Vascongados Railways Greenway - Spanish Green Ways Itineraries

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Vascongados Railways Greenway

Guide developed with the sponsorship of

This greenway is made up of two very different parts. The first section, between Soraluze/Placencia de las Armas and Mekolalde (4.5 km), is a gentle riverside walk beside the River Deba along an asphalted path forming part of the Deba River bidegorri or cycle path network. The second section, between Mekolalde and Antzuola (9.1 km), is a hilly climb through forests and meadows offering some scenic views from up high.

This Greenway has been carried out by the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council.

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CONDITIONED GREENWAY

Bajo Deba and the Antzuola Valley.

LOCATION

Between the town of Soraluze/Placencia de las Armas and the westernmost end of the first tunnel (not passable) near linear village of Uzarraga (Antzuola).

Gipuzkoa. Basque Country.

Municipalities: Soraluze/Placencia de las Armas, Bergara and Antzuola.

Length: 13,6 km.

User profile:

The Soraluze/Placencia de las Armas - Mekolalde section is accessible.

Accessability:

Soraluze/Placencia de las Armas - Mekolalade: Occasional steep slopes where the greenway passes under roads.

Mekolalde - Antzuola: uphill section with surface in a passable state of repair between Mekolalde and Bergara.

Type of surface:

Soraluze/Placencia de las Armas - Mekolalade: asphalt

Mekolalde - Bergara: Compacted aggregate, degraded concrete, and compacted gravel.

Bergara-Antzuola: Compacted gravel.

Natural setting:

Soraluze/Placencia de las Armas - Mekolalde: the greenway runs through the heart of the River Deba valley, between understory and pine groves.

Mekolalde - Antzuola: hillside section, running through meadows, pine groves and deciduous Atlantic forest.

Cultural heritage:

Soraluze/Placencia de las Armas: Santa María la Real Church, dolmen route, country houses and mediaeval chapels.

Bergara: monumental ensemble and Real Seminario de Bergara museum.

Antzuola: town centre, Town Hall, La Piedad and Uzarraga churches, chapels and water mills.

Infrastructure:

Greenway. Bidegorri or cycle path for cyclists and walkers.

Bergara Station (ruined) and 6 tunnels (4 passable but unlit).

Facilities:

Soraluze/Pacencia de las Armas - Mezolalde: horizontal signage, railings, lighting by lampposts, cycle stands, benches, waste bins, fountains, etc.

Mekolalde-Antzuola: Railings, fountain, benches, and recreation area with tables, benches, and waste bins.

Access to the greenway:

Soraluze/Placencia de las Armas (northernmost end of the greenway): From the streets Olea and Alejandro Calonge Etxetaldea.

Osintxu (Bergara): Over the mediaeval bridge.

Mekolalde industrial estate (Bergara): By the bridge over the River Deba, Km 48.2 of the GI-627 road.

Old station of Bergara: Along the unpaved road Moiua Bidea.

First passable tunnel of the greenway (Bergara): Via the slope where the greenway crosses the end of the street Aranerreka or the start of the GI-3750 road.

Southeast end of the greenway. Uzarraga (Antzuola): Next to the old Caserío de Iturriotz country house, Km 1 of the asphalted GI-3112 track to Uzarraga.

How to get there:

Public transport. Bus.

Connections:

Vitoria/Gasteiz: 45 km from Antzuola and 44 km from Bergara.

San Sebastián/Donostia: 56 km from Soraluze/Placencia de las Armas and 60 km from Bergara.

More information in the Guía de las Vías Verdes. Volumen Norte (2021). Anaya Touring publisher (Spanish).

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Description

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Km. 0 / Km. 3 / Km. 7 / Km. 13

Km. 0

A good reference point for locating the start of the route in Soraluze is Olea Kalea. It is worth noting that the first 400 metres of the itinerary is shared with other traffic. We leave the schools behind on the left, go across a flyover and, when the road begins to descend, on the left we will see the start of the greenway beside a small park with a fountain and several parking spaces. We will see the route’s first tunnel, although it is not passable. However, we can go around it without any problems. We now enter a very wild section beside the Deba River, through a forest of pines and deciduous trees. We travel along the asphalt of a magnificent bidegorri (cycle path) and come to an underpass. After the underpass, we advance alongside the road and soon come to the Osintxu district (km 2.8).

Km. 3

There are magnificent views of the town featuring the river and a beautiful stone bridge with 4 spans, which we can cross to enter the locality. It is worth stopping here, if necessary. If we prefer, Osintxu is also a good place for starting the route. A little further on, a fountain with benches provides us with a stopping point before entering a more industrial area at km 3.5. We can also access the greenway here from the GI-627 road, with the access to the industrial estate being the access to our route.

After crossing the road using another underpass, we continue accompanied by the tranquillity provided by the cycle path until we reach, without any more complications, the town of Mekolalde. Here we have the option of connecting with the Vasco-Navarro Railway Greenway running through the province of Gipuzkoa, which opens up many possibilities!

However, if we want to continue along the former Ferrocarril de los Vascongados, we should be aware that we have to take the left branch at the fork or junction between both greenways. We will see a change in the surface (km. 5), giving way to a section of compacted gravel running through meadows and hamlets.

We continue peddling or walking on. At km 5.85, we cross an asphalt road where there is a timely fountain with a bench for resting, right beside a hairpin bend. Now begins a section with patches of degraded concrete that, however, does not pose any problems for cyclists, enabling us to go through a very cool forest and enjoy another very wild section.

Km. 7

This section features the old station in ruins located at km 7.24, where there is a shaded rest and picnic area with benches and tables. It is undoubtedly worth stopping here since it is a magnificent viewpoint overlooking Bergara. The greenway borders and marks the urban boundary of Bergara, following the winding route of the railway at this point.

We cross the road at km 8.5, where there is a compacted gravel surface in good condition. Be careful! We are now entering an area of tunnels. We go through the first short tunnel without any problems, despite the lack of lighting. On coming out of it, we can continue to enjoy this fantastic balcony overlooking the houses of Bergara. The photos of this characteristic railway viewpoint are a must.

The second tunnel (km 10.2), excavated out of rock and also without lighting, makes us say goodbye (or agur in the Basque language) to the views of the locality, as we again begin a very pleasant, wooded section as far as tunnel 3. As we can see, this is the most rugged, and perhaps most attractive, part of the entire itinerary, where the route can narrow somewhat but without affecting our ability to cycle. We will come across a false tunnel (which is the 4^th) with a bend and encased walls (km 11.5). It likewise lacks lighting, making it a little dark halfway through. It is therefore a good idea, as in all greenways, to bring along a torch or bike lights.

Km 13

Cartographic notes by Juan Pablo Avison (Spanish)>>

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Railway History


Photo: Euskotren/Basque Railway Museum Archive(CALVO, JUAN C.)

It was the company called Compañía del Ferrocarril Durango–Zumárraga that brought trains to this region on the banks of the Deba. Having shareholders in common with the FC Central de Vizcaya company, which already linked Durango and Bilbao via a metric-gauge railway, the project was viewed as the best solution for connecting Bilbao and San Sebastian, making use of the junction in Zumárraga with Norte’s broad-gauge line. It involved saving a good number of kilometres by means of an entirely new line along the coast. However, due to the relief –especially overcoming the Deskarga Pass– the narrow-gauge railway featured a series of ramps and extreme sinuosity that was the cause of countless problems, some of which resulted in accidents with numerous deaths.

Although it started operating in 1888, at the beginning of the new century, in 1901, a new player entered the scene: Fc. de Elgoibar a San Sebastian. This company –which also had close business ties with the other two– completed a direct metric-gauge line between the two Basque capitals, thereby undermining part of the purpose behind the construction of the railway to Zumárraga.

These three companies (Central de Vizcaya, Durango-Zumárraga and Elgoibar-San Sebastian) were so closely linked that, in 1906, they merged to form the more powerful Compañía de Ferrocarriles Vascongados. Its incorporation led to some improvements, such as electrification in 1929.

Another important milestone was attained in 1915 with the opening of the Fc Vasco-Navarro, which connected the Fc Vascongados with Vitoria and Estella. The junction was located in the station of Mekolalde, a district of Bergara. Although this connection led to a large increase in the railway line’s traffic, the closure of the Vasco-Navarro, in 1969, dealt a serious blow to its already weakened accounts.

Under the management of Vascongados, the Zumárraga continued to operate until 1971, when the provisional suspension of its traffic was authorised. A year later, the entire Vascongados network was integrated into FEVE. However, this company did not restart the service and, taking advantage of the closure of other lines in the area, it was permanently closed four years later, on March 1, 1975, with its tracks and installations beginning to be dismantled shortly thereafter.

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