Motivation
Activation date: Saturday April 13th 2024.
Weather was very good this weekeend and I decided to activate a new one for me, Aizkolegi, EA2/NV-134, quite a curious summit on the nature park of Bertiz. I activated POTA as well from the summit, ref. ES-0249.
The very summit is fully occupied by an old small modernist palace, now abandoned.
More about the history of the park and its small palace further down if you feel intrigued.
Driving directions
The nature park of Bertiz is located 49 km north of my hometown Pamplona. The entrance to the park is at the village of Oronoz Mugaire. There are several forest tracks and footpaths that lead to the top of Mount Aizkolegi.
From the entrance to the park (150 m elevation), a long 11 kilometer forest track, forbidden for vehicles, leads up to the summit but this way is too long and boring.
I decided to use an alternative and less frequented access that starts at the col of Plazazelai (536 m).
Car access: exit Oronoz Mugaire driving by N-121-B towards Arraioz, and soon find a gravel quarry at left hand side of the road. Coordinates: 43.1408464,-1.5915037
Be careful because this access is not obvious and the entrance is small and quite angled from the main road:
At the entrance a sign in basque indicates “Infernuko Errota”, you’re in the good direction.
This road goes into a hidden valley, passing by charming valley with farm houses.
While driving by this nice rural scenario you see the mountain of Aizkolegi and notice about the old palace on top:
You just drive for about 7,7 km. See the road indicated in this map with blue dots, the parking at the col of Plazazelai (43,180005, -1,577513) and the hike in orange colour:
The hike
After parking locate the gate to start the hike, with a side pass as the gate is closed with a lock:
- Trail length: 2,8 km (one way)
- Mountain elevation: 831 m
- Elevation gain: 290 m
- Walking time: about 40 minutes
The path is clear and evident, passing most of the time by a good shaded bleech forest, which is now in a bright green palette of spring colours:
The first part has high slopes at some points. After 1,5 km you turn right as you arrive in the main and long track coming from Oronoz. There is a sign at the cross.
Soon after a 40 minutes hike I arrived near the palace. There is a guard little hut next to it:
Although there are concrete stairs leading to the house on top, they are closed with fences, due to the damaged situation of the palace, but a tiny path by the north face surrounds the house and you can access the very summit.
And this is the summit, fully occupied with this ancient, enchanted looking small palace:
The activation
I knew there were little space around the house; there is a mere 2 meter wide path around the whole house, and then a sharp bend in all directions. North side is worse due to the forest, so the south side is clearer.
I had taken my shorter trapped EFHW 14 m long and managed to install it at the east side inverted vee. It’s great the EFHW is so versatile to deploy. I tried to not obstruct the path in case there were more visitors, as it was the case.
My gear today: LNR LD-5 + 3 x 21700 LiIon batt and a homebrew manual EFHW tuner.
While setting up, I started my VHF handheld, logging a quick S2S first with Gotzon, EA2CSC from EA2/VI-016. My friends Alain F5ODQ and the prolific Chris F4WBN made their way also in VHF.
I then ran HF on 14 and 7 MHz SSB, then 10 MHz CW and finished on 21 MHz SSB.
I occasionally did a brief QSY to get a few more S2S while some visited my QRG to get my summit: thanks to 9A8RA, SV2CNE, SV2NCH, SP9MA, MM7MOX, EA2EWC, EA2EEB, EA3GNU, EA2EYI, SV2OXS, EI/PA9CW, EA4DON, EA8DKV, SV2RUJ and YO5MCM.
My log today was 80 qso. Thanks everybody for a nice and funny radio time.
A last image of the surrounding views:
Natural park of Bertiz and palace of Aizkolegi
To track the long history of this park we need to get back until 1300’s when this was established as the private land of the Lord of Bertiz.
Many years later, in 1898, the land was acquired by Pedro Ciga Mayo, a rich lawyer. Together with his wife, Dorotea Fernández, they had a great interest on animals and gardening and they reforested the land with a great variety of plants and trees, including an abundant botanical collection, with species represented from all over the world.
The main collection was placed at the base of Aizkolegi mountain, where a vast botanical garden was settled, decorated with nice buildings and fountains, art nouveau style. There Pedro and Dorotea established their home, on a 18th century palace, that is well mantained today.
The small palace they built in the summit was their summer residence for some weeks each year, where they used to invite friend and do some party. One of his interests was using the tower of the house as an astronomical observatory.
Nowadays you can still visit the park and gardens and there is a wildlife Interpretation Center showing the geology, flora and fauna at the park.
The small palace they built in the summit was their summer residence for some weeks each year, where they used to invite friend and do some party. One of his interests was using the tower of the house as an astronomical observatory.
Nowadays you can still visit the park and gardens and there is a wildlife Interpretation Center showing the geology, flora and fauna at the park.
In 1949 Pedro Ciga donated the park to the local community of Navarre in 1949, with the condition that it was “maintained in its current condition and used exclusively for recreational, educational and scientific purposes”.
In 1984 this area was declared a Nature park.
Wouldn’t it be good to get such a house to build a charming mountain hut, radio museum, or to put a nice ham contest station nowadays?
73 Ignacio