Untxillaitz
Encyclopedia
Biscay
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
, Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
), 934 m. high. Its name may mean "Rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
's peak" untzi(a)=rabbit aitz=peak.
Part of the Urkiola
Urkiola
Urkiola is a mountain range of the Basque mountains in Biscay near Durango, in the western Basque Country, Spain. The range's highest mountain is Anboto...
range, although it does not belong to the same crest of the Anboto
Anboto
Anboto is a limestone mountain of the Western Basque Country, the highest peak of the Urkiola range and not far from the pass of Urkiolamendi between Durango and Vitoria-Gasteiz.- Description :...
, it is also part of the same limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
range.
It forms the pass of Atxarte with the neighnouring Aitz Txiki
Aitz Txiki
Aitz Txiki is a peak of Biscay, Basque Country , 791 m. high. Its name means "small rock" aitz=rock txiki=small.- Description :...
and it's located in the valleys of Mendiola and Mañaria
Mañaria
Mañaria is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain.-External links:*...
. Quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
have been created in both sides of the mountain, but now the Atxarte one is closed. Mañaria is the starting point of the Urkiola pass that separates Untxillatx from Mugarra
Mugarra
Mugarra is a peak of Biscay, Basque Country , 936 m high, belonging to the Aramotz massif.The Aramotz massif is in the western limit of the Urkiola range. Mugarra continues the line of the Anboto, Alluitz, Aitz Txiki and Untxillaitz and is the eastern limit of the Aramotz massif.Huge limestone...
.
An outstanding feature is the rock prominence in the north face, called Urresti. This prominence has many rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
ways and vulture
Vulture
Vulture is the name given to two groups of convergently evolved scavenging birds, the New World Vultures including the well-known Californian and Andean Condors, and the Old World Vultures including the birds which are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains...
nests.
Climbing routes
From Atxarte.(1h 30m)From the neighbourhood of Zelaieta in Abadiano the road goes to the Atxarte pass there the river is crossed and a path turns to the right and there is a steep ascension beside the Urresti prominence. At the top of Urresti there is a difficult rock climb that leads to the Elosua col
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
route. At the end of the prominence, the crest is followed until the summit.
From Mañaria
Mañaria
Mañaria is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain.-External links:*...
by Elosua.(2h)
From the quarry at this side of the mountain, there is a path that leads to the col of Elosua, from where the summit is reached following the crest.
External links
- (es) Untzillatx at wikineos (includes maps and many photos)
- (es) Mendikat
- (es) Las montañas