Soul of the Peñarroya - Fuente del Arco mining railway
The route continues for more than 30 km between pastures and crops, following at the foot of Sierra Morena part of the old Peñarroya-Fuente del Arco narrow-gauge line. In its vicinity, a visit to the old La Jayona iron mine is a magnificent complement for anyone who decides to take this itinerary.
The greenway runs from Fuente del Arco station (Km 68 of the old railway), to the north of the actual village of Fuente del Arco, to the railway hut (Km 48.3) standing next to the rest area at Km 137 of the N-432 road (on the boundary between the municipalities of Berlanga and Azuaga), to the west of the village of Azuaga
Campiña Sur. Badajoz. Extremadura
Municipalities: Fuente del Arco, Reina, Valverde de Llerena, Berlanga and Azuaga
Length: 20 km + 12 km of marked public roads
User profile:
Type of surface: Asphalt treatment (Greenway) and compacted gravel (public roadas)
Natural setting:
Southern Extremadura countryside, first foothills of Sierra Morena. Holm oak pastures, fields and olive groves. The La Jayona Mine Natural Monument in Fuente del Arco, the Las Quinientos Conservation Park in Berlanga stand out. And very close is also the Sierra Norte de Sevilla Natural Park
Cultural heritage:
Fuente del Arco: Nuestra Señora del Ara Sanctuary
Berlanga: several hermitages and the old Casa de la Encominada
Valverde de Llerena: Inmaculada Concepción church
Azuaga: Ethnographic, Contemporary Art and Taurine museums, La Consolación, La Merced and Cristo de Humilladero churches, Miramontes castle and San Blas chapel, bullring, Capitol theatre/cinema, and hamlet of Cardenchosa, where we can find a "menhir" and remains of dolmens
Infrastructure: Greenway. 3 old stations
Facilities:
Information panels, wooden railings, signage, kilometre stones and rest areas with benches, tables and litter bins.
Greenway accesses:
Fuente del Arco: Westernmost end: Fuente del Arco station, reached by the BA-V-1618 road.
Valverde de Llerena: Valverde station: Next to the level crossing with the BAV-148 road (Km 0.5)
Railway hut (Km 55.5 of the old railway): in the village of Valverde you take the road to Berlanga (towards the north).
Berlanga and Azuaga: Eastern end: Railway hut near the rest area at km 137 of the N-432 road
How to get there on public transport
Bus
Fuente del Arco, Guerrero Morcillo buses, S.L. and Azuaga bus station
Train
Arco Fountain. Renfe Medium Distance. Seville-Cáceres line. Destinations to Seville and Mérida
Connections:
Fuente del Arco: Badajoz 120 km away and Merida 100 km away
This recommended route begins at La Jayona Mine, passes by the Chapel of La Virgen del Arca, along 12 km of clearly signposted public trails, and reaches Fuente del Arca Station, located to the north of the locality of the same name (km 68 of the old railway line). From here, there is another 18 km along the old Peñarroya-Fuente del Arco narrow-gauge railway line as far as the halt (km 48.3 of the old railway line) located beside the rest area at km 137 of the N-432 road, to the west of the centre of Azuaga and 7 km from the locality.
Before starting to cycle or walk, we must visit La Jayona Mine, an old iron ore mine that was excavated in times past using picks and shovels, a real gem that should not be missed. To get there, you just have to follow the signs for “Mina La Jayona” from Fuente del Arco.
On the way to the mine, about 10 km from the station, you will pass through the small town of Fuente del Arco, a place where travellers will find a great variety of natural, traditional and cultural resources, as well as its own rich gastronomy. And you will also pass by the Chapel of La Virgen del Arca, the so-called “Sistine Chapel of Extremadura,” which has been declared a Cultural Heritage Site (“BIC”, in its Spanish acronym).
Km 0
Once we reach the greenway itself, we can get going. The first landmark will be the Fuente del Arco Station, where intercity trains stop on their way from Seville, Mérida and other cities in Extremadura. Moreover, it is 2 stations away from Cazalla–Constantina Station, the gateway to the Sierra Norte de Sevilla Greenway.
The first kilometre and a half of the old railway line is characterised by a sharp bend to the right, before crossing the Galapagar stream. 8 kilometres lie before us in an itinerary that is mainly flat, leading us into Extremadura’s landscape featuring wooded pastureland, characteristic Mediterranean scrubland, thyme, broom, genista, flax-leaved daphne and merino sheep.
Km 11,25
The scenery begins to change from km 10 onwards, with the trees being replaced by a predominance of farmland. We will soon come to Valverde de Llerena (km 11). If we continue on, we will see traces reminding us that there used to be a narrow-gauge railway line here, e.g. the old station that used to serve this locality. This is a good time to take a break, since it will be the closest town we will pass by before the end of the route.
Km 19,7
We leave Valverde del Llerena and advance several kilometres with the rhythmic presence of olive trees, which will escort travellers almost until the end of the itinerary. At km 17, we will pass by the ruins of Berlanga–San Fernando Station, followed by an information panel and a rest area where we have a choice to make: going to Berlanga, which is just over 4 km away, or continuing on our way. If we choose the first option, it is worth noting that in this locality we can visit Las Quinientas Park, a peri-urban conservation and leisure park featuring reforested pines and a large eucalyptus grove.
We return to the greenway 2 km away, we come to the ruins of the Azuaga railway halt and a rest area beside the N-432 road (km 19.7). This marks the end of the greenway. We are about 6 km from Berlanga and 7 km from Azuaga, the area’s most populated locality.
As a final note, travellers will be interested to know that, in Cordoba, there is another greenway section that runs along the old railway line from Peñarroya to Puertollano and Fuente del Arco. It is called the Guadiato and Los Pedroches Greenway
We are travelling along the remains of Extremadura’s only narrow-gauge railway line. The rest of the region’s railway network –including both the lines that were built and those that never became operational– was designed for the Iberian gauge. However, the narrow-gauge trains of the “Sociedad Minero y Metalúrgica de Peñarroya” (SMMP) reached this part of the south of Badajoz in 1895. It took this company two years to lay the almost 70 km of tracks between its mining and industrial area of Peñarroya, in Cordoba, and the modest station of Fuente del Arco in Extremadura. Ten years later, the MZA company brought its line through here, linking Merida with Los Rosales, a few kilometres away from Seville. This regional capital and its port were the objective of Peñarroya’s miners, who wanted a quick, cheap route to export their mining production. The mining train station was therefore erected in Fuente del Arca, beside that of the wide-gauge train.
In the first seven years of its history, it only carried minerals and other loads. However, due to local pressure, in 1902 it started to receive passenger trains as well. Meanwhile, the miners saw that there was also interest in extending the railway line from Peñarroya to Puertollano and San Quintín Mine (Ciudad Real). This was planned over the years and in 1924 this 216-km line was completed, being the second-longest metric-gauge one in Spain. This extension led to the creation of a new railway company called the “Compañía de los Ferrocarriles de Peñarroya y Puertollano,” which was a subsidiary of the mining company but centred more on providing a universal service rather than just mining operations.
However, due to its poor economic performance after the Spanish Civil War, in 1956 the company was bailed out by means of the public company “Explotación de Ferrocarriles por el Estado,” an entity that took charge of failed railways. In 1964, this company became the new narrow-gauge company called FEVE (“Ferrocarriles Españoles de Vía Estrecha”). Nevertheless, by then the railway was no longer required by the mining activity or used by passengers, who preferred, in the 1960s, buses and cars, which were much more efficient. This situation led finally to the line being closed on August 1,1970.
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CONDITIONED GREENWAY
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