History of the Via Verde de la Sierra

The Via Verde, ‘Greenway’, is a great place to go riding as there is no traffic. These ‘Greenways’ have been established throughout Spain by converting unused railway lines into recreational areas for leisure cycling, walking and horse riding thus bringing, much needed, jobs into rural areas.

The one local to our home, in Ronda, runs from Puerto Serrano to Olvera covering 36km and has 30 tunnels. The longest tunnel being the “castle tunnel” some 990m and of the 4 viaducts along the Via Verde the one at Coripe is the most impressive at 237m long. There are 5 old railway stations along the route with the stations at Olvera, Coripe and Puerto Serrano being used as restaurants and accommodation, the station at the Peñon Zaframagon is now an information centre dedicated to the colony of Griffon Vultures and the last remaining station at Navalgruilla is still derelict.

The railway line was originally built in the late 1920’s and ran from Jerez de la Frontera to Almargen but was never used. During the Spanish Civil War the tracks were ripped up and used to make weapons of mass destruction!