Routes
The hike begins on Calle San Bitor de Letona which will turn into a path that gradually climbs among Carrascan holm oaks that grow in the skeletal soil, along with junipers, lavender, and heathers. At the fork, take the path on the right which is a narrower trail that will take you to the foot of the San Victor hermitage.
From the Moor of San Victor where you will find mile marker M-10 of the City of Zigoitia, a trail begins that leads up to the hermitage and two other trails. Continue along the trail on the left passing the trails on the right and left until you get to La Llana where you will take a trail on the right at the base of a large tree with a sign saying “coto de caza” (meaning private hunting ranch, VI-10178 / LA LLANA 1). This trail will lead into a grove of holm oaks and eventually lead to a nice peak.
From the San Victor hermitage, the hike follows the line of milestones that divides Zaitegi from Letona and the town of Zuia, to continue marking the border of the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz. At the peak, you will pass milestone number 3 (Zaitegi-Letona) located above to the right.
In Zaraube, near milestone number 2, the trail joins a path that you will follow to the left, climbing up to an area of level ground whose highest point corresponds to the Buzón de Armikelo that is 887 meters high and is one of the highest peaks of the Sierra de Arrato.
Continue along the path as you pass the Buzon and take a right and backtrack a little until you find the livestock gate that is to the right on the way up to Armikelo. Once you have located the gate, hike down a trail that runs alongside the trail to the left of the gate. This trail will take you to a hill where you may see cows and mares and sometimes flocks of sheep when the weather is nice.
From the hill that becomes a little open field, continue along to the left without crossing the fence and to the left of it.
A little farther up, there are three paths. Take the right path (next to the fence). A few meters later, this path will split into two and you can choose either path because they will join back up further ahead. Continue your descent into the Carrascan holm oaks until you enter a meadow where you will find a crossroads. Take a left which will skirt the meadow. This path is known as Zarandona and it follows the creek, that, when it is dry, crosses the trail and mixes with it various times. At one of the intersections the trail joins trail GR 25 that comes from Apodaka.
Its tracks bring you back to the starting point entering Letona from the east via Calle Larra. .
Letona
The parish church of San Andres is rectangular with a main room and two chapels on each side: the Santo Cristo (Holy Christ) chapel and the San Sebastian chapel. The San Sebastian chapel is dedicated to the Virgin of the Rosary. Two distinguished individuals from the founding family Lopez de Letona and field master Mr. Augustin Iñiguez de Zarate were buried in the chapel.
The strong tower of Letona is believed to have been built at the end of the 16th century and at the beginning of the 17th century on the medieval tower of Argachaga by Juan Lopez de Letona and Catalina Ruiz Hurtado de Menzoza.
The tower has a rectangular base with a ground floor and two stories. Its façade bears two coats of arms, one from the Lopez de Letona family and the other from the Zarate and Hurtado de Mendoza families. It is finished by 4 merlons in its vertex.
The tower is joined to the palace on the northern side. It has a rectangular base.
San Victor Hermitage
The Zaitegi castle once stood in the place where the hermitage’s remains are. This fortress, which dates back to the end of the 12th century, was clearly defensive and was perched in a strategic position overlooking the main access roads to Llanada, Zuia, and Zigoitia.
Armikelo
Along with the peak of Arrato, it is the highest of the Sierra de Arrato which towers over the Zuia valley at the foothills of the Gorbeia massif and at the foot of the slopes of Llanada where you can enjoy some beautiful panoramic views.
Carrascan holm oaks
Carrascan holm oaks cover the stony slopes of the Sierra de Arrato with a perennial mantle of vegetation with poor, shallow soil, protecting it from erosion. These holm oaks protect mammals like foxes, wild boars, badgers, and other small mammals like shrews, dormice, and country rats. There is a wide variety of birds such as the blackbird, wren, chaffinch, and birds of prey like the short-toed eagle and sparrow hawk.
