31 December is coming, and with it the parties that mark the end of one year and the start of another. Some people go for a big night; others prefer something more active. If you are in the second group, read on, because here are the best mountain routes for walking up a hill to see in the new year in good company.
Walking up a hill on New Year’s Eve: a Basque tradition
Every year a great many walkers — and a fair few non-walkers — decide to end the year as high up as they can get. Here are three of the most traditional climbs among people who spend their time outdoors in the Basque Country.
Up the Gorbea
Walking up the Gorbea is one of the most common routes among Basque hill walkers. It is a tradition that goes back many years and that gathers, at the cross on the Gorbea , hundreds of walkers who spend the morning of 31 December eating churros after a climb with the best views going.
Up the Anboto
If you want to see the year in on a hill in Bizkaia, there is nothing better than a visit to Mari and Basque mythology on the Anboto. Climbing the Anboto from the Urkiola sanctuary is a fixture for any serious walker. A wall of rock that looks unassailable at first and that gives you a different view of Bizkaia entirely.
Up the Jaizkibel
Where the sea meets the hills is another of the finest walks in Gipuzkoa. The Jaizkibel runs about 22 kilometres from Hondarribia to Pasaia, some seven hours of walking. Small coves and vertical walls dropping into the Bay of Biscay — a very good view to start a year on.
La Mesa de los Tres Reyes
La Mesa de los Tres Reyes is in Navarre and is the highest mountain in the Basque Country, and only for the committed. The name comes from the historic meeting point of the old kingdoms of Navarre, Aragon and France. It has earned the nickname “the roof of Navarre”, and the climb is graded hard: 1,100 metres of ascent, 17 kilometres to the summit and around seven hours.
As someone who likes the hills, you almost certainly like a good many other things done outdoors. So this year we want you to see the year out properly. Climb your favourite Basque peak and, once you are back down, take on a surprise adventure with GoRandom.
You can have a rather different New Year’s Eve. Want to end it well, with something worth remembering? Caving, a gymkhana, climbing, archery, paintball… there are dozens of things to do outdoors in our section Go Orange. And if you are feeling particularly bold this year, do not miss the section Go Red on extreme activities , to work off whatever the year has left in you.
We have thought through both ends of the year for you. All you have to do is talk your friends or family into it.
