The best walks and hikes around Murueta

The old brick factory and chimney of Murueta are a vestige of the industrial tradition linked to the Urdaibai marshes, a reminder of the recent past that today blends into the natural landscape of the reserve.

The Urdaibai Bird Center is an internationally renowned observatory that allows visitors to discover the wealth of migratory birds that pass through this reserve throughout the year. In addition to its viewing platforms overlooking the marshes, it features interactive spaces where visitors can learn about the ecological importance of Urdaibai and its role in global migration routes.

The main shrine in Busturia is the Ermita de Kurtzio, also known as the Shrine of the Holy Christ. It is located in the Axpe neighborhood, about 50 meters from the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady. This shrine is one of the earliest examples of a shrine in Bizkaia, with a wide portico that shelters the shrine. Inside, it houses one of Bizkaia's finest Renaissance-style carvings of Christ Crucified.

The Church of Santa María is located on the western edge of the Axpe neighborhood. This location and the discovery of an external necropolis led experts to claim that the current building is the successor to the Church of Santa María de Izpea in Busturia. The reasons that led to its complete renovation are unknown. The 16th century seems the most likely date for its execution. The interior of the church consists of a nave topped with a ribbed vault, revealing late Gothic forms. The south-facing portal reveals the chronology that refers us to the style of the Catholic Monarchs. The interior is completed with a choir, as well as a chapel that houses an altarpiece of the Virgin of the Rosary and carvings of Saint Anthony and Saint John the Baptist.

Although the current hermitage, located in the Isla Bekoa neighborhood of Gautegiz Arteaga, was built in the 16th century, its head features an inlaid window of clear pre-Romanesque origin from the mid-10th to the 11th century.

The municipality of Gautegiz-Arteaga preserves the only tidal flour mill that once existed on the Urdaibai estuary: the Ozollo Errota tidal mill. Furthermore, the Arteaga mill is the best preserved and the only one that retains most of its facilities. The mill was built around 1683, in the marshland of Laida Beach, in the Kanala area. An area of the marsh was used for its construction, enclosing it with walls, and it was fed by the dam in the rear reservoir. In addition to the milling house, where the drive wheels were installed, the mill has a building at the lowest point of the reservoir. This is a house located on the edge of the estuary, above the same water inlet and outlet. Therefore, the Ozollo Errota tidal mill is the most notable heritage structure in Urdaibai. The mill ceased to operate in the early decades of the 20th century and has been privately owned for several years.

Picturesque old town with a relaxed surfer vibe

From this point you have a great view of the little harbour, boats and pretty houses. At the end of the day, villagers gather here to enjoy the last rays of sunshine