2h 50min), where we will put an end to this entertaining trekking route.

Technical data sheet of the route

Distance. 7.4Km

If our starting point is the recreational area we will have to add a little more than 2 kilometres to this figure.

Time. 2:50h

If we decide to approach Antoñana we will have to increase this figure by almost 1h. It will also take longer than that if we return along the Path of Bujanda.

Time of year

Autumn and spring are the most recommended periods because of the colorful landscape. Since it is mostly in the shade of the woods it passes through, this is an acceptable route in summer. Mud and wet stones are not the most advisable for the descent section.

Required equipment

At least long pants, it is the minimum recommended if we do not want to be exposed to scratches with the bushes and possible parasites, ticks, which are probably waiting for us. We should not miss some water either, as there is no water on the whole route. Food and walking sticks, some gloves to protect our hands in the sections where we will surely have to use them, is not a bad idea either. Consult our list of material and equipment for hiking. Read more.

Difficulty. Medium

Physical

If we follow the route in the described direction, we should not have problems with this section since the difference in level to be overcome is distributed over a longer distance. While if we would do it the other way around it would be concentrated in a shorter space of land. The distance is also not so remarkable as to increase the degree of difficulty in this section.

Severity of the environment

This is where much of the difficulty lies. We will go through quite exposed sections where we have to take extreme precautions, not only because of the possibility of falling into the void, but also because of the many possibilities that we have of stones falling from the areas we have over our heads. We must also pay attention to the parts of the descent that, without being equipped with a rope, are much more complicated or prone to complications than the cliffs.

Orientation

The vegetation and the different paths and tracks we will come across will be the ones that generate the greatest complications in this section. Although the route is well signposted, we will pass through areas where the marks are not so visible to the naked eye. The detour to the summit of Soila is not signposted and as you walk along it you will come across several paths that descend towards the area of Korres, which of course you do not have to follow.

Coordinates UTM Datum WGS84

Profile of the route

Cartography, maps and tracks

This sketch of the route is not made to scale nor does it contain all the information relating to the area, it is merely indicative.

This schematic with the path is approximate and has been created from the derived cartographic base © Instituto Geográfico Nacional "Cuadrante 139-3, 25.000"

Senditur has manipulated the tracks to correct the aberrant points that may exist, caused by problems with the reception of the GPS signal. In any case the tracks are always approximate. SENDITUR encourages you to use the new technologies within your reach, using them as support and consultation in your activity, not basing the realization and orientation of the same only and exclusively on them, since they may see their functioning altered by very diverse causes, not functioning correctly and their indications may not be precise.