The shepherd’s sheep pens

The sheep pens are places where the flock takes refuge at night and the shepherds shelter. There is usually a cabin which serves as a shelter for the shepherds when they go up to the mountain pastures in summer.

The sheep pens are usually to be found in a sheltered place away from currents of air, in a hollow or next to a rock. Each sheep pen usually includes one or more shacks for the shepherd to shelter in and also sheepfolds, vegetable gardens, a stable or a place to milk the sheep, etc. in the Basque Country, there are several types of sheep pen; here, we are more concerned with those in the area of Ataun and Aralar. Nowadays, in this area the rooves are of roof tiles but, as this was forbidden in the past, they were thatched, gabled, not very inclined roves. The door is under the highest part and there are no windows. The cabin is usually divided into three parts: the first part, after the entrance, has a “roof” and this is where the kitchen is and where the utensils for making cheese are kept. Then there is the bedroom – the bed is usually made up of heather. And finally, there is the cheese dairy covered with planks or cloth. The walls are of wood and the floor is usually of earth which has been compressed by treading on it, although it may also be of slabs or wood. As well as the cabin there is usually a stone enclosure, which is the stable or where the sheep are milked.

In Ataun there are remains of old sheep pens. In the area of Agautz, we will see more than one cabin and stable in an incomparable spot.