Subbética Greenway
The Subbética Greenway runs for 58 km through the south of the province of Cordoba following the route of the old Olive Oil Train.
Today this trail, between the river Guadajoz near the town of Luque and the village of Navas del Selpillar, allows cyclists and walkers to enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park and the rich birdlife of the Laguna del Salobral Nature Reserve.
The Greenway passes close to picturesque towns and villages, such as Luque, Zuheros, Doña Mencía, Cabra, and Lucena and is dotted with majestic castles and one or two mysterious caves. The prolongation of this route the province of Jaen will make an incredible 112 km long Greenway.
TECHNICAL DATA
CONDITIONED GREENWAY
A journey through the Subbética Cordobesa
LOCATION
Between Guadajoz river (Jaén) and Las Navas del Sepillar (Córdoba) CÓRDOBA
Length: 56 km
Users:
Type of surface: Greenway with mixed surface: asphalt and compacted soil
Natural landscape: Natural Park of Subbéticas ranges. Nature Reserve “Laguna del Conde”. Bat Cave Zuheros
Cultural Heritage: Town centres of Luque, Zuheros, Donna Mencia, Cabra and Lucena
Infrastructure: Greenway 1 tunnels. 4 metalic viaducts. 1 gateway
How to get there: From Córdoba to all important town in the route. Carrera Bus Company
Maps: Military map os spain. Scale 1:50.000
Hojas 967, 968, 988 y 989 Official road map of the Ministry of Public Works
This greenway continues through the Córdoba province with the name of Olive Oil Greenway
More information on the Greenways guide Volume 2
DESCRIPTION
Km. 0 / Km. 10 / Km. 17 / Km. 26 / Km. 33 / Km. 53
Km 0
The Greenway starts on an impressive viaduct spanning the river Guadajoz, which at this point forms the natural border between Jaen y Cordoba. After crossing the river we climb steadily up a gentle incline with olive groves on either side. The trail leaves the river behind and clings to the terrain in a series of sweeping curves and deep cuttings. This climb lasts for just three kilometres before we arrive at the top of a hill called Collado de las Arcas.
Here we can see the remains of an old through station (an apeadero) and an even older ore loading facility. From here we arrive at one of the most attractive spots on this route: the Laguna del Salobral.
Here the line runs along the top of an embankment which, combined with the natural height of the land and some purpose-built viewing points, gives us an excellent view over the Laguna del Salobral (or Laguna del Conde as it is also known). For those interested in bird watching, spring is the best time of year to come, when the lake is full of water and alive with ducks.
We leave water and ducks behind and continue on our way. Passing between ever- present olive trees we arrive at the N-432 road where a dangerous level crossing has been replaced by a bridge which takes us safely to the other side.
Km 10
A gentle climb around sweeping curves takes us to Luque station. An enterprising businessman has taken the old railway building over and has converted it into a restaurant with a décor based on old railway artefacts. From here we make our way to the next stop, Zuheros, but not before climbing up to the town of Luque by a dirt track from the station to have a look round.
A picturesque route along the foot of the mountains takes us to the compact but attractive village of Zuheros. Just before we arrive, we pass by the municipal swimming pool, after which we reach the remains of the old Apeadero de Zuheros.
The village itself is at a higher level than the old railway line, but the climb is rewarded by the chance to take a stroll around the streets of Zuheros, especially in spring when the flowers are in bloom. From the town square there is an excellent view down to our Greenway, the only flat ground in a mountainous terrain.
Km 17
Back at the Greenway, we leave the apeadero and just a few metres further on we arrive at the Zuheros bridge. This metal construction, which sweeps in a majestic curve across the Arroyo Bailón river, is listed as an architecturally interesting bridge.
We continue between olive groves to another village clinging to a hillside, the village of Doña Mencía. Our Greenway skirts around the village before arriving at the station (Km 20) which, like Luque station, has also been converted into a restaurant.
We leave Mencía and enter into a section of Greenway which is more or less level, but only thanks to some major earthworks. We travel on top of spectacular embankments and at the bottom of deep cuttings, the latter faced with elegant stonework.
Throughout the entire route, every so often we come across railway workers ’cottages; from the one at Km 22 there offers a wonderful outlook superheat village of Doña
Mencia. Furthermore, this box has been restored by the City of Dona Mencia, through the Sustainable Tourism Program of the Subbética Cordoba, to shelter in the future other tourist information.
Km 26
After crossing a bridge over the old Cabra road we reach the only tunnel on this route, the Plantío Tunnel. A bare 140m from here we begin to drop down to the town of Cabra. In this section the old railway line had to overcome difficult terrain, as is evidenced by an abundance of major earthworks and other railway structures.
After skirting round the Cerro Alvarillo hill, our Greenway crosses the Arroyo del Fresno river on a spectacular, 132 m long railway viaduct, the Sima Viaduct.
A kilometre later we cross the road by another, shorter viaduct called “Los Dientes de la Vieja” (The Old Woman’s Teeth), a mere 25m long. We cross the same road twice more, the first time at a level crossing and the second by a bridge, and a little later the town of Cabra comes into view at the end of a gently winding track.
Km 33
Cabra station and its main building have recently been restored to house the Olive Oil Train Interpretation Centre, which provides basic information about the old railway, the Greenway, and the rural district of La Subbética. Visiting is a must.
We leave Cabra and return to a landscape of olive groves where we make our way through an especially tranquil countryside to the viaduct over the Barranco del Alamedal. (Km 39). On the far side we move into an area of vineyards as we approach the town of Lucena. Here we need to pay a visit to the Lucena Tourism and Leisure Centre, an old railway facility that has been refurbished for the purpose. The main building is home to an interpretation centre for local crafts and traditions, and a tourist information office (Km 44).
We leave Lucena station and after crossing over several more bridges over various roads we take our leave of the town through an industrial area parallel to the Cordoba road. After a gently winding descent punctuated by a number of metal bridges over water courses or rural roads we reach the last station on our route, Moriles-Horcajo.
Km 53
The station, with its elegant and well preserved station building, is in the village of Las Navas de Selpillar, and is currently being refurbished as an interpretation centre for Montilla- Moriles wine.
To all intents and purposes, this station is the end of the La Subbética Greenway at the moment. The Greenway as such extends for another four kilometres to the border between the municipalities of Lucena and Aguilar, but beyond that point the rail bed is undeveloped and it would necessarily be a there-and-back journey of little interest. However, we expect work on the prolongation of the Greenway to the town of Puente Genil ten kilometres away to be completed shortly.
And thanks to the refurbishment of the Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs in 2011 as a greenway recover the 7.8 km railway platform between Moriles- Lucena city limits, where the Greenway ends today, andReal Country Station to 2.2 km from the town of Puente Genil.
MAPS
PROFILE
RAILWAY HISTORY
In spite of the fact that attempts were made to build a railway through the capital of Jaen since 1881, it was not until 1893 when the first trains ran through this city on their way to Puente Genil. With this new line, the Compañía de los Ferrocarriles Andaluces created a new access route into Andalusia from Linares which connected at Puente Genil with existing routes from Cordoba to Malaga and Algeciras. The line was to compete with the main railway access to Andalusia from the Castilian tableland which ran through the Guadalquivir valley and was operated by the all-powerful MZA railway company.
One of the most important cargos carried by the new railway was bulk olive oil transported in tank wagons. The transport of olive oil was so important that the railway came to be known popularly as the “Olive Oil Train”, a name which our Greenway today has inherited. But as well as olive oil, the railway also used to transport coal from
the Belmez coalfields, and lead and other metals from the deposits around Linares, to the port of Malaga.
But the railway was never really a financial success. Except for a brief period of prosperity at the end of the 19th century during the Cuban War, the business made losses year after year. Thus in 1936, this line, along with all the other lines making up the extensive “Andalusian” railway network, was taken over by the State when it was seen that the company’s financial position was unsustainable.
Another conflict, the Spanish Civil War, briefly breathed new life into the railway for strategic reasons; the line provided an alternative to the frequently bomb damaged Espeluy-Sevilla line. But when the guns fell quiet, so did the locomotives, which became an increasingly rare sight on the line, and when they did run it was at the breathtaking average speed of 30 km/h!. The railway remained in this precarious situation until 1985 when the entire section between Jaen and Puente Genil was closed down, along with hundreds more kilometres of line all over Spain. Fifteen years on, machines of another kind ran along the ballast rail bed to convert it into the magnificent Greenway that it is today.
INTERESTING DATA
1. Festivals and holidays 2. Accommodation 3. Eco-tourism 4. Managing Authority 5. Town Councils 6. Emergencies 7. Coaches & buses 8. Railway
Festivals and holidays
Luque February Corros de Carnaval
April 23 Romería de San Jorge
May 15 Romería de San Isidro
June 24 to 26 Feria de San Juan
August 24 to 28 Fiestas Patronales de San Bartolomé
2nd Sunday in September Fiesta de la Virgen de la Aurora
Doña Mencía February 2 San Blas
April 29 to May 1 Feria y Fiestas de San Pedro Mártir de Verona
August 15 Verbena de la Calle Llana, en honor a la Virgen de la Cabeza
September 14 Feria de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno
Zuheros Festividad del Día de la Cruz Nearest weekend to August 15 Feria de Agosto
September 14 Festividad de Jesús Nazareno
October Carrizos de Navidad
Cabra Semana Santa Easter. Declared of National Tourist Interest
May 1 to 3 Cruces de Mayo
June 22 to 24 Feria de San Juan
End of June Romería de los Gitanos al Santuario de la Virgen de la Sierra
September 3 to 8 Fiestas Patronales de la Virgen de la Sierra
Lucena January 3 Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos
Semana Santa Easter. Declared of National Tourist Interest
Saturday following Easter Sunday Semana Santa Chiquita
1st Sunday in May Fiestas Aracelitanas
May Feria de la Tapa Festival de Bandas de Calle
August 2 Feria de San Francisco
September 8 to 10 Feria Real del Valle
Accommodation
Luque Hotel Nicol's Tel. 95767408
Albergue Municipal de Luque Tel. 686 77 40 71 www.subbeticaviva.com [email protected]
Casa Rural Vista Luque 4. www.subbeticaviva.com [email protected]
Cortijo "El Cuco I" www.subbeticaviva.com [email protected]
C.R. El Cortijillo Tel. 699 92 93 25 www.casaelcortijillo.com E-mail: [email protected]
C.R. Los LLanos Tel. 605 096 847 / 902 11 34 80 www.cegestur.com
Doña Mencía Hostal Casa Morejón Tel. 957 67 61 69
Cabra Hotel MS Fuente las Piedras**** Tel. 957 52 97 40 www.mshotels.com [email protected]
Hotel Mitra ** Tel. 957 52 96 00 www.hotelmitra.com e-mail: [email protected]
Hostal Guerrero Tel. 957 957 52 05 07
Cortijo-Albergue de Frías Tel. 957 33 40 05 / 608 55 55 81 www.cortijofrias.com [email protected]
Casa Rural Cortijo Ribero Tel. 957 52 01 56 www.candealsubbetica.com [email protected]
Casa Rural La Troya Tel. 957 52 28 99 / 638 10 03 76 [email protected]
Casa Rural La Serrana Tel. 957 52 01 56 www.candealsubbetica.com
Casa Rural La Ermita Tel. 628 34 35 35 www.ermitarural.com
Cortijo Dávalos Tel. 957 52 08 59 www.cortijodavalos.es
La casa del Abuelo Tel. 679 857 970
La Casilla El Chato Tel. 957 52 46 58 / 619 43 26 14 www.lacasillaelchato.com
Casa Rural El Faro Tel. 652 83 28 93
Lucena Hotel Husa Santo Domingo **** Tel. 957 51 11 00 www.husa.es e-mail: [email protected]
Hotel Los Bronces *** Tel. 957 51 62 80 / 957 50 09 12 www.hotellosbronces.com [email protected]
Hotel Baltanás ** Tel. 957 50 05 24 / 71 www.hotelbaltanas.com [email protected]
Hotel Veracruz ** Tel. 957 50 03 00 / 957 51 00 99 [email protected]
Hotel Sierra de Araceli. Tel. 957 33 46 66 / 957 33 44 32 www.hotelsierradearaceli.com
Hostal Sara Tel. 957 51 61 51
Pensión Las Palomas ** Tel. 957 50 11 50 / 957 50 29 79 www.pensionlaspalomas.com
Hostal El Polígono * Tel. 957 50 24 88
Casa Rural Cortijo El Romeral Tel. 957 59 05 86 / 649 75 80 25 www.cortijoelromeral.com
Casa Rosario Tel. 957 51 67 23 / 606 68 04 38 [email protected]
Casa Molino de Jauja Tel. 670 31 69 93
Cortijo Señorío de las Lomas del Duque Tel. 636 95 27 87 / 902 15 42 60 www.cortijolaslomasdelduque.com
Zuheros Hotel Zuhayra ** Tel. 957 69 46 93 / 957 69 47 02 www.zercahoteles.com [email protected]
Complejo de Apartamentos Turísticos y Restaurante Señorío de Zuheros Tel. 957 66 75 74 / 686 77 40 71 www.subbeticaviva.com [email protected]
Albergue Los Tajos del Bailón Tel. 957 69 46 42 / 650 61 36 75 www.zuheros.com/albergue.html
Ademaira I y II Tel. 957 66 75 74 / 686 77 40 71 www.subbeticaviva.com [email protected]
Hotel Rural Hacienda Minerva**** Tel. 957 09 09 51 www.haciendaminerva.com
Eco-tourism
Commonwealth of Subbética Tel 957 70 41 06; www.subbetica.org
Reservation Center of Rural Tourism in Cordoba (CEGESTUR) Tel 957 70 41 06; www.cegestur.com
Environmental Guides Association of Subbética (AGUISUB) Tel 619 055 480
Luque Subbéticaviva. Management of Tourist Services. Lodgings, museums and tours management Tel 957 66 75 74; www.subbeticaviva.com
Zuheros Tourist Office (near the Via Verde) Tel 957 09 00 33
Cabra Tourism Office Tel 957 52 34 93; www.turismodecabra.es
Cabra Station / Subbética interpretation center Tel 56 957 52 31
Lucena Tourism Office Tel 957 51 32 82
Greenway Station / Point Regional Tourist Information Tel 957 50 90 74
Interpretation Center of the Natural Park of Sierras Subbéticas Tel 957 33 40 34
Other
Ecomuseum Bat Cave Tel 957 33 40 34; www.cuevadelosmurcielagos.com
Interpretation Centre oil train Tel 77 957 52 27
Farm School El Cortijo de Frías Tel 957 33 40 05. www.cortijofrias.com
Bicycle rental and active leisure
Acebuche Leisure and Recreation Tel 619 055 480
Active Tourism Alua Tel 957 69 46 92; www.aluactiva.com
Vertical Adventure Tel 957 41 00 33 / 649 116 147; www.aventuravertical.es
SOCETUR. Hiking and activities in the naturaleza Tel 957 33 40 34
Managing Authority
Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Comarca de La Subbética Carretera CARCABUEY-ZAGRILLA 5750 14810 - Carabuey (Córdoba) Tel. 957 70 41 06 www.turismodelasubbetica.com
Town Councils
Luque. Tel. 957 667 300 www.luque.es
Zuheros. Tel. 957 69 45 14 Punto de Información Vía Verde Tel.957 09 00 33 www.zuheros.es
Doña Mencía. Tel. 957 67 60 20 www.donamencia.com
Cabra. Tel. 957 52 01 10 www.turismodecabra.es
Lucena. Tel. 957 51 32 82 Oficina Estación Vía Verde. Tel. 957 50 90 74 www.turlucena.com
Emergencies
EMERGENCIES: Tel. 062
Coaches & buses
Luque Empresa Autobuses CARRERA. Tel. 957 40 44 14 TAXIS. Telfs. 957 66 70 38 / 74 19 / 70 33
Zuheros Empresa Autobuses CARRERA. Tel. 957 40 44 14
TAXIS. Tel. 957 69 45 66
Doña Mencía Empresa Autobuses CARRERA. Tel. 957 40 44 14
Cabra Estación de Autobuses. Tel. 957 52 13 02 TAXIS. Tel. 957 52 13 02 / 31 62 / 31 25 / 33 90 / 00 09
Lucena Estación de Autobuses. Tel. 957 50 16 32 TAXIS. Tel. 957 50 24 67 / 03 56 / 669 893 181 / 608 754 059
LINKS www.turismodelasubbetica.com Web page of the Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Comarca de La Subbética (La Subbética Commonwealth of Municipalities) www.turiscordoba.es Web page of the Tourist Board of the Province of Cordoba www.andalucia.org Tourism in Andalusia www.subbetica.com Web page of the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park
MULTIMEDIA
VÍDEO - Serie Vive la Vía
La Vía Verde de la Subbética ofrece un magnífico recorrido de 56 km entre olivos, imponentes viaductos metálicos y pueblos que se La Vía Verde de la Subbética ofrece un magnífico recorrido de 56 km entre olivos, imponentes viaductos metálicos y pueblos que se asoman desde el Parque Natural de las Sierras Subbéticas. Todas las antiguas estaciones han sido rehabilitadas con nuevos usos para los viajeros, desde cálidos restaurantes a interesantes centros de interpretación que recuperan la historia del ferrocarril del Aceite.
Parte 1 de 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7fkbTtkgf58
Parte 2 de 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uLIhLp-x230