I want to share with you this video recorded last year. We toured the Nature Trail of the Via Verde del Santander Mediterráneo from Soria to Hontoria del Pinar in Burgos. We were fortunate to have friends from Droneartists and make this video that we love. If you want to know more about this tour, we recommend that you listen to the episode of Viajando Despacio in which we talk about this tour, from minute: 6:41.

In short, an excuse to talk to you about this great project to recover a railway line that was never finished. We do not know the reason why the work will not be completed, there are those who point out that the Port of Bilbao did not view the project favorably, others that the delay in undertaking the works on the La Engaña tunnel made the route no longer make sense. . By that time, 1959, they had already opted for road transport to the detriment of railways.

We are facing a route to dream of a great bike travel. How does a bike route practically from Santander to Valencia sound to you? That is what this route proposes to us, which thanks to the work of the Natural Paths program of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, is on its way to becoming one of the best cycle tours in Spain. A route with very beautiful landscapes and a lot of history. This railway line intended to link Santander with the Mediterranean ports of Sagunto and Valencia. He wanted to join other previous routes such as the railways from Calatayud to Sagunto, in operation since 1902, and the Astillero-Ontaneda, also inaugurated in 1902 and framed in the Santander-Burgos railway project.

In 1920, the councils of Burgos, Santander, Soria, and Zaragoza championed the Santander-Mediterranean railway project, with the construction of the Ontaneda-Calatayud section, joining in the north with the section to Astillero and in the south with the Calatayud-Teruel line. -Sagunto-Valencia.

Between 1927 and 1930, the section from Calatayud to the Cidad-Dosante station in Burgos, near Santelices, was built. The connection with Santander was left uncompleted with 35 km to go. Of this section, the tunnel stands out. He cheats her (I recommend you read the article in the link, a wonderful history of Montacedo) with 6.976 meters in length, whose drilling was completed in 1959, being at its time the longest railway tunnel in Spain, although it was never crossed by any train . Today the mouths of this tunnel, both the north and the south, are still located in beautiful landscapes.

Also highly recommended to see the documentary “A feat under the weeds” by director Richard Zubelzu with a script by Magda Calabrese, where they tell us the story hidden in the tunnel of republican heroes and prisoners. The tunnel that never linked Santander with the Mediterranean, although perhaps that could change 60 years later and in a totally different way.

In 1959 (a fateful year for many railway routes in our country) the works on the Santelices-Boo section (including the La Engaña tunnel) were abandoned. In the built section, the transport of goods and passengers remained active, until January 1, 1985, when the 434 km of the section between Cidad-Dosante and Caminreal was closed. In 1995, the Council of Ministers agreed to authorize the lifting of roads closed to traffic. A collective book collects the history of this railway: Santander Mediterranean. The railroad that lost the north.

A route that began as an iron road and is becoming a greenway, in Vía Libre, the railway magazine They have an excellent graphic history of this railroad.

On the map you can see the different sections that you can now travel, prepared and signposted. At this moment, work has begun on the route in the north of the province of Burgos, in that entire area of Merindades, for me the most beautiful section of the entire route. How our great friend would have liked to see this proposal finalized. Felix andino, from Burgos, in love with his land and one of its best ambassadors, who left us a few months ago. Andino, a great tourism expert, believed that this proposal could energize a territory that needs exciting, hopeful projects. Félix, we will dedicate our first rides along this route to you the day it is inaugurated.

Conditioned sections (north to south):

Pas Greenway. Cantabria (26 km)
Las Merindades branch / Cidad-Dosante–Oña. Burgos (~60,8 km) — This is the big change. The section between Castellanos de Bureba and Cidad-Dosante is 60,8 km long and runs through the municipalities of Oña, Cillaperlata, Trespaderne, Merindad de Cuesta-Urría, Medina de Pomar, Villarcayo, and Merindad de Valdeporres. This effectively connects what were previously the La Engaña section (6 km) and part of the Alfoz-La Bureba section into a longer, continuous corridor.
Oña–Quintanarruz section (Alfoz-La Bureba). Burgos (43,7 km)
Quintanarruz–Burgos section. Burgos
Burgos–Cojóbar / Revilla del Campo section. Burgos (14 km)
Revilla del Campo–Cascajares de la Sierra section. Burgos
(Pending: Cascajares–Hontoria del Pinar)
Hontoria del Pinar–Soria section (Hontoria–San Leonardo–Abejar–Soria). Burgos-Soria (66 km)
Soria (Valcorba Industrial Estate)–Ciria section. Soria (~43,5 km) — This 43,55 km stretch runs through Alconaba, Candilichera, Cabrejas del Campo, Almenar de Soria, Aliud, Buberos, Villaseca de Arciel, Portillo de Soria, Torrubia de Soria, Reznos and Ciria.
(Pending: Ciria–Villarroya–Calatayud)
Calatayud section (Torralba de Ribota–Paracuellos del Jiloca). Zaragoza (9 km)
Fuentes de Jiloca section (from Murero Tunnel)–Daroca. Zaragoza
Daroca–Calamocha section. Zaragoza-Teruel
Calamocha–Ojos Negros section. Teruel
Ojos Negros Greenway. Teruel, Castellón and Valencia (162 km) — it keeps

Sections opened in recent years are shown in bold.

Think for a moment that this route joins at some point to the Way of Santiago del Norte, French Camino de Santiagoat euroveil 1 y euroveil 3 y euroveil 8 to Route of the Cid and Path of the Holy Grail. As if that were not enough, it also connects us with other projects that we have liked the most in recent times, the proposal of Empty Mountains, a cycling itinerary that runs through Spanish Lapland. Thank you for creating this adventure, Ernesto.

This Santander-Mediterranean is a basic route, which many of us consider necessary, a scheme, a map, a network of national cycling itineraries. An authentic network to be able to explore Spain by bicycle, following the historical paths, the rivers, the communication routes that were once connecting paths, bridges that united territories.

Some important things remain pending, preparing the links between the city of Burgos and Sotragero or connecting the route with the Soria railway station and joining the unconnected sections, but things are moving forward. And there will always be something to do with it La Engaña Tunnel, undoubtedly a complex decision.

I don't know about you, but I, who have traveled all the open sections, have a huge desire to do the entire route in a row, maybe I don't wait for them to finish it, I hang the panniers on the bike and hit the road.
A abrazo.