Castilla y Leon information
Greenway of El Esla
The route recovered from Greenway of El Esla goes from Valencia de Don Juan to Castrofuerte, both of which are in the province of León. Due to the high level of preservation and adaptions made on this stretch, handicapped people can cover it, as indicated in the Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles' handbook. There are also proper signposts indicating the cross-country route.
Today the route brings back memories of the arrival of the popular
"Tren Burra" which reached these provinces, although
it had to go through up to twenty towns. The idea of recovering
the old train's entire track could be elaborated on, although
part of the track has now become part of the landscape, a landscape
dominated by vegetation, typical of the areas surrounding the
river Esla, which will keep the track-walker company among large
patches of cereal crops.
By making use of the old railroad tracks that, until 1969, connected
the towns of Rioseco, in Valladolid, with Palanquinos, in León,
the town council of several of the towns through which this railroad
crossed decided to recover those tracks, in the hope of finding
the descendants of those generations of passengers who used to
use the wooden carriages.
If the entire track is covered, in a northerly direction, the tourist can visit up to eleven towns in the provinces of Valladolid and León, from Medina de Rioseco, going through Palazuelo de Vedija and Villamuriel, to Barcial de la Loma, Castroverde and Villanueva del Campo. The tourist will also get to know the towns of Roales, Valderas, Campazas, Castrofuerte and Valencia de Don Juan.
Source: Web server of Instituto de Turismo de España, TURESPAÑA.