I heard of abandoned railway tracks converted into cycling and hiking routes when I was touring Australia. At the time I was exploring a different route. I then visited Portugal and Spain in winter, 2017. As I researched possible routes, I found out about the rich Vias Verdes network in Spain.

Vias Verdes, Spain

The official website says there is a total of 2700 km of Vias Verdes routes across Spain. However, they are not all connected – that would be really cool. But from what I found, if we dig enough, then we can find a lot of different cycling / hiking tracks on the way. So it is possible to patch up a fairly unbroken route if we want.

Here’s the map of all the current Vias Verdes routes. As you can see, a lot of varying lengths. So long distance riders as well as locals looking for a weekend outing can explore them. I cycled the – Via Verde De La Subbetica – a 65 km route near Cordoba in Andalucia.

Advantages of an abandoned Railway Route

As I was riding this route, I realised, there are some natural advantages of a railway route.

• Always passes by cities and towns. So on our cycling & hiking we get adequate night stops and towns to explore. Many of these towns may have some local attractions. We can also rely on their facilities – restaurants, ATMs, interest access in the libraries and so on.

• Railway tracks tend to be flat or at least not some ridiculous gradient. Tunnels are carved into mountains to maintain an even and undulating surface for laying of the rail tracks. For people looking for scenic, flat vistas – this can be amazing.

• Rest stops: the older railway maintenance offices and sheds have been converted into shelters and rest stops. They are very quaint and nostalgic.

Note: Sometimes these tracks may be fairly deserted

In most developed countries, a lot of the hotels and rest stops and even restaurants may simply be closed depending on the day / time of year / time of day etc..

This happened with my cyclist friend who was exploring one of the Australian abandoned railway track which had been converted for cycling. He cycled over 100 kms in the day to reach the end only to find the last stop shelter was closed and deserted. So he had to double back in the night and basically, in his words, “cried”. 😀

These developed countries seem so deserted for an Indian person. Though, at times, there may be a way to talk to locals and figure out some shelter. Either case, it’s good if we have our camping gear, much easier I feel.

Read about my other solo cycle touring adventures here.

Have you explored any of these abandoned Railway Tracks? Let me know.