The Torrevieja Greenway, based on the salt works railway between Albatera and Torrevieja, came about as a result of private-public cooperation. The work was jointly funded by the utility company Iberdrola and the Department of the Environment of the Generalitat Valenciana (Valencia Regional Government), which made it possible to remove the high tension power line that crossed the salt lagoon at the same time as the Greenway was being built. In short, it was an investment in a public service with a dual purpose.

The restored railway complex where the trail starts comprises the old Torrevieja station (forming part of a garden area with pine trees, palm trees, a fountain, benches, and a refreshment kiosk) in which the main station building has been refurbished as a Conference and Exhibition Centre, and three workshops which are now home to the Habaneras Museum, and the cargo warehouse which has been converted into the Laguna Rosa Interpretation Centre for the Salt Industry.

Km 0

The Greenway sets off from the left-hand side of the interpretation centre on a trail that is easily recognizable due to its dual surfaces; tarmac for bikes andcoloured stone sets for walkers. The first part of the Greenway is flat and runs parallel to the Avenida de la Estación, passing to the right of the old engine sheds which are now home to an Alzheimer’s association. Then we pass under the N-322 ring road and are faced with a view of the white mountains of salt, conveyor belts, and other paraphernalia of the salt industry.

After these views the trail enters a long straight section lined on both sides by terraced and detached houses with their colourful gardens. There are a number of level crossings where we need to take care when crossing roads. This section has a markedly suburban nature, the result of Torrevieja’s expansion inland to meet the demand for holiday homes once there was no more room for beach front properties. The Greenway provides the local residents with a welcome relief from the proliferation of traffic as Torrevieja has expanded.

Km. 3,4

After the sixth level crossing (Km 3.4), the last and most dangerous one, the Greenway undergoes some pleasant changes. The straight lines of the trail give way to curves, the dual cycle/pedestrian lanes becomes a single track surfaced with compacted earth and some gravel and, most importantly, we leave the town behind and enter an area of reed beds which in some places obstruct our view of the Torrevieja Lagoon. Reeds grow all around the edges of the Laguna Rosa (as the Torrevieja Lagoon is also known) and besides providing the only touches of all year round green on this trail, they provide a welcome refuge for a multitude of birdlife. Black-winged stilts, common shelducks, Montagu’s harriers, avocets, Kentish plovers, common terns, little terns, and stone curlews make the Torrevieja and La Mata Lagoons places of great ecological interest, especially given the anthropic pressure on this part of the coast.

At the end of the area of reed beds we arrive at a rest area (Km 4.2) equipped with benches, picnic tables, and bike stands. Here, for the first time, we can appreciate the calm waters and sheer size of the pink tinted salt lagoon. Beyond the rest area (opposite which is the International Equestrian Centre) and a curve that could only be that of a railway line, our Greenway straightens out and borders the banks of the lagoon, the perimeter of which is bounded by a chain link fence. However, there is a pedestrian gate at Km 5 which we can use to get to the edge of the lagoon and walk on the white saline surface. In such a lunar landscape you can only wonder at the way plant life such as glasswort, rushes, waxy saltbush, and ragwort which abound here under conditions of hypersalinity.

Once again on the move, at Km 5.5 we pass a second rest area before passing between the lagoons of Torrevieja and La Mata on a crest known as El Chaparral, a strip of inhospitable, uninhabited, and stony land that defies any attempts to cultivate it.

Km. 6,7

Finally the Greenway reaches its end at the road which leads off to the lefttowards the village of Los Montesinos, rewarding us with some panoramic views of the La Mata Lagoon. About 300 metres down this road, to the right, we can link up with the cycle lane that runs alongside the CV-90 road to Torrevieja or enter the La Mata Natural Park via an entrance prohibited to motor vehicles and climb up to one of the viewing points overlooking the La Mata Lagoon. Or, if we take another path that skirts around the edge of the lagoon, we can arrive at the Park Information Centre (some 6 km away). The Greenway gives us the chance to make a circular trip during which we encounter practically no motor traffic.