The Irati Forest: The Second-Largest Beech-Fir Wood in Europe
Navarre, Spain
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Selva de Irati
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300
XP
+100 Spain
= 400 total
1 day
The Irati Forest: The Second-Largest Beech-Fir Wood in Europe
300 + 100 XP
Irati is 17,179 hectares of beech and silver fir in the Navarrese Pyrenees — the largest forest in Navarre and the second-largest beech-fir wood in Europe, beaten only by the Black Forest. Birch, yew, holly, maple, lime, bramble and rowan fill in under the canopy wherever there is enough humidity, which there generally is. In 2017 it was added to the UNESCO list as part of the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe. Carlos III planned an arms depot at the Orbaizeta forge in the late 18th century, and the ruins of it are still in the wood.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Walk into the beech and fir and work out the scale: 17,179 hectares, second only to the Black Forest
2
of 5
Come in the last week of October or the first of November, when the beech turns and the whole forest changes colour
3
of 5
Find the ruins of the Orbaizeta arms factory in the middle of the wood
4
of 5
Look for the associated species under the canopy — yew, holly, birch, lime, maple, rowan
5
of 5
Work out what UNESCO added it to in 2017, and what a primeval beech forest actually means
Walk into the beech and fir and work out the scale: 17,179 hectares, second only to the Black Forest
Come in the last week of October or the first of November, when the beech turns and the whole forest changes colour
Find the ruins of the Orbaizeta arms factory in the middle of the wood
Look for the associated species under the canopy — yew, holly, birch, lime, maple, rowan
Work out what UNESCO added it to in 2017, and what a primeval beech forest actually means
Before you go
The beeches turn in the last week of October and the first of November.
Snow closes the access roads from roughly November to spring. Autumn weekends are extremely busy and parking is capped — book ahead.
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About Navarre
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
300 XP
Spain country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
400 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in Spain.
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