IsIs it possible to travel through history on the back of a bicycle? Undoubtedly. Is it possible to reach the Middle Ages (or the Roman Empire, or the Renaissance, or...) on foot along a path without the company of motor vehicles? Yes, also!
Spain's Greenway Network, old railway lines reclaimed for recreational and tourist use, allows you to actively discover the secrets of Spain's Cultural Routes.

The Via Verde del Aceite (Green Route of the Olive Oil)

Ruta Caminos de Pasión through Córdoba (Andalusia)

The origin: They called him the ‘Oil Train’ for an excellent reason: although its wagons transported ore and all sorts of raw materials, the railway was mainly used to carry ‘liquid gold’ from the fields of Andalusia, in southern Spain, to the main seaports and cities. It operated for almost a century until the line's lack of profitability forced its closure in 1985.

The Great Change Nevertheless, the footprint of this and other Andalusian railways can still be felt throughout the country: one of the reasons why the culture of olive oil is so deeply rooted in Spain (on toast for breakfast throughout the country, in cold creams like gazpacho, in inland pastries, in the preparation of fish along the entire coast...) is precisely due to the rise of the train in the 19th century, which brought olive juice to every corner, displacing other products like butter or lard from kitchens.

The tree Currently, part of the Vía Verde del Aceite route has been converted into a 120-kilometre path for cyclists and walkers, which travels through the geographical (and sentimental) heart of Andalusia. It begins near Jaén, ends a few kilometres from Puente Genil and, as expected, it's rare to find a kilometre of landscape that doesn't feature Andalusia's most emblematic tree: the olive tree.

Cultural Routes of Spain: One of the most stimulating stretches of the Vía Verde runs through the monumental villages of Baena, Goat y Lucena, all in the province of Córdoba, all stages of the route Paths of Passion. They're barely thirty kilometres, always sheltered by the massifs of the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park and through the characteristic rural landscape of southern Spain: tens, hundreds, thousands of olive trees that seem to march with military discipline.

The essential Stroll through the La Almedina district of Baena (important: wear comfortable shoes) in search of its main monuments from its Arab past, such as the castle (which will be easy to find) or the two emblematic arches, the Arco de la Consolación and the Arco Oscuro, from its old walls. It'll be worth getting tired and expending energy to then tackle delicious dishes of Baena gastronomy such as revoltillo or carnerete.

2. Green Way Bear Trail

Prehistoric Rock Art Trails Route (Asturias)

Prologue: In his first and bold film, titled “Acción Mutante” (1992), Spanish director Álex de la Iglesia portrayed a planet that was, in its entirety, a vast mining colony. He christened it ‘Planet Axturiax’ in homage to what has historically been the Spanish region most linked to mineral extraction, Asturias, located in the northwest of the country.

Beloved Fatherland In the Spanish collective imagination, Asturias is that and some other things: a place that holds fundamental parts of the country's history, challenging mountain ramparts, green meadows that meet the sea, unforgettable cheeses (have you heard of Cabrales?), and a gastronomic tradition famous for its quality and also its quantity: the hearty Asturian portions command respect throughout the country.

Mining Route The Senda del Oso Greenway collects all these Asturian ‘greatest hits’ and follows the path of one of the many narrow-gauge railways that were built in the territory to transport millions of tonnes of ore.

Bear world Why does its name, however, refer to ‘bears’? Because Asturias is an extraordinarily mountainous, biodiverse, geographically very rugged territory, with numerous natural spaces barely modified by humans (and highly protected today), which has enabled it to be a sanctuary for the survival of the brown bear.

The secret: These same landscapes served as homes (and artistic workshops) for our ancestors who left us treasures such as the Lluera Cave, with one of the most extensive and complete selections of Palaeolithic engravings in Europe. The local inhabitants (and artists) carved into walls illuminated by natural light (perhaps out of vanity, they didn't want to hide their works of art inside a cave) a beautiful representation of horses, aurochs, deer and bison. The Cueva de la Lluera is one of the mandatory stops on the Route of the Nalón Rupestre from Prehistoric Rock Art Trails. 

3. VÍA VERDE ROUTE OF THE SILVER

Via de la Plata route through the provinces of Cáceres (Extremadura) and Salamanca (Castilla y León)

Birth of a Galaxy What foresight the Romans had. They were the first to see the strategic importance of an axis in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, of the need to connect the river port of Seville, in Andalusia, with Gijón, at the other end of the territory, on the shores of the Cantabrian Sea. Thus was born the Silver Route which, unlike other Roman roads in ancient Hispania, its course has not been extinguished and is still travelled today by modern roads and motorways.

Iron Road: There was also a railway line (the Vía de la Plata railway) established in the late 19th century, following the route first laid out by the Romans, but most sections of it are no longer in use. One of these sections – perhaps one of the most fortunate – has been restored for use by walkers and cyclists, between Casas del Monte (in the province of Cáceres, in the region of Extremadura) and Béjar (in the province of Salamanca, in Castile and León). It is a delightful, almost flat route of nearly 40 kilometres (remember that Greenways never have gradients exceeding 7%, as the trains that used to run on them were unable to cope with steeper inclines) passing through a number of villages and unique landscapes.

Two essential tips: The beautiful village of Hervás, clinging to a rocky outcrop in the Sierra de Béjar, with an excellent array of monumental buildings but, above all, with an ancient Jewish quarter of narrow alleyways and an urban layout where (fortunately) they forgot to use a set square and ruler. A few kilometres north of Hervás is Baños de Montemayor, whose spa has been ‘in operation’ for over 2000 years: parts of the ancient Roman baths can still be seen. In Baños there is also a reconstruction of an ancient Roman road and the General Interpretation Centre of the Silver Route.

4. GREEN WAY SANTANDER-MEDITERRANEAN

Routes of Charles V through the province of Burgos (Castilla y León)

The Emperor's Dream The Emperor Charles V would have put all the gold in the world on the table (and it can be asserted that he saw a lot of gold pass before his eyes) to, on one of his trips through Spain, have enjoyed the comforts of a train journey. It was a pity that he was born 300 years before that technology was developed. In fact, the Santander-Mediterranean railway (built during the 20th century but never finished) would have been more than useful to him on one of the most important trips of his life: the one in which, after sailing from Flanders, he disembarked in Laredo and crossed the Iberian Peninsula to the place where he would spend his final months, the monastery of Yuste, in Extremadura.

On the way to the sea Of that railway line, tens of kilometres of abandoned tracks remain, some of which have been converted into Greenways. One of the recovered sections starts from Burgos towards the province of Cantabria (in the north) and covers almost 50 kilometres which, for the most part, coincide with the route taken by the emperor on one of the Charles V's Routes. The Green Way comfortably crosses the heart of the Merindad del Río Ubierna, a set of peaceful villages, spread across several parallel valleys, among which one with a sonorous name stands out, Hontomín, because Charles V spent the night there on 12 October 1556. The facade of the building in which the “lord of two worlds,” exhausted, elderly, and toothless, slept, is preserved from that visit.

Curiosity Hontomín is a modest village that plays a most unique geographical role as it lies on the boundary of two river basins. Depending on which part of the village the raindrops fall, they will end up in the Ebro river (which flows into the Mediterranean) or the Duero river, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean, via Porto, in Portugal.

5. BLACK EYES GREENWAY

Camino del Cid route through the province of Teruel (Aragon), Castellón and Valencia (Valencian Community)

Those Black Eyes It may have one of the most beautiful names ever given to a railway; it may traverse some of the Spanish landscapes that best evoke the aesthetic of classic Westerns; it may be that this very path served for dozens of medieval warriors born in the interior of Spain to see, for the first time in their lives, the horizon drawn by the sea. It is called the Vía Verde Ojos Negros (named after the town where the line began) and it connects the interior of Aragon (a sparsely populated area that can reach -25°C in winter and frequently exceed 30°C in summer) with the Mediterranean Sea.

Pedalling It is difficult to summarise its charms because the Ojos Negros Greenway is the longest in Spain at almost 170 km in length. It crosses steppes, mountain passes and forests, dodges ravines and elegantly bypasses many villages, as, being a mining railway, it did not have to stop to pick up or drop off passengers. The historic and medieval route of the The Way of El Cid The Cultural Routes in Spain take advantage of several sections of this long, perfectly signposted path to make their way to the sea. This circumstance recalls the journey of those loyal to the Cid, coming from lands of castles and dry fields, who managed to reach the Mediterranean and discover the magic of saltwater, beaches, and the sea.

The mystery: The of Cell and its artesian well. An artesian well? It’s a large opening dug into the ground from which a continuous flow of water emerges, its exact origin unknown. Before its construction in the 12th century, Cella received its water thanks to a complex system of rock-hewn channels built by the Romans. Precisely because where there is water there is usually food and shelter, El Cid gathered his troops in the 11th century to prepare for the conquest of Valencia.