Trail from Guriezo to Sonabia is unmarked trail but easy to follow along the river Aguera. Easy flat and peacefull trail all the way to the Orinon beach. Enjoy the beach or continue further to peninsula of Sonabia. The trail between Guriezo and Orinon is very quiet. Between Orinon and Sonabia it is more busy and as one of the caminos de Santiago partly follows this route.
GETTING THERE
Barcelona – 650km (6h 20min)
Madrid – 450km (4h 30min)
Bilbao – 50km (40min)
By car: Park at free parking lot at Orinon, but from there, I would recommend other hikes, keep reading for the alternative routes. Might be possible to find place at small parking lots in Gurieza/El Punte.
By public transport: There is bus connection between El Puente/ Guriezo and Castro Urdiales
Camper/ Van overnight stay: I have stayed at Camping Bidaivan. 15EUR plus 4 EUR if you need electricity. Showers 1EUR/5min. More information HERE
The small village of Guriezo does not have place for free park up. At Orinon there are 3-4 spots to park camper/van during day only
TRAIL NAVIGATION
There is no designated marked trail. However you could follow the “route” without additional navigation. Just make sure to follow the river Rio Aguera.
TRAIL DETAILS
El Puente to Orinon
Start walking at El Puente along Rio Aguera on flat and easy route right along the river. It is dirt path, keeping the river on your left hand-side. At one of the bridges, the dirt path ends. Cross the river and continue making right turns where needed in order to keep the river on your right-side. The river will be slightly further away as there will be some fields in between. In this section, you can enjoy wide dirt road for almost 2km. You will reach Rio Aguera Bridge.
Safely cross N-634 and continue on the trail that is on the left-side of the river. It is small dirt path again. After walking under A-8 highway bridge, you will enter eucalyptus forrest. There is small split and there is small path that continue along the river straight to Orinon, but I took the forrest route. Continue making right turns at the split until you reach Orinon village. There is almost no elevation gain from El Puente to Orinon.
Orinon to Sonabia
From Orinon, you can take direct route through the village reaching small road heading to Sonabia or you can visit the beach before reaching the same road. Continue on the steep car road with small green sidewalk. Once you reach village continue straight to Hermita de la Virgen del Refugio. From there head down to either “La Ballena” cliffs or to “Playa Sonabia”. La Ballena is very pretty, but it does require caution and some scrambling to get to the end. For the way back take the same route or in Nocina you can catch bus back to El Puente.
Other routes
Orinon to Laredo: From Orinon you can follow trail leading to Laredo along the sea. There is also bus from Laredo to El Puente, but it goes very little.
Ojos del diablo: Find one of the trails heading up the mountain that you pass around while visiting Sonabia. It has natural window. I could not find map or other marking of the trail.
Castro Urdiales: There is also Camino de Santiago to Castro Urdiales. In that case skip heading to Orinon and instead cross Rio Aguera Bridge and follow the camino. From Castro Urdiales you can get bus back to El Puente.
Other details
Tree coverage: Big portion of the trail has tree coverage, providing shade on hot days.
Geocaching: There are no geocaches or Adventure labs along the trail.
Dogs: It is possible to do the trail with dog. Dogs must be leashed.
Shoes recommendation: Can be completed in any sports shoes.
Trail running: Great for trail runners, easy trail but long
FACILITIES
Restrooms: No public restrooms
Restaurants: At El Puente and at Orinon
Shops: At El Puente
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
I completed this hike in November 2024 on Friday. It was warm sunny weather, around 22 degrees. I met some people, especially in the morning, families with children and people with dogs. The area between Guriezo and Orinon was quiet, only couple of locals. Expect crowds between Orinon and Sonabia.
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