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Vias Verdes, Spain (continued). Our final selection from Tim Schofield's photographs of Spain's 'Vias Verdes' comes from the Vasco-Navarro Railway Greenway, a 50 km route which includes two long banks leading up to the summit in the impassable Laminoria Tunnel, which necessitates cycling over the hill. The line ends in Estella, a lovely medieval city on the Camino Santiago Frances – the 'French Way', the most popular of the routes of the Way of St. James, the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. |
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| Above: A short tunnel on the long straight from Vitoria, nr, Andollu, where the junction for the Estabaliz branch junction is situated. The Vasco-Navarro railway was built in stages between 1889 and 1927 and was electrified in 1929, but began to accrue losses in the 1950s. The last trains ran on New Year's Eve, 1967. 7th July 2015. (Tim Schofield) |
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| Above: Ullibarri-Jauregi station is some way away from the two villages once named on its running-in boards. The station building has been demolished, but this old Rotalde transformer substation still stands. The line is now climbing towards the northern end of Laminoria Tunnel. 7th July 2015. (Tim Schofield) | ||
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| Above: Atauri railway viaduct is a dead end and has been converted into a picnic spot. The via verde leaves the trackbed a short distance to the north and approaches it by a riverside path, with access being via a short steep ramp. At the southern end of the viaduct is a tunnel that takes you into the town of Atauri. 7th July 2015. (Tim Schofield) | ||
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| Above: A view across the deck of Atauri viaduct makes it obvious why it has been turned into a local feature with seating. It provides a good view of the dam which used to hold back the water in order to supply the Atauri irrigation canal. 7th July 2015. (Tim Schofield) | ||
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| Above: The town of Antoñana, seen here, has an impressive bridge which carries the via verde over the main road. Beyond here, the trackbed has been encroached upon, but an alternative route will be developed next to the river in order to keep the trail off the nearby road. 7th July 2015. (Tim Schofield) | ||
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| Above: A dilapidated goods shed at the ruined station of Zúñiga. The Vias Verdes website provides some interesting detail here: 'This milestone on our route [Zúñiga] marks the transition point from the Campezo Valley in Álava to the Tierra Estella in Navarra and presages a dramatic change in the landscape. The route through monotonous crop fields has come to an end. Our Greenway now enters the Arquijas defile, perhaps the wildest and most untamed part of this section of the Vasco Navarro Railway.' 7th July 2015. (Tim Schofield) | ||
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| Above: The viaduct at Arquijas, just before the long tunnel there (1500m). The viaduct cross the River Ega on nine arches at a height of almost 30m. 7th July 2015. (Tim Schofield) | ||
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| Above: The northern end of Laminoria Tunnel. The façade has been reinforced by concrete to prevent collapse, while a pipe drains the flood water inside. The tunnel is impassable and requires the via verde to climb over the top, including several slopes at 20%, or 1 in 5 in the 'old money'. The Vias Verdes website describes the tunnel as 'impassable and dangerous'. 7th July 2015. (Tim Schofield) |
