Aixola reservoir route, family tour in Debabarrena.

Route of the Aixola reservoir, a simple and beautiful route suitable for all audiences.

The route to the Aixola reservoir is one of the most emblematic routes in the region of Debabarrena. A route that has all the requirements to be classified as a family route in Euskadi: a route of low difficulty and with great scenic richness. The Aixola reservoir is located in the western center of the Historical Territory of Gipuzkoa, on the border of Bizkaia. This is an area of the Basque Country where industry has been very important throughout history.The Aixola river was dammed in order to solve the water problems existing in this part of the Basque Country. Under its waters were submerged baserris ( Basque for farmhouses), mills and many other centuries-old buildings. Today, the road that runs along the contour of the reservoir invites us to enjoy a journey of just over 4 kilometers in the company of water and vegetation. A perfect setting for strolling and enjoying nature. Would you like to visit the Aixola reservoir with us?

The route that we present today has paved sections, concrete sections and sections of forest track, which makes it possible to make this route by bike. We even saw people with child seats. In the latter case, we must say that some sections can be a bit uncomfortable. Of course, during the entire circular route there is only one section with some unevenness, the rest is practically flat.

Aixola reservoir route.

The route that we present today offers a very pleasant route at the foot of the Aixola reservoir. A sheet of water that allows us to enjoy nature while we exercise. A very simple route, with practically no slope, that allows us to cross this Basque reservoir on foot or by bicycle.As we have already mentioned, the perimeter road of the dam allows us to make this circular route in both directions. In our case, we did it counterclockwise, crossing the dam and entering the forest. But as we have indicated, the direction of the route is indifferent.This route suitable for all audiences has no loss, and is that throughout the route we have the possibility to contemplate the reservoir itself to our left. As if this were not enough, the perimeter road of the reservoir is perfectly signposted. For what today we are not going to describe step by step the detours to take, since they practically do not exist. If you choose to follow our steps, remember, the reservoir is always on our left.

That said, we must point out that this road has paved sections, cement sections and sections of track. A fact, which is more noticeable if we have to make this route with child seats. The road is full of small ditches that cross the road surface to carry the water coming down from the mountains to the reservoir. Unfortunately they are not very visible so we recommend you to be attentive to the ground.Remember that it is forbidden to fish, bathe or make fire around the reservoir. Some rules, which we will see on the panels that we find along the 4.5 km of which has this route. We must indicate that this same route can also be done leaving our vehicle in the center of municipalities such as Elgeta, Zaldibar or Ermua, that yes, the difficulty and profile of the route change completely.

History of the Aixola Dam.

Due to drinking water supply problems in the city of Eibar, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa decided to build a dam to ensure the supply. Thus, in June 1978, construction work began on the Aixola dam. The construction of the dam was delayed and finally it was not completed until December 1981.After its filling, more than 6 baserris were submerged under its waters. According to the project, a road over 3 kilometers long and 6 meters wide was built to connect the Eitzaga neighborhood of Zaldibar with the dam. More than 50,000 cubic meters of earth were also removed to create this reservoir, which holds more than 375,000 cubic meters of water. The dam, a structure over 50 meters high and 195 meters long, is the most striking and important element of the whole project.Currently, the Aixola reservoir collects water from the Egoarbitza (734 m), Santamañazar (677 m), Erdella (690 m) and other surrounding peaks. This makes it the fifth largest reservoir in Gipuzkoa after the reservoirs of Ibai Eder, Urkulu, Ibiur and Arriaran. The reservoirs of Lareo and Barrendiola are smaller in quantity. Most of the forests next to the reservoir are made up of different species of pine, mostly due to forestry exploitation.

How to get there.

The best option to reach the Aixola reservoir is to use the AP8 highway that connects Bilbao and Donostia-San Sebastián in the direction of Ermua. Once in this Biscayan town, we must turn off towards Eitzaga (Zaldibar) via a road that we find at the beginning of the municipality, on the left hand side. From this point, the road to the Aixola reservoir is easy, just follow the road straight ahead. Remember that there is no parking for visitors, so we must leave the car on the side of the road, next to the dam. You can also get to the Aixola dam and reservoir from Elgeta, but honestly, we think it is much better to use the route that we have indicated.

What to see near the Aixola reservoir.

The Aixola reservoir is located on the border between Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, a strategic location from where you can visit some of the most striking areas of both provinces. We encourage you to take advantage of your trip to Aixola to get to know part of our land better.

Water supply.

The Urkulu and Aixola reservoirs are responsible for supplying drinking water to most of the municipalities that we are in this area of Euskadi. 2 sheets of water that invite us to take a walk. And we must remember that the Urkulu reservoir has a route with similar characteristics to the one we present today. If you want to know more information, we recommend you to read our article “Urkulu reservoir route, family route in Aretxabaleta“, we are sure you will love it. Currently, Aixola is the reservoir of Eibar and the rest of the municipalities of Debabarrena, since Urkulu has sufficient capacity to supply drinking water to the entire population.

Frequently asked questions about the Aixola reservoir route.

After making the circular route around the Aixola reservoir we wanted to publish a section with all the frequently asked questions about this space in Gipuzkoa. We hope it will be of help during your visit.

Family routes in Euskadi.

There are thousands of family routes that we have in Euskadi, routes that we continue to share with all of you. In case you like this type of routes, we encourage you to consult regularly our article “routes to do with children in Euskadi” we update it every month with new proposals.

Video of the Aixola reservoir.

As usual, we wanted to accompany the words and photographs about the Aixola reservoir with a short video in which we show you the beauty of this incredible corner of Euskadi. We are sure that it will help you to know better the route that we recommend today. In case you like this kind of videos, we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss all the experiences and places that we recommend throughout the Basque Country.

As you have been able to see, the route along the Aixola reservoir is a family route suitable for all audiences. In case you have any questions about this route, we recommend that you use the comments system that you will find below these lines to let us know. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!