Los Ojos Del Camino

[Oliverio Gallman]

The thing is that during the 20th century, the town of Ojos Negros (province of Teruel) and the port of Sagunto (Valencia) were joined by train. The reason for this was to transport the high-quality iron extracted in the first enclave to the Blast Furnaces of Sagunto to be smelted. And although in the 1970s this mining route ceased to be used as such, at the beginning of this century the governments of the Valencian Community and Aragon adapted it for use and enjoyment by bicycle, in what is known as a greenway.

Of course. Although the official route, the one that flows through fully adapted sections, goes from Santa Eulalia del Campo (still in Teruel although somewhat closer to the destination than Ojos Negros) to Algimia de Alfara (province of Valencia and a town that, although close to Sagunto, is in the interior).

But we can still complicate it a bit more. More and more people choose to lengthen the route and instead of finishing in Sagunto, they complete an additional stage that takes them to Valencia. This last section is done through the Va Verde de la Xurra and although it is not particularly beautiful, it is safe and allows you to enjoy Valencia.

Depending on which origin and destination you choose, there are 160 / 217 / 249 km of bike route. It all depends on the time you have and the desire you have to give everything, as there is no section of great technical difficulty.

As you have seen, there are many options for traveling the Ojos Negros Greenway: origin, destination and format. In terms of format, you have two: cycle the route without delay or do it with the philosophy of slow cycling. That is, enjoying every moment, every landscape, every corner and every meal. No hurries.

We recommend the second. The Ojos Negros Greenway is a cycle route and to enjoy it to the fullest you have to do both: pedal and discover the surroundings. Of course, the choice is yours. We explain the entire route from Ojos Negros to Sagunto and from there to Valencia. In five stages. You can do them in a single day, in two or in five.

Ojos Negros is the town in Teruel where the Ojos Negros Greenway technically begins (there is a reason it appears in the name of the route). The idea of starting at the beginning, at the origin of where everything began, is attractive. You can leave the car in Sagunto and take the train to Monreal del Campo and from there ride a bike to the town to start this adventure also known as the Ojos Negros route. There you will also see a Sierra Menera locomotive.

Another option you have is to get off the train two stations earlier, in Santa Eulalia del Campo. This town in Teruel is about 30 km from Ojos Negros but it is where the official route of this greenway begins. From here and up to Algimia de Alfara (Valencia) the road is fully conditioned for your use and enjoyment.

Throughout this stage we find several deteriorated train stations. Despite their state, we can imagine what they were like before and what scenes must have been seen during the more than half a century in which the Sierra Menera train transported iron along this mining route to the Sagunto furnaces.

In any case, the end point of this first stage is Teruel. This provincial capital is considered the capital of Mudejar Art by UNESCO and has an architectural and cultural heritage that makes a calm visit fully justified. For example, the old town, the Cathedral of Santa Mara de Mediavilla or the mausoleum of the lovers of Teruel. Not to mention its gastronomy in which the ham and the black truffle stand out.

Shortly after leaving Teruel, about 25 minutes and 6 km, we pass under a bridge over which the train passed, known as the Viaduct of Fuente Cerrada (photo). It is what appears in the image above.

However, the highlight of this stage is the ascent to Puerto Escandn, the highest point of the entire Ojos Negros Greenway. In other words, the next 12.7 kilometers are the most complicated, although they are not really. We go from 915 meters above sea level in Teruel to 1,230 meters in Puerto de Escandn.

Puerto Escandn has no more. It is simply the railway station of the Teruel municipality of La Puebla de Valverde. Nowadays it is quite disused but it is a good place to take a break before pedaling again.

It must be said that before reaching the highest point we go through several tunnels that, although in theory they have lighting, sometimes it does not work and it is advisable to carry a flashlight or headlamp. Little advice aside, it is quite an experience to cross these tunnels by bicycle: if we go with kids, they will love it!

Shortly after, we cross wonderful landscapes of truffle holm oak, especially around the town of Sarrin. And it is the most important area in the world for the production of black truffles!

Como final de esta etapa hemos escogido quedarnos an en la provincia de Teruel. Concretamente en la Estacin de Mora de Rubielos, en el pueblo de Albentosa. Por el camino recorremos en bicicleta el viaducto de Albentosa, un puente por el que circulaba el ferrocarril y sin duda una de los experiencias ms espectaculars de la Va Verde de Ojos Negros a estas alturas.

As the end of this stage we have chosen to remain in the province of Teruel. Specifically at the Mora de Rubielos Station, in the town of Albentosa. Along the way, we cycle over the Albentosa viaduct, a bridge over which the railway ran and without a doubt one of the most spectacular experiences of the Ojos Negros Greenway at this point.

Keep in mind that from now on the slope is downhill: we have already done the most difficult part! Shortly after we change provinces and enter Castelln. Until Segorbe, the end point of this stage, we pass through two very interesting points to see: Barracas, Jrica (we recommend visiting its old town and its Mudjar Tower) and Navajas (a very charming town and where the Salto de la Novia is).

Shortly after leaving Jrica behind, we enter the Sierra de Espadn Natural Park and have beautiful views from the Mirador del Regajo over the reservoir. This is without a doubt one of our favorite stops (you can see us in the photo, right?) and we highly recommend pausing to take in the visual spectacle.

We leave Segorbe and enter the Sierra Calderona Natural Park, another enclave of nature. In addition, we cross the orange groves of Campo de Morvedre. It is as it is: the picture is pretty.

We arrive at Algimia de Alfara, where the official route of the Ojos Negros Greenway ends. Until here, the route is fully conditioned and further on, up to Puerto de Sagunto, there are sections where you have to go alongside cars (although there usually are not many).

Once in Sagunto, the most common final destination of the Ojos Negros route, we continue to its port. Specifically, up to Blast Furnace n2. Here the iron extracted in the mines of the Terolense population where we began this cycling adventure was smelted. If you are interested, 90-minute guided tours are organized in the morning (inquire at 611 072 510).

Other places in Sagunto that are worth checking out are its old town, the Roman Theater and the castle. And if you want to enjoy the sea, you can go to Sagunto beach itself or go to the immediate town located further north called Canet de Berenguer (less than 20 minutes by bike).

This last stage that we propose is not part of the Ojos Negro Greenway itself. In fact, the path from Sagunto to Valencia runs along the so-called Va Verde de la Xurra. It is an extra stretch of less than two hours that allows us to visit the capital of the Valencian Community.

Although we cross the Valencian orchard, the views are not the most spectacular, but the cycle route is fully equipped and is a safe way to get to Valencia, where we recommend spending the day and even the night. It is a charming city, with many corners, modern and classic at the same time. Some monuments and points of interest to highlight are:

A greenway is an old railway track that, after becoming inactive, is recovered and refurbished as a non-motorized natural path, becoming an ecotourism itinerary. In other words, every greenway was formerly a train crossing. They are routes open to all public, being accessible by bicycle, on foot, on horseback and in a wheelchair (the prepared sections are duly signposted). They have a very own and very easy to recognize identifying symbol: a green leaf.

In 1900, two Basque businessmen founded the Sierra Menera mining company to exploit several high-quality iron deposits near the town of Ojos Negros, in Teruel. To transport the mineral to be melted in the port of Sagunto, they build their own railway network; a railway from Ojos Negros to Sagunto. This mining road was used until 1972, when it was abandoned to use another nearby one with greater transport capacity. At the beginning of the 21st century, the governments of the Valencian Community and Aragon convert the old railway line into a greenway. Photo courtesy of the Historical Railway Archive of the Madrid Railway Museum (Gustavo Reder Kleingebeil)

The Ojos Negros greenway can be done throughout the year, although we recommend avoiding it in the hottest or coldest months. For this reason, the best time is from March to June and from September to November, both for the temperatures and for the landscapes.

The normal thing is to do the route from the province of Teruel to that of Valencia. You can do it the other way around, from the coast to the interior, but then the route is uphill. That is why the starting point of the Ojos Negros greenway is usually Ojos Negros itself or Santa Eulalia del Campo.

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