Walk round Mundaka to Santa Katalina

Leave the car at the entrance to the village and go down to the fishing harbour, with its coloured houses. Continue along the promenade to the point of Santa Katalina, where the hermitage stands: from there you see the estuary bar, where the Mundaka wave breaks, and Laida beach opposite. Forty-five minutes at an easy pace; if there is a swell, you will see the surfers from the rocks.

What you will see

Mundaka is on the left bank of the mouth of the estuary, within the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, and the harbour is the centre of the village. Around it are the narrow streets of the seafaring quarter and the buildings Turismo Euskadi highlights next to the harbour: the municipal library, which was a pilgrims' hospital on the Camino de Santiago, the town hall and the Larrinaga palace. A little higher up is the parish church of Santa María, in Renaissance style.

The hermitage of Santa Katalina stands on a small headland by the sea, somewhat apart from the centre. It is the village's best viewpoint: in front you have the mouth of the estuary and, depending on the day, Cape Ogoño and the island of Izaro. Below breaks Mundaka's left-hand wave, which Turismo Urdaibai describes as the longest in Europe and which has hosted international surfing championships. The wave depends on the swell, so there will not always be surfers in the water.

How to do the walk

The route is short, along village streets and a seafront promenade, with no mountain sections. Allow about 45 minutes there and back, without long stops; if you want to sit on the quay or go to the Portuondo viewpoints, south of the village, allow another hour. The dog can come with you, on a lead.

To arrive without a car, the Euskotren E4 train between Bilbao and Bermeo stops at Mundaka, every half hour for most of the day, and from the station you walk down to the harbour. By car, bear in mind that in summer parking is difficult: the village surf school warns that the blue zone is for residents only and the white zone has few spaces. Out of season it is much easier.

When to go

The walk can be enjoyed all year. On swell days, more frequent outside summer, the bar looks more spectacular from Santa Katalina; in summer the harbour is livelier and it is a good time to combine it with a swim at Laidatxu, the village's small beach. If it coincides with Carnival Sunday, Mundaka holds one of the best-known carnivals in the Basque Country, with costumed characters, music and dancing in the streets.

What to combine

From Mundaka quay you can see Laida beach on the other side of the estuary, where the Laida Kanoak canoes set out. In the village itself there is a surf school with beginners' classes, and Bermeo, with the boat trips to Gaztelugatxe, is a few minutes away by train. For eating without leaving Mundaka, the Portuondo restaurant looks over the estuary from above.