6th Stage - Zumaia-Itziar-Deba

Distance in Km: 11,8 km

Fishermen, sailors and pilgrim profess profound devotion to the Virgin of Itziar, in the town of Deba.

We catch our first glimpse of the port of Zumaia, where we will be able to visit the museum-home of the painter Ignacio Zuloaga and St Peter's church. After crossing the River Urola (tributary of the Aizkorri, running to the sea in Zumaia), we leave the coastal town along Calle Arritokieta. We continue along the Jacobean route gaining height along a wide asphalt road whilst enjoying the coastal cliffs that feature all along the coastline from Zumaia to Deba, declared a protected biotope in 2009. Don't miss the spectacular cuts in the relief made by the erosion of the sea and known as 'flysch' that hold millions of years of geological history in successive rocky strata.

MAP

PHOTOS

PROFILE

Panoramic view of Zumaia

Museum-House of the painter Ignacio Zuloaga, in Zumaia

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Itziar, in Deba

Through a beautiful rural area among meadows of crops, we pass several homesteads and, when the road turns to the left, we continue straight on along an upward path. We soon reach the district of Elorriaga and drop down to the N-634 once again. To reach the Itziar pass, we have to put our legs to the test, marching up and down again to the road, cutting out the Cantabrian motorway and following a track that takes us to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Itziar. For many years this was an obligatory stop on the northern route where fishermen, sailors and pilgrims demonstrated their profound devotion to the virgin. It is a 16th century construction built on a former temple and its altar is presided over by the image of the Virgin of Itziar, from the 13th century, one of the oldest Virgins in the land. From the top, we once again cross the N-634 to get into Itziar centre, from there we take a tarmac road that runs alongside the cemetery and starts to drop down towards the hermitage of San Roque, patron saint of town of Deba that will guide us, along the right hand side, taking the old roadway to Deba historical centre.