Inclusive rail trails in Andalusia
The locomotive was a symbol of progress but its routes remained unused at the end of the last century. Our rail trails (Vías Verdes) recover these paths and they are firmly committed to accessibility.
If you are planning a day of hiking during which you wish to immerse yourself in our industrial past, even just a little (while you also discover the natural environment), Andalusia's rail trails are a great choice. It is important you identify beforehand which ones are accessible rail trails, explore their layouts, decide whether to take on the route by adapted bike, wheelchair, or by walking with some kind of support to aid movement. Huelva, Jaén and Almeria are interesting places if you are a hiker with some form of physical, sensory or mental disability.
Huelva
Molinos de Agua Rail Trail (between San Juan del Puerto and Valverde del Camino). Explore the Huelva towns of San Juan del Puerto, Trigueros, Beas and Valverde del Camino.
There are several access points for wheelchair users travelling in their own car and who wish to reach the sections suitable and practicable for people of reduced mobility. Specifically, there are four of these sections available. This rail trail follows a railway line that formed a part of the so-called Buitrón Railway. Opened in 1868, it was closed almost a century later once mining finished.
At crossroads signs indicate which direction to take. There are also panels and milestones to help you find your bearings on the route, as well as several rest areas, some of which are adapted to people with reduced mobility.
Jaén
El Aceite Rail Trail (between Jaén and Guadajoz River). Explore Jaén and the districts of Torredelcampo, Torredonjimeno, Martos and Alcaudete.
Nineteenth-century engineering dominates this trail. Those tackling it in a wheelchair and car can reach the path using a dozen access points: at the start of the rail trail itself (in Jaén) as well as in Torredelcampo, at the old station of Torredonjimeno, in Martos, at the old station of Vado-Jaén, and at the old station of Alcaudete. There are also three adapted bicycles available for cyclists with disabilities. Up to 11 sections can be followed by people with physical difficulties.
Nine metal viaducts, surrounded by the landscape of olive trees, definitely constitute some of the main attractions on what used to be a railway line used by the Oil Train. La Laguna de Honda Nature Reserve is a landscape populated by lively anatidae that can be seen in the distance using good binoculars.
Almeria
El Almanzora Rail Trail (El Hierro section between El Cargadero de los Canos and the metal bridge over the Ramil Ravine, the municipal limit of Serón-Alcóntar). Explore Serón.
There's more to Almeria than desert. El Almanzora Rail Trail is proof of that. It is populated with fertile plains, mountainous areas, thermal waters and an exquisite mining past: specifically the village of Serón, which can be discerned along the way from different perspectives. Although it does not have adapted toilets, rest areas are equipped and are suitable for people with reduced mobility. Regarding visitors with intellectual disabilities, it is interesting to know that the panels shared along the route are understandable, as are the milestones that help you to work out where you are on the path.
In addition to mining archaeology and knowledge of ancient towns that lived off the extraction work, the area has intriguing places, such as Calar Alto Astronomy Observatory.
