02 · Iron
“Iron and fire forged our history”
In the late 19th century, intensive iron mining sparked an economic and social revolution. The mines and steelworks transformed life and the economy of the whole region.
Thousands of people arrived looking for work, doubling the population of Bilbao and its surroundings. Mining ended in the mid-20th century, leaving a deep mark that we will explore together.
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Trapagaran was home to thousands of families who came from all over Spain to work in the mines. In the late 1800s the companies built barracks where miners barely slept between endless shifts.
Today the barracks are gone and the old pits have become beautiful lakes. We ride up on La Reineta funicular, opened in 1925: it climbs 324 metres over 1,179 metres and is unique in Spain for its horizontal platform, designed to carry supplies and vehicles for the mines.
From La Arboleda we head to the coast, to the Cobarón cliffs, to walk the lovely Itsas Lur path with spectacular views of La Arena beach while learning the story of this unusual ore loader.
Opened in 1882, it was the only one of 23 loaders not sheltered by the estuary: the iron ore dropped straight into the holds of ships moored beneath the cliff, always at the mercy of the sea. It closed in 1963 and a heavy storm damaged its structure in 2008.
We head inland to the hidden, incomparable Karrantza valley: green meadows framed by limestone walls where cattle graze. We stop at the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Buen Suceso, with its bullring attached, to take in the valley in all its glory.
At the end of the valley, in Ranero, Pozalagua Cave awaits — one of the most spectacular in Europe, with the world’s largest concentration of eccentric stalactites, which grow in every direction instead of straight down.
Balmaseda is the oldest town in Bizkaia, founded in 1199 for its strategic position between Castile and the Cantabrian coast. It was a customs post of the Kingdom of Castile, and still keeps its famous Old Bridge, several palaces and its medieval layout.
In the 19th century it became a key railway hub thanks to the La Robla train, and its Living Passion at Easter is famous nationwide. Strolling its streets is the perfect ending to a day remembering Bizkaia’s mining past.
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“Nature here is as old as our language”
