Travel with Manfred

Travelogues from around the world

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document without a fee, provided that the person conspicuously and appropriately publishes on each copy the appropriate copyright notice and these terms and conditions for copying, distribution, and modifications. Changing this document or charging a fee for distribution or using this document for a financial profit is not allowed. Including this document in a publication that is for sale is not permitted.

This document solely expresses the author's current opinions. It in no way expresses the opinion of any other legal entity. This document does not claim to be correct, complete, or factual. Reading it is at your own risk.

Copyright © 2002 by Manfred P.. All rights reserved.

Nov 10, 2002

Mining History in the Basque Country

Don't Fall into the Holes

by

Manfred P.

Keywords: Spain, Bizkaia, Vizkaia, La Arboleda, La Reineta, Trapagaran, tourist, travel trip report, travel log, travelogue.

Just 30 minutes by car west of Bilbao, is an island of nature formerly rich in iron ore, and today rich in trails and mining history. I am referring to the area around the towns of La Arboleda, La Reineta and Trapagaran. These are three small villages at the foot or on the hills of the Triano mountains which are barely 800m high.

It all started as early as the 11th century. A few spots have been the subject to archaeological investigation, dating the activity of these mining installations between the 11th and 13th centuries. But the real iron-rush came in the 18th century. The village of La Arboleda was established in 1877 for the purpose of housing miners who arrived from all over the peninsula of Iberia. This village also features an old mining hospital dating from the last decade of the 19th century. However, while I have been to La Arboleda three or four times already, I can't remember ever having seen this hospital.

Iron and iron processing is so tightly weaved into the history of the Basque Country and especially Bilbao. Iron was the lifeblood of the whole region for more than century. Trapagaran, which is located on the foot of the hills, is connected with La Reineta, on the top, through a historic cable car. This cable car still runs today. We saw it coming down crossing a bridge just as we drove beneath the bridge. It sports a shiny blue color and the logo EuskalTren, a Basque public transportation company. From La Reineta to La Arboleda it is only a short distance, and since we have reached the hill tops already, this stretch is more or less flat. Usually horses and cows roam around here freely and old mining holes have filled up with water, forming pleasant lakes for swimming today.

We weren't thinking about swimming though. It was cold and foggy. Everything was wet and it was a typical fall day in the Basque Country. We were lucky that it wasn't raining. And the way it looked, it wouldn't be too surprising if the rain started soon. At the parking lot just outside La Arboleda we met up with two more friends. Another two kilometers onwards is a mining museum and a handful of trail heads. Here we started. Our plan was a walk to a large cave.

The landscape is the real attraction here. It is like Swiss cheese. There are man-made holes everywhere. Shafts, mines, caves, etc. In addition to these man-made holes are natural crevices. A geological fault line runs right through the area and many kilometers there are massive crevices, fissures, and cracks in the rocky surface. Some of these cracks are so massive that they form small canyons. The biggest one we saw was some 40 meters deep. Actually, we don't know how deep it was because the crack was so vertical and narrow that it was impossible to see the bottom. Visually it appeared to be some 20 meters, but when we started to throw rocks into it to listen for the last bangs we were astonished how long it took before the echo of the last bang reached our ears. It was amazingly deep.

Right next to this giant crevice we made a break. Without knowing it we stood on top of a rock plate jutting out on top of this gaping hole. Only when one of us strolled around in the vicinity and looked back did we realize how scary this spot was. (See photo.) Between us and 40 meters of abyss was only this horizontal rock plate. As we realized it a quick shiver ran down our spine but it wasn't so bad.

We didn't find our planned destination, the cave, but that was not so important. We were out in the open, enjoying the fresh air and -- for some moments when the fog layer lifted itself -- even some views. A good way to work up some appetite for the hearty lunch at home. And if this is not enough: on the way back, close before reaching the car, we helped another hiker rescue a dumb sheep that had fallen down a very steep incline and got trapped with the feet pointing skywards in thorns and bushed. Unable to get out of its own it was in a state of shock and it took three of us to get it out of this mess.