Jaizkibel

Overview

547 meters above sea level? Why such a small mountain should have a place in SP? Well... mainly because of two reasons. For a start, Jaizkibel does have a symbolic value: it's the very first summit of the Pyrenees when you go eastwards from the atlantic shore. It's a small summit and a road does take you almost to the very summit, but those 547 meters are a pure climb, beginning at the sea level and leading across green fields to a summit overlooking a good part of the Gipuzkoa province. Moreover, you don't get everyday the chance to have a nice morning sortie and spend the afternoon lazying around in a beach or discovering beautiful villages such as Pasaia or Hondarribia...
You will find Jaizkibel very close to the border between France and Spain. In fact, scarcely four or five kilometers away from it (on a straight line). Its a small massif mainly composed of sandstone, placed by the shore of the sea between the villages of Hondarribia and Pasaia Donibane. A road links both villages across the massif, leading very close to a summit full of TV/mobile phone/radio antennas, but the area between the road and the sea is still mainly wild and hides some gorgeous sights to be explored. Just give it a chance.

Getting There

ROAD ACCESS: The closest province capital is Donostia (that's the basque name, in spanish maps you could find it as San Sebastián). The city is a most beautiful one, placed on National Road #1 (the one leading from Madrid to Irún) scarcely 21 km away from Hondarribia, and 13 km away from Pasaia Donibane. From Donostia you will only need to follow the road signs towards "Francia" and take the appropriate deviations to the trailheads when you find them.

TRAIN ACCESS: As Irún is one of the main links between the spanish railroads and the rest of Europe, train communications are good enough. Your destination stations might be Donostia/San Sebastián or Irún (see "RENFE" on the external links section). There's a narrow track railroad linking Donostia with Irún (locally known as "Topo") which leaves Donostia from the Amara Station. It's got stops in almost every village in-between. If you choose to take it, you would have to stop at Pasaia for the Pasaia Donibane trailhead (check "Topo" on the external links section)

AIR ACCESS: The closest airport is placed at Hondarribia, right under Jaizkibel. It's got connections with Madrid and Barcelona. There's also the possibility to fly in to the french airport of Biarritz.

Red Tape

Nothing special to consider. If anything, bear in mind that the shore-looking slopes of Jaizkibel are specially protected as a "Lugar de Importancia Comunitaria" (Community Important Area). Use your brains and respect the nature, not leaving behind you any traces of your visit.

Camping

Though I'm not really sure about it, considering the protection explained in the "Red Tape" sections it would seem wise not to camp in the mountain. At the very least not in the areas looking towards the sea. Anyway, there are a number of paying camping sites around: two in Hondarribia, one in Oiartzun and another one in Donostia. Check the "External links" section.

External Links

RENFE: web page for the spanish national railroads.
"Topo": Information for the narrow track railroad between Donostia and Irún.
Camping sites: Camping sites in nearby villages. Click on their names in the leftmost column.
Camping Jaizkibel: English language info on the Jaizkibel camping site in Hondarribia.

Images

View Jaizkibel Image Gallery - 48 Images