The Aldamiñape shepherd's hut, situated in Zeanuri, beneath Aldamin, Bizkaia's second-highest peak, is a fundamental site in Gorbeia's pastoral history. Along with the Austigiarbin hut, these were the most important centers of pastoral activity in the region. While bibliography on this enclave is scarce, the works of ethnographer and speleologist Fermín Leizaola and the catalogs of the ethnographic group Ipizki Taldea have provided valuable information.
The hut's location, at an altitude of 1,050 meters, resembles a gigantic natural funnel, hosting the highest concentration of txarrikortas known in Gorbeia. These structures, referred to as "cochiqueras" by Fermín Leizaola and "txerritxabola" by ethnographer Enrike Ibabe, are dry-stone enclosures used to protect pigs from predators.
The last shepherd to inhabit the hut was Angel Uribiondo, known as "Tarde," who passed away in 1996. To reach the site, one can take the road from Zeanuri's main square, which skirts the Undurraga reservoir and ascends to the Iondogorta refuge, historically leased by the Baskonia Mendi Taldea. Another appealing route is a circular path starting from Pagomakurre, which, before the Igiriñao beech forest, takes a descending pass known as Arretabaltz.
The latest construction in the pastoral complex, a refuge built on the ruins of Javier Txarterina's hut, has been acquired by either the Bizkaiko Foru Aldundia or Gorbeialde, and is being converted into a cheese factory where cheese and other provisions will be available. Nearby is the hut of Ramón Etxebarria and Eusebio Beobide, renovated in 1994 and retaining its original structure. One of the huts is named Palazio, where shepherds Telesforo Egiluz and Vicente Beitia once lived.
Very close to this hut, in the Zenigorta castro, lies the Rotaetxe family's refuge, the first private mountain refuge in Bizkaia, known as Aizpegi (named by Resurrección María de Azkue). Its construction, featuring a concrete roof with a semicircular vault, is unique in Euzkadi. On May 2, 2021, an article about this refuge was published in DEIA, co-authored with journalist Susana Martín.
In the vicinity of Aldamiñape, but on the other slope, there are three mountaineering refuges: the Cementos Lemona refuge in Larragain, a large structure dating from 1964; the El Carmelo refuge, owned by the Carmelites of Amorebieta, which includes a chapel, unique in all of Gorbeia; and the Gaztedi refuge, also owned by the Carmelites of Bilbao.
Historically, the occupants of the huts paid an annual rent to the landowner with a cheese. This tradition is maintained today by Julián Ozerin, Ramón Etxebarria, and Eusebio Beobide, who annually deliver a cheese to the Rotaetxe family. Also mentioned is Etzaleku, a stone enclosure between two large rocks with an attached wooden corral, used to shelter sheep from foxes and wolves at night.
Aldamiñape is an exclusive destination for mountaineers, free from mass tourism, accessible only on foot. The mendizales, landscape trackers, are part of an organized sport with 114 years of history on Basque soil.
