Leave the beautiful Basque coastline behind you and discover the delights and surprises in store inland.

The viewing platform perches dizzily over the void, with nothing but an open grid between my feet and the floor of the canyon. Down below, the newborn river springs from a cleft in the rock, a spurt of wind-torn spume cascading 300 metres through space to the plunging depths.

The Salto del Nervión is the highest waterfall in Spain as well as its most spectacular – when there is water in it. Today, alas, there is none. Not a spit. There are clouds in the sky and a hint of rain in the air but not so much as a drop of water in the fall. It is as dry as a temperance Sunday. Nevertheless the views are fantastic. They, together with the head-spinning vertigo, will remain in my memory a long time.

Bilbao is brilliant, San Sebastian stunning and the coastline in between cannot be bettered for beaches and rugged seaside scenery. But to the south, stretching 100 miles over the hills, all the way to the Rioja vineyards, there is more. The Basques may be married to the sea, but their heart lies in the countryside. Among the tented peaks of the mountains and the misty forests there are lakes, secret valleys, feudal villages and fortified farmhouses. Although the region is rich in charms, tourists are surprisingly thinly spread across the rugged expanse of the land.

Touring through the Basque countryside, there is always the possibility of stumbling upon something unexpected. Amurrio is a small town on the bank of the same Nervión River that begins at the spectacular waterfall and ends just 40 miles on, at the curious transporter bridge in Bilbao. It is an unremarkable place except on the day we arrive, which happens to be the day of the shepherd’s fair. The population of the countryside flocks to the town to enjoy music, food, drink and dance, and to be entertained by displays of sheep-shearing, cheese-making, spinning and other rustic pursuits.

As the highlight of the programme, a panel of judges awards splendid silver cups to the best shepherds and keepers of the best sheep. A merry time is had by all, fuelled by copious amounts of strong cider, poured into glasses from a full arm’s length.

In the last few years, farmhouse B&Bs and small rural hotels have proliferated, many in or near the parques naturales and reserves, or in the most picturesque and typical villages. We have chosen one of these, Lizardi Etxea, as our base. We arrive by ferry at the port of Bilbao in the early hours, the still-dark city framed by its iconic 19th-century transporter bridge. In less than an hour we are in the village of Zaitegui, population 14, and have settled into our room in a large, converted farmhouse known locally as a caserio.

Oxen, goats, chickens and rabbits occupied the lower floor until the house (etxea means house in the Basque language) was converted into very comfortable accommodation only four years earlier. Just a few miles from Vitoria, the historic centre of the Basque capital, this is our country retreat to which we will return after walking trips to the Durango mountains or the nearby lakes of Urruaga and Ulibarri, where trails meander around the placid waters. There are even man-made beaches in parts of the lake, which transform the lakeshore into a holiday resort in summer.

Some Basque villages, particularly those known as Los Encartaciones, existed in a state of perpetual and mutual hostility in the Middle Ages, and were only unified in the 18th century. A rich legacy of fortified bridges, defensive manor houses and battlemented towers remains. We find some prime examples on the west side of Vitoria, at Martioda and Mendoza. Also near here we find the well-preserved Roman site of Iruña, where re-enactments of Roman parades and battles take place on summer weekends.

Then, dropping through a wooded valley to the village of Añana, the curtain lifts on a grey landscape that could be a set from The Lord of the Rings. Encrusted, collapsing and dilapidated, the desiccated platforms of thousands of salt pans sag on spindly wooden props. Rank upon ruined rank covers the hillsides with meagre saline springs tricking through. The “salinas” offer a ghostly prospect of desertion and decay, and also a reminder of an economy that for centuries was built upon salt. The pans are now being restored, and for aficionados there are guided tours to be had.  

Two separate branches of the Camino de Santiago – Saint James’ Way – pass through the Basque Country. There are also many vias verdes – former railways converted for walkers and cyclists – and all kinds of possibilities for active outdoor sports. Another surprising discovery is that the admirable wine we know as rioja does not necessarily come from the province of La Rioja. A considerable amount of it comes from the adjoining Basque province of Álava, and La Rioja Álavesa is every bit as full-bodied and robustly rounded as that produced by its famous neighbour, as we discover in more than one country inn.

Our brief acquaintance with the Basque lands has been little more than a sampler, a few canapés from a tray of tasty delights. Already it is time to leave and we decide to end our visit in traditional weekend style. The forested hills that rise to the north of our accommodation at Lizardi Etxea belong to the Parque Natural Gorbeia, one of many important regional wildlife parks. Here, among hills and woodlands where cattle wear bells and where deer and wild boar roam, we do what the Basques do on a weekend – enjoy a picnic in the shade of the chestnut trees.

INFORMATION

TRAVEL: P&O Ferries Pride of Bilbao plies between Portsmouth and Bilbao every three days throughout the year. Call, or check the website for prices and seasonal offers. Entertainments, bar and restaurant services and Bay of Biscay wildlife presentations are provided on all crossings. P&O Ferries on 08705 202020 or visit www.poferries.com.

ACCOMMODATION: Rural retreats cost from about £25 per room. Choose from more than 250 converted farmhouses, historic buildings, towers and other buildings of character. See www.euskaditurismoa.net (pages also in English) or the multi-lingual brochure Alojamientos en el Medio Rural, free from tourist offices in the Basque Country.