Tarazonica Greenway Tudela and Tarazona are two historic cities in Navarra and Aragón respectively that have been linked for centuries by a great many ties and, up until 30 plus years ago, by a train, El Tarazónica. Now we can follow its route on an interesting journey from the banks of the river Ebro to the foot of the Moncayo mountain, thanks to a newly created Greenway. TECHNICAL DATA CONDITIONED GREENWAY From the Ebro river to Moncayo, on the banks of Queiles river LOCATION Between Tudela (Navarra) and Tarazona (Aragón) NAVARRA- ARAGÓN Length: 22 km Users: Type of surface: Greenway with with mixed surface: asphalt and compacted soil Natural landscape: Queiles Valley. Somontano of the Moncayo. Moncayo Natural Park Cultural Heritage: Monumental cities of Tudela and Tarazona. Cistercian Monastery of Tulebras. Museo del Agua of Malón (Water Museum) Infrastructure: Greenway. 1 gateway How to get there: Tudela:Medium and long distance RENFE services, Zaragoza-Castejón line.(*) Please ask the conditions of bike admittance in Renfe trains Tarazona: Conda Bus Company. Tudela-Tarazona line. Therpasa Bus Company, Zaragoza-Tarazona line Connections: Pamplona: 92 Kms to Tudela Zaragoza: 85 Kms to Tarazona Maps: Spanish National Topographic. 1:50.000 scale 282 and 320sheets Official road map of the Ministry of Public Works. Ministerio de Fomento More information on the Greenways guide Volume 2 DESCRIPTION Km. 0 / Km. 3,3 / Km. 6 / Km. 7,6 / Km. 10 / Km. 12 / Km. 15 / Km. 22 Km 0 The route begins at the present-day railway station. After visiting the city, home to a vast architectural heritage, we leave the station by a newly built ramp that takes us onto a green painted cycle path on a street called Camino Caritat which will lead us to the Greenway proper. Just before we leave this medieval city we pass by an old steam locomotive – now the centrepiece of a fountain – which used to run on the Tarazonica railway. The street leads to a bridge over the active Renfe railway lines. Once on the other side we turn left onto the Greenway and start to follow the old Tarazonica line. Here the old railway parts company with the main Renfe lines and makes quite a sharp curve to the south towards Tarazona and the Moncayo mountain. After crossing the old main road we begin to see fields of vegetables, a typical sight along the lowlands of the Ebro and Queiles and one which will dominate the landscape for practically the entire journey. We also embark on a series of long straight sections which will make our journey just a little bit faster. Km 3,3 A rural track appears on our right which forms part of the route the Tarazonica used to take when it was a narrow gauge railway, before it was taken over by Renfe. From here the railway took a straighter route into Tudela station, past the city's bullring. Shortly we arrive at a rest area scattered with railway artefacts. Km 4. After crossing the Ablitas road by a new, purpose-built bridge, we arrive at an olive grove. Once on the other side of the road our Greenway crosses the Canal de Lodosa which irrigates the local vegetable fields with water from the Ebro. For those wishing to make an extra excursion, the access tracks to the canal provide alternative routes. To the left of this canal lies the Canal Imperial de Aragón and, if we still want more, these access paths link up with other disused railways: the Cinco Villas Greenway (between Sádaba and Gallur) and the Campo de Borja Greenway (between Agón and Borja). Km 6 On the other side of the canal, another straight run leading us nearer the Moncayo mountain passes underneath a motorway and a rural track before arriving at Murchante station. The station is nearly 2 km from the village of Murchante and there is a plan to convert the station building into a hostel for travellers. However, it is already an ideal place to take a break as the railway yard has been converted into a rest area. Once beyond Murchante the landscape is once again dominated by fields of vegetables. The rail bed of the previous narrow gauge railway curves towards us on our left and then runs almost parallel to our Greenway until we enter the town of Cascante. Km 7,6 A little further on we pass by the ruins of the abandoned village of Urzante. Then we start to climb gradually towards the first major embankment on our route, where we pass by dense reed beds growing in pools of standing water alongside the railway track. From this viewpoint we can catch a glimpse of the village of Cascante on our right and the spectacular cloister leading up to the Basilica del Romero Km 10 We soon arrive at Cascante station, where another rest area awaits us. Here we can see the peculiar station building that used to serve the narrow gauge railway, built on a higher level than the modern one Km 12 Our arrival at Tulebras is signalled by the outer wall of the Monastery of Santa María de la Caridad, founded in the 12th century as the first Cistercian convent for nuns in Spain. This monastery is intimately linked with our Greenway, since the old station building of Tulebras forms part of the monastic precinct, and passengers are free to walk round its courtyards and cloisters. After visiting the convent, we can enjoy the rest area on the banks of the river Queiles, in Tulebras – the last village in Navarra. The rest area is just a short distance from the station on the Barillas road. Another good place to stop is a bridge just over 500 metres out of Tulebras, which is high enough to provide a good view of the Greenway and its surrounding area. From here we can see the orchards, the greyish heights of the Moncayo mountain – snow capped from November to March - and, at the end of a long straight section, the village of Malón. Km 15 We arrive at the two stations of Malón; one used to be for the narrow gauge railway and the other for the broad gauge railway. A family of railway workers still live in the latter, where old railway artefacts leave us in no doubt about its origins. A rest area has been prepared on one of the platforms for those wishing to take a break. Above us and to our left the village of Malón sits on a hill. At the top of the hill there is an esplanade, the parade ground of a long gone castle. The battlements have disappeared, but there is still a good view over the Queiles lowlands. We continue on our way and once again the rail bed of the old narrow gauge railway appears, this time on our right. Further on there are a number of large groves of trees, the first of which has been prepared as a rest area. Km 16 Now we enter a cutting nearly two kilometres long. For those not wishing to take that route there is an alternative one using the route of the old narrow gauge line. This route, to the right and above the main one, takes a longer and curvier way round but affords us better views of the valley. Both lines meet again at the site of the Apeadero de Vierlas, a railway halt that was built but never used. Orchards of fruit trees, which in spring are heavy with blossom, line this part of the route. A rest area has been prepared in a densely wooded spot of this bucolic area. Km 22 Now we are approaching Tarazona and its station, the large main building of which is now a cultural centre. It is an eye-catching entrance to a city with a valuable architectural heritage, and a fitting end to our Tarazonica Greenway. MAPS PROFILE RAILWAY HISTORY It was around the year 1885 when the Compañía del Ferrocarril del Norte, the company that used to run the Zaragoza-Miranda line, among others, opened a modest narrow gauge railway linking Tudela station with the city of Tarazona in the province of Zaragoza. The railway, nicknamed “El Tarazonica”, was notoriously unreliable and slow, so much so that the locals also used to call it “El Escachamatas”. After taking over the ailing line in 1953, Renfe widened the gauge to embark on a new phase that they hoped would be more successful. But coaches and trucks had already cornered the transport market in the area and so in 1972, after several years of relentless decline, the Tarazonica was closed. Its rusted and forgotten rails were removed some twenty years later. 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 Tudela Easter May 3 Romería del Cristo Second weekend in May Jornadas de la Verdura. (vegetables days) May 22 Romería de Santa Quiteria Weekend in June Mercados de Antaño June 24 San Juan July 26 Santa Ana. Fiestas mayores de Tudela Murchante Second weekend in Easter Virgen de Mis Manos 14 to 21 August San Roque October 12 Romería a Urzante Second weekend in November Cristo de la Buena Siembra Cascante May 8 La Cruceta May 25 Santa Vicenta y Vicuña Second weekend in September Fiestas Patronales. Ablitas Second weekend in April Fiesta del Plego Second weekend in June Fiesta de la Juventud September 14 Fiestas Patronales. Virgen del Rosario Tulebras 20 to 23 August festividad de San Bernardo Barillas First weekend in August festividad de San Miguel Monteagudo Firs weekend in May fiestas de la Juventud 14 to 20 August festividad de San Roque September 8 festividad de la Virgen del Camino Novallas January 17 San Antón Jueves de mitad de Cuaresma La“Vieja”.