The NA-1210 Highway is both a route through Navarra’s wooded landscape and a danger point in the storm-bound pursuit: when a landslide closes the N-121 Highway, diverted traffic and severe weather turn the older road into a slow, treacherous passage.

Setting and Character

In calmer conditions, the NA-1210 is described as one of Navarra’s most beautiful drives. Green woodland encloses it, and sunlight filtering through the highest branches lays bright shafts across the ground. Yet the road’s beauty is set against its practical hazards: it is an old national road, heavily used by trucks, with narrow lanes, a deteriorating surface, potholes, puddles, fallen branches, and animals that may cross the roadway.

The Storm and the Detour

The storm transforms those ordinary risks. The Baztán River overflowed the previous day and continued to rise; much of the valley lost power after a lightning-struck tree fell on electrical lines. Rain also caused a landslide in the Belate tunnel, closing the N-121 Highway. With that main route blocked, travelers had to turn back and take the NA-1210, where a substantial traffic jam threatened to cost the pursuers valuable time. Inspector Iriarte regarded the delay as potentially advantageous to the police, though the storm had also kept him from reaching firefighters in Oronoz.

A Road Made Perilous

At night, the road’s narrow lanes, damaged surface, standing water, fallen branches, and possible animal crossings combine with heavy diverted traffic, rain, and lightning. What is picturesque in daylight becomes, in the storm, a treacherous corridor. As Amaia Salazar travels along it, she scarcely attends to the road, concentrating instead on building a psychological profile of the suspected manipulator. The contrast places her focused reasoning inside a landscape whose immediate physical dangers remain pressing.