Cycling tour on the Turón Valley Greenway

This route follows the Turón Valley Greenway, with a slight detour on the return leg to make the route more interesting. As well as giving us an insight into the beginnings and development of mining in the Turón Valley, as we cycle along the old railway line, we also enter the Las Cuencas Mineras Protected Landscape, which has also been designated a Site of Community Importance (SCI), and through the Río Negro and Río Aller SCI.

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Address Uxo, Figareo, Turón

Distance Distance: 20 kms
Difficulty Difficulty: Very easy
Total ascent Total ascent: 280 m
Maximum altitude Maximum altitude: 385 m
Minimum altitude Minimum altitude: 232 m
IBP index IBP index: 20

Route One-day routes
Type of bicycle Type of bicycle: Gravel,MTB
Type of route Type of route: Circular
Return by Train Return by Train: No

Starting point Starting point: UXO
Ending point Ending point: UXO
Estimated duration Estimated duration: Half day

The route begins in the square next to the Romanesque church of Santa Eulalia de Uxo, from where we follow the track to cross the River Caudal and go round the dog park until we reach the start of the Greenway.

The Greenway starts at the Ricastro bridge and runs for almost 3 km along the old cutting of the Hulleras del Turón mining railway, a company established in the late 19th century and a subsidiary of Altos Hornos de Vizcaya.

The route continues along a path that skirts the now-derelict Minas de Figaredo site. We pass through La Cuadriella, with its old hospital, the church of Santa Bárbara, staff accommodation and the Dörr tanks linked to the former ore-washing plant.

We continue the walk alongside the San Francisco neighbourhood, climbing up past the San José shaft via its old spoil tip. We then take the road that runs above the water pipeline and reach Pandiellu, San Benigno and San Pedro, before continuing towards the former facilities of the Santa Bárbara Shaft (BIC). From this point onwards, the route is marked by various machines that serve as a reminder of the activity that once took place here, and so we’ll proceed alongside the La Rebaldana adit, reaching the distinctive extraction tower of the Espinos mine; after passing Podrizos and its fountain, we’ll arrive at La Vera’l Camín or the small recreational area of La Puente Villandio, the place known as Fortuna.

The mass grave, with its information panels and commemorative monument, is a site of historical remembrance. The old carpentry workshop and the 1966 powder magazine are also preserved here. From the La Rebaldana adit to Fortuna, guided tours are available by prior booking.

The path continues to Urbiés, an area of great natural and ethnological interest, but our route ends here. We’ll head back the way we came, taking the path alongside the river from the picnic area and following it to Turón, where we’ll rejoin the Greenway back to the starting point.