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| Itineraries > Guadiato and Los Pedroches Greenway |
| Guadiato and Los Pedroches Greenway |
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A trip to one of Spain’s most important industrial heritage sites by way of a section of the Fuente del Arco-Peñarroya-Puertollano narrow-gauge railway.
This greenway begins in the municipal district of Fuente Obejuna, continuing through the Cerco Industrial de Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo industrial area. It passes by hundred-year-old mine shafts and opencast mines transformed into artificial lakes, which are followed by wooded meadows where Iberian pigs roam freely. It ends in Villanueva del Duque, a typical village of Los Pedroches Valley.
Notice:
- Greenway closed to cyclists and pedestrians on 03 December 2023 due to hunting.
- Connection road between Fuente Obejuna and Peñarroya - Pueblonuevo without signaling and of some difficulty.
- Section between the municipal boundary of Belmez with Villanueva del Duque to the intersection with the Vereda de Puerto Rubio under recovery works.
- Section between the N432 and El Cerco de Peñarroya in recovery.
This Greenway has been implemented by many administrations: Provincial Council of Cordoba, Guadiana Hydrographic Confederation, GRD Valle del Guadiato, Belmez and Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo Town Halls and by the Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (Natural Paths Program).
 
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| Technical data
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 CONDITIONED GREENWAY
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LOCATION
Between Fuente Obejuna and Villanueva del Duque (Cordoba). ANDALUCIA.
Municipalities: Fuente Obejuna, Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, Belmez and Villanueva del Duque.
Length: 50 km: 40 km of greenway (including some section under construction) + 10 km of connection road between Fuente Objeuna and Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo.
* Only in the urban bike path of Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo.
Accessibility level:  * Apt.
* Not suitable on the connection road between Fuente Obejuna and Peñarroya - Pueblonuevo.
* There are specific slopes in km 8, 23 y 34.
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Type of surface:
Fuente Obejuna (4,8 km): compacted soil.
Peñarroya-Belmez (7 km): compacted soil.
Belmez-Cámaras Altas station (9 km): compacted soil and asphalt.
Cámaras Altas station-Minas del Soldado station (18 km): compacted soil.
Natural landscape:
Valley of the Alto Guadiato, in the surroundings of the SPA (Special Protection Area) of the same name and the Sierra de Albarrana Nature Reserve. Starlight Reserve. World Heritage “Dehesa de Los Pedroches” (holm-oak wood) with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).
Cultural Heritage:
Modernist palace Casa Cardona (Fuente Obejuna), archaeological site of Cerro Masatrigo that must have housed the Roman city of Mellaria, Industrial Enclosure and French colonial-style civil architecture in Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, cave paintings, Shelter of the Virgin in Peñarroya, Castillo de Belmez and its railway district, mining towers from the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Granite architecture and abandoned lead mines of El Soldado in Villanueva del Duque.
Infrastructure:
1 viaduct, lineman stall, water wells and 2 information and rest points.
Recovered stations:
Pueblonuevo: Interpretation Center of the Greenway.
Fuente Obejuna: rehabilitated.
Villanueva del Duque: rehabilitated.
How to get there:
Public transport. Bus: Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, Belmez and Villanueva del Duque.
Connections:
Cordoba, 69 km from Belmez, 75 km from Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, 98 km from Fuente Obejuna and 72 from Villanueva del Duque.
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| Description
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This Cordoba greenway resulted from the unification of several restored sections of the Fuente del Arco-Peñarroya-Puertollano railway, which were independent greenways until 2020, when they began to be linked together.
To date (July 2021), some sections are still being built (between km 17 and km 25). If construction work is still underway when you arrive, we recommend taking the alternative route of the A-3175 regional road and a public road that has been made through the impressive public area of Cámaras Altas.
Other sections offer alternative routes (between km 4.8 and km 15). If this is still the case, we recommend taking the Barrero road as far as El Porvenir de la Industria, and from there to Peñarroya via the road leading to Tierno Galván street
The route begins approximately 1.5 km from the road between Fuente Obejuna and Los Blázquez, and continues across the San Pedro stream; here, the wooden bridge over the watercourse stands out. After crossing the road towards La Granjuela, we arrive at the Fuente Obejuna aerodrome.
The next section, just over 10 km is not yet conditioned. Therefore, to connect with the Guadiato and Los Pedroches Greenway, we will have to take the Camino de Los Riscos until we reach the Porvenir de la Industria where, through the Camino del Palenciano and the Camino de La Granjuela to Peñarroya, we can reach El Cerco de Penarroya.
It is worth knowing that this connection path involves some difficulty and is not signposted. We recommend consulting the map to see the details of the route track.
The route continues at the central warehouse of Cerco Industrial de Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, an industrial cathedral featuring Eiffel-like architecture. It houses a railway museum where you can admire some of the locomotives that travelled along this valley’s railway lines, hauling minerals and products made in this immense industrial area called Cerco. Opposite the central warehouse, beside the bus station, all types of services are available to visitors (restaurants, shops and accommodation).
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From the central warehouse, there are two options for undertaking the route: the first, following a circular itinerary inside the Cerco industrial area, entering and exiting at the same point, travelling along the railway sections that have been restored as a greenway, or beginning the route towards Villanueva del Duque —without passing through the Cerco area— crossing the road in the Station neighbourhood and following the kilometre signs that, although they are in the reverse order, indicate the way, since they belong to the signs of La Maquinilla Greenway; its km 0 was established in the locality of Belmez, in harmony with the history of this broad-gauge railway line, before it was integrated into the Guadiato and Los Pedroches Greenway.
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It is worth noting that, as of October 2021, the former Pueblonuevo station has been restored as the Guadiato and Los Pedroches Greenway Interpretation Centre; this is the first greenway interpretation centre in the province of Cordoba.
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Following this reverse-order signposting, 1 km to the right we come across the remains of Mine No. 4, which stands out in the landscape due to its yellow, cylindrical housing. This hard coal mine was opened in the early 20th century and closed in 1973. It is sadly renowned as the site of a serious accident in the 1960s, in which 4 miners died.
After turning right, there appears in front of us a green space made up of wetland. These are opencast mines that have been restored as a peri-urban park. Further on, there is another drop on the left, which leads to a gallery of elm trees. On coming out of this tree-lined “tunnel,” we come across a reddish, almost Martian-like terrain, which is full of large rocks. These are the result of the atmospheric reaction of the coal burned in the Cerco power station, which, while still incandescent, was hauled to this area by rail. Erosion did the rest, giving rise to this special landscape. We leave the Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo Railway behind, peddling along a 500-metre cycle lane. At the end of this section, on the left, we come across the slag heap of Antolín Mine, which was the coalfield’s most productive one. The cycle lane links up with a well-compacted trail surrounded by fields of cereal, wooded meadows and more mine shafts, such as that of Las Palomas, right beside us on the left.
The impressive silhouette of the rocky hill crowned by Belmez castle accompanies visitors. It is a military watchtower built by the Moors, which formed part of a complex of forts.
In Belmez, beside the km 1 signpost, there is a rest area and a picturesque, white-and-red building. It is the station of Belmez-Ermita, which formed part of the old Peñarroya-Puertollano narrow-gauge line. It has now been converted into a restaurant with a municipal swimming pool (a good place for getting provisions).
The cycle lane that runs alongside the station leads to a road that passes through the village. We should take it, turning left. We will continue for 300 m and then pass over the N-432 road. Immediately thereafter, we take a trail that appears on the left. This links up again with the railway line. From this point on, the horizon turns into the Mediterranean forest’s unmistakable green colour, featuring holm oaks and gall-oaks along a 5 km stretch, as well as rockroses, thyme and rosemary.
The Aguas Vivas Centre, which is located here, is another interesting tourist facility. It offers horse-riding routes and other options. The section combines deep trenches and open spaces that enable us to make out, on the right, the large fang-like rock called Peña Ladrones, which is home to the largest colony of Griffon vultures in the province of Cordoba. It used to be a refuge for bandits, and for Republican and national soldiers.
At the moment, the greenway’s route is interrupted due to restoration work being carried out at km 33, beside the bridge over the Risquillo stream. We take the trail that links the bridge with the A-3175 road. Once there, we go along the asphalt for 3 km until we see the station of Cámaras Altas. We should take the compacted trail that starts here as an alternative to the present-day building work. This trail goes through an area of great ecological value made up of conifers. It is a singular spot due to fortified constructions from the Spanish Civil War, the fact that saffron milk caps grow here, and finally, the presence of boars and deer.
Although the trail continues, 4 km from the previous one, we take a stony turnoff on the left that goes up to a signalman’s hut. We should follow the original route for 300 m (unrestored) as far as the “old” La Minería Greenway, which we will not leave until the end of our trip.
This is a delightful, 5 km mountain route through trenches of different sizes, which alternates with expanses of rockrose, holm oaks, cork trees, gall oaks, and eucalyptus trees. We can also see the signalman’s huts of the SMMP (Sociedad Minera y Metalúrgica de Peñarroya) company.
Other characteristic elements of this railway line are the water wells that the SMMP, in an attempt at improving the workers’ spartan living conditions, ordered to be built beside the huts, as well as a pen that could have been used as a vegetable garden or stable for cattle. These are now highly photogenic, ethnographic elements of the greenway.
Km 45 of the route takes us to the station of Peñas Blancas (1906), which has recently been restored and will soon house new services. At the moment, there is a rest area. From here on, we continue our journey bordered by young holm oaks. Along the way, we can see extensive pig farms where the animals roam freely, being raised to produce ham belonging to Los Pedroches Designation of Origin (D.O.), considered one of the best in Spain.
Our route ends at the station of another mining operation: Minas del Soldado. These masses rise up to a height of 4 stories and cover an area equivalent to several football fields, which shows us that this was no ordinary mining operation. It is possible to visit the mining enclosure while exercising care. Among the remains, we can identify the engineers’ houses and a power station that provided energy for the mines’ extraction equipment.
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| Railway History
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Foto: Archivo Histórico Ferroviario del Museo del Ferrocarril
de Madrid (REDER KLEINGEBEIL, GUSTAVO).
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The railway lines from Peñarroya to Fuente del Arco and Peñarroya to Puertollano and San Quintín were part of a narrow-gauge (1 m track gauge) industrial and mining railway that was built in different stages, between 1895 and 1927, by the French multinational called “Sociedad Minera y Metalúrgica de Peñarroya” (SMMP). Its objective was to exploit the company’s coal, lead and zinc mines in Badajoz, north of Cordoba and Ciudad Real. The lines linked the mines with the Cerco Industrial de Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo industrial area, where the company had an important transformation, metal and chemical industry.
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Thanks to this railway and, in turn, to the links with stations on Iberian-gauge lines such as Fuente del Arco (Seville-Mérida), Peñarroya (Cordoba-Almorchón) or Puertollano (Ciudad Real-Badajoz), the products could be sold nationally and exported abroad. In addition to these freight services, these tracks were also used by passenger trains, which took up to 22 hours to complete the railway line. The line eventually had a maximum length of 243 kilometres, being considered the second-longest in Spain with this gauge. After several economic ups and downs derived from the closure of mining operations and competition from road transport, the SMMP ceded the line to the State in 1956. Finally, FEVE closed it in 1970 and dismantled it shortly thereafter.
However, in addition to this line, which makes up most of the present-day greenway, there is a section between Peñarroya and Velmez, known locally as “Vía de La Maquinilla” (La Maquinilla Greenway), which belonged to another former broad-gauge railway. This one was built by Compañía de los Ferrocarriles Andaluces, which laid down this branch line from its station in Cabeza de Vaca to the Cerco Industrial de Peñarroya industrial area, transporting the production of several mines in the area. It even extended the tracks beyond the Cerco area, crossing through it to reach El Porvenir Mine, in the municipal district of Fuente Obejuna.This line was the result of rivalry with MZA, the other Iberian-gauge company, whose line ran in parallel. It transported minerals and also, free of charge, thousands of passengers, who were miners travelling from Peñarroya to work in the Velmez mines’ galleries. The closure of the mines led to the progressive closure of the branch line, from the mid-1960s until it was closed entirely in the mid-1980s.
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| Interesting data
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1. Festivals and holidays |
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2. Accommodation |
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3. Eco-tourism |
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4. Managing Authority |
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5. Town Halls |
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6. Emergencies |
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7. Buses |
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Fuente Obejuna
2nd week of August
Local festivities
Last weekend of August
San Miguel fair
Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo
February 2nd
Candelaria
1st weekend of May
May Crosses
End of May
San Bernardino pilgrimage
1st week of August
Minning fair
August 15th-18th
Fair of Our Lady
of the Assumption
Pueblonuevo fair
October 7th-12th
Festivities in honor of the Virgen del Rosario
Peñarroya fair
December 4th
Festivities in honor of Santa Bárbara
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Belmez
January 19th
Day of Los Tomillos
1st weekend of May
May Crosses
May 15th
San Isidro pilgrimage
September 7th
Fair and festivitiy in honor of Patron of
Our Lady of Remedies
December 4th
Day of Santa Bárbara
Villanueva del Duque
Easter
National interest festivity
August 14th-18th
Festivities in honor of Our Lady of Guía
and San Jacinto
Rural Tourism Week
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Fuente Obejuna
Municipal camping
Tel. 957 585 098
Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo
Hotel Rijoma***
Tel. 957 562 600
Hotel Sol**
Tel. 957 562 050
El Hoyo de Belmez
Rural hotel El Criadero
Tel. 957 570 040
Belmez
Hotal Javi**
Tel. 957 573 099
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Villaviciosa de Córdoba
Camping Puente Nuevo
Tel. 957 360 727
Villanueva del Rey
Hotel Las Monteras***
Tel. 957 589 084
Villanueva del Duque
Motorhome area
Tel. 957 126 003
Rural accommodation El Soldado
Tel. 663 666 820
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Old station of Pueblonuevo
Interpretation Center of the Greenway
Old station of Belmez-ermita
Restaurant with pool
Tel. 666 629 422
La Maquinilla Association
Walking and by bike guided tours
Tel. 637 544 156
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Villaduke Aventura
Tel. 955 323 364
Aventurocio
Walking and by bike guided tours (Espiel)
Tel. 627 568 412
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Fuente Obejuna Town Hall
Villanueva del Duque Town Hall
La Maquinilla Association (collaborators)
Tel. 637 544 156
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Fuente Obejuna & Villanueva del Duque
For more information, see previous section
Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo
Tel. 957 56 02 04
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Emergencies
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Tel. 112 and 062 |
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Buses
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Cordoba station
Tel. 957 404 040
San Sebastián transport company
Tel. 957 429 030
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| Links
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Autonomous Goverment of Andalucia
Andalucia Tourism
Provincial Council of Cordoba
Tourism province of Cordoba
Greenways of Andalucia
Natural Paths Program of the
Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación
Non-motorized itineraries in Spain
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| Multimedia
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Photo gallery
Fotos: ©FFE-Vías Verdes
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Open info
Close info
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