Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación
Buscador principal

Aceite Greenway Nature Trail. Subbética section

Description

Camino Natural Vía Verde de la Subbética

Lakes, canyons and caves amidst olive groves

This Trail follows the route of the old "Oil Train" that begun in Jaén, traversed part of the province of Cordoba, and ended in Málaga. The train, which transported typical local products, especially olive oil, travelled through the same landscape, dominated by olive groves, that still exists today.

Laguna del Conde o del Salobral

This route starts at the River Guadajoz Viaduct, near the town of Luque (Cordoba), a place that can only be accessed from the Nature Trail. The remains of a railway stop still stand at the beginning of the route. Further on is the Laguna del Conde Nature Reserve, otherwise known as Salobral Nature Reserve. The lagoon, which can be seen from the Trail, is a shallow, seasonal karst wetland that is part of the larger wetland known as “Lagunas del Sur de Cordoba”. Given the growing interest in nature observation, an observatory has been built for watching the myriad bird species that inhabit the lagoon, including mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), northern shovelers (Anas clypeata) red-crested pochards (Netta rufina), common coots (Fulica atra), cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo), and even flamingos(Phoenicopterus roseus), which consider these brackish waters as their ideal habitat.

The newly renovated train station at Luque has been transformed into a bar-restaurant where it is possible to have a rest. After this former station, another Greenway can be taken, which leads to Baena (8 km). This town is nestled in the Sierras Subbéticas Nature Park and Global Geopark, a unique environment worth visiting not only for its cultural wealth, but also for the beauty and diversity of its landscape, strewn with geological formations whimsically shaped by water, and valleys dotted with rocky outcrops, depressions, poljes and caves.

Detalle del paisaje antes de llegar a Zuheros

This area provides a favourable nesting environment for many bird species, in particular raptors like golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) and peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus), as well as noisy red-billed choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and crows (Corvus corax), who can be seen flying over most of the rest of the Nature Trail. The route continues from Luque to Carcabuey, through a cliff area known as the "Ruta de las Buitreras" (18 km) owing to the large wake of griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus)that nest there.

A tourism information kiosk can be found shortly before arriving at Zuheros, crowned by its Moorish castle.

The next stop on the route is Zuheros station, from where it is possible to visit the Cueva de los Murciélagos, a natural monument of great historical and geological value. The streets and squares of the town, designated a Site of Cultural Interest, are also worth visiting.

Several paths start from Zuheros into the Subbética Nature Park, including the River Bailón Path, one of the most attractive, rich in landscape and biodiversity. Soon after Zuheros, a bridge of great historic value crosses over a river. Although olive trees dominate the landscape, the route sometimes traverses through dense Mediterranean oak and carob woodlands, over which loom mountain ridges, where no olive groves can grow.

Castillo de Zuheros

Further down the path is Doña Mencia station, also converted into a restaurant. The town sits on one side of the route but there are some activities in the town worth the visit: its renowned wineyards of Montilla-Moriles wine or renting a bicycle just near the Greenway in Subbética’s bike touring Centre located in a former hangar. The town also has a caravan parking lot. New footpaths branch off from the Trail into the very heart of the Nature Park. Past the station, the route crosses the only tunnel on the Trail and a few viaducts, including the Sima Viaduct, where extreme sports are practiced.

After winding through olive groves, clearings and Mediterranean shrubland, the route reaches the town of Cabra. The local railway station marks the beginning of the Sima de Cabra Route. The station turned restaurant also houses the Olive Oil Train Interpretation Centre, where the history of this Nature Trail, its towns and natural environment are narrated and interpreted.

Past Cabra, the route moves on to Lucena. Its railway station has been converted into a Crafts and Traditions Interpretation Centre, where the traditions and crafts that made this town famous are shown, including pottery, silverwork, bronze work and wood work, as well as its oil culture, folklore and feasts.

There is also a Museum of Vintage Cars at the station, next to the restaurant.

Panorámica desde uno de los viaductos

Further along the Trail, the terrain is no longer quite as steep. There are increasingly less olive groves and more vineyards, from which one of Cordoba’s flagship products, the Moriles-Montilla wine, is made.

The route reaches Moriles-Horcajo, the last station on the Trail, which provides service to Las Navas Sepillar, a hamlet of Lucena. From here, the Trail continues another four kilometres, through olive groves and vineyards, to Lucena.

As already stated, the Subbética Nature Trail links with many routes and leads to two protected areas, Laguna del Conde and Sierras Subbéticas Nature Park, enabling the traveller to enjoy the experience on foot, by bike, or even by car. As with the Aceite Greenway Nature Trail, additional trips, be it historical or cultural, may be enjoyed from the different towns that dot this Trail, including the Caliphate Route (Luque), or the Moriles Wine Route (Lucena).

Profile

Perfil MIDE del CN de la Subbética

MIDE (Method for the Information of Excursions)

(Calculated according to the MIDE criteria for an average excursionist with a light load)

Featured

Further information

Geology, History and Nature: La Cueva de los Murciélagos (The Bat Cave)

The Subbaetic Range is predominantly limestone rock. Countless geological formations of great value like caves have formed where water has cut into the limestone. The Cueva de los Murciélagos at Zuheros, a must-see town through which the Trail passes, is one of the most important of such formations. This large cavity was formed when a large block of rock collapsed, resulting in a fissure through which water flowed, creating underground lakes and amazing limestone structures such as stalagmites and stalactites.

However, this site is interesting not only for its geological beauty, but also for its outstanding Neolithic site with a burial.

The cave was originally inhabited by Neanderthals, and later, by the first human inhabitants in the area. This is evidenced by flint heads, pottery fragments and bone tools, as well as personal ornaments, remains of food and various paintings of animals, such as horses, goats and deer, found in cave.

Although the cave is 2 kilometres long, only 450 metres are open to visitors. It is currently a shelter for a large flock of bats. There is an Eco-museum near the cave that is also worth visiting.

Multimedia

Introducción general al uso de cookies en MAPA.gob.es

Las cookies son archivos que se pueden descargar en su equipo a través de las páginas web. Son herramientas que tienen un papel esencial para la prestación de numerosos servicios de la sociedad de la información. Entre otros, permiten a una página web almacenar y recuperar información sobre los hábitos de navegación de un usuario o de su equipo y, dependiendo de la información obtenida, se pueden utilizar para reconocer al usuario y mejorar el servicio ofrecido.

Tipos de cookies

Según quien sea la entidad que gestione el dominio desde donde se envían las cookies y trate los datos que se obtengan se pueden distinguir dos tipos: cookies propias y cookies de terceros.

Existe también una segunda clasificación según el plazo de tiempo que permanecen almacenadas en el navegador del cliente, pudiendo tratarse de cookies de sesión o cookies persistentes.

Por último, existe otra clasificación con cinco tipos de cookies según la finalidad para la que se traten los datos obtenidos: cookies técnicas, cookies de personalización, cookies de análisis, cookies publicitarias y cookies de publicidad comportamental.

Para más información a este respecto puede consultar la Guía sobre el uso de las cookies de la Agencia Española de Protección de Datos.

Cookies utilizadas en la web

El portal web del Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación utiliza Google Analytics, esta es una herramienta de analítica que ayuda a los sitios web y a los propietarios de aplicaciones a entender el modo en que sus visitantes interactúan con sus propiedades. Se utilizan un conjunto de cookies para recopilar información e informar de las estadísticas de uso de los sitios web sin identificar personalmente a los visitantes de Google. Más información sobre las cookies de Google Analytics e información sobre la privacidad. Estas cookies se pueden rechazar o aceptar ya que no interfieren en el funcionamiento de la página web pero sirven de gran ayuda aportando información que posibilita un mejor y más apropiado servicio por parte de este portal.

Por último, se descarga una cookie de tipo técnico denominada cookie-compliance, propia, de tipo técnico y de sesión. Gestiona el consentimiento del usuario ante el uso de las cookies en la página web, con el objeto de recordar aquellos usuarios que las han aceptado y aquellos que no, de modo que a los primeros no se les muestre información en la parte superior de la página al respecto. Esta cookie es de obligada utilización para el funcionamiento correcto del portal.

Aceptación / Rechazo de la Política de cookies

El Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación permite la aceptación o rechazo de las cookies no esenciales para el funcionamiento del portal. Para ello una vez que el usuario acceda al portal se mostrará un mensaje en la parte central con información de la política de cookies y las siguientes opciones: 

  • Aceptar cookies: Si el usuario pulsa este botón, se aceptarán los cookies no obligatorias y no se volverá a visualizar este aviso al acceder a cualquier página del portal.
  • Configurar cookies: Si el usuario pulsa sobre el botón de configurar, se accederá a una segunda ventana modal donde se podrá configurar que cookies aceptar. Esta segunda ventana explica las cookies utilizadas en la actualidad y permite la selección o rechazo de las cookies no obligatorias. Una vez finalizada la selección se deberá presionar al botón Guardar configuración.

Cómo modificar la configuración de las cookies

Usted puede restringir, bloquear o borrar las cookies del Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación o cualquier otra página web, utilizando su navegador. En cada navegador la operativa es diferente, la función de "Ayuda" le mostrará cómo hacerlo.