The best MTB trails around Somontín

A spectacular route through the southeast of the peninsula between the highlands of Granada in the Baza area towards the Almendricos district, already in the Murcia region, and passes through the Almanzora Valley in Almería. A route that for decades crossed a railway line that transported tons of iron and other merchandise

The stage ends in Serón, a mountain town famous for drying hams, sausages, traditional sweets, cheeses, oil and other products of local gastronomy. The old train station is the best example of mining railway architecture on the Vía Verde Natural Trail of the Almanzora Valley, it has the passenger lobby building, with the characteristic British-style canopy, remains of the rails, loading docks, warehouses goods, rotating platform for trains, mineral loading, water tanks and garages. And it also has a modern planetarium and Interpretation Center. Local services are a couple of kilometers away from the road.

The towns of Fines and Olula del Río are an encounter with the culture of marble; figures and pieces of marble with inscriptions and inspiring phrases appear on the old railroad track. In Olula there is the famous giant head of a woman, on the other side of the road, you have to be careful not to pass it by. And nearby is the town of Macael for those interested in visiting the “white gold” quarries of the Almanzora Valley. Purchena is far from the road, it is a town with an Andalusian feel, with narrow streets with whitewashed facades at the foot of the remains of an old Muslim fortress from the Nasrid era. The railway continues to trace the slopes of the valley and cross seasonal boulevards over imposing stone bridges to the Tíjola station, which preserves a train engine from the glorious era of the mining railway and the railway buildings. The station is a bar with food service and a terrace on one of the platforms. In Los Canos there are remains of the old iron ore loading dock. The carts arrived loaded with material by aerial cables from the mining sites and by simple gravity they filled the train cars that were in the tunnels located under the loading dock.

Bring lots of sunscreen

The Piedra Lobera Viewpoint is an impressive place in the province of Almería, specifically in the Sierra de Lúcar. At more than 1,700 meters, from the watchtower of Puerto de Lúcar, there are panoramic views that dominate territories of the provinces of Granada, Jaén and Almería. This viewpoint offers a unique visual experience in the region. 🌿🏞️

Lúcar is a Spanish town and municipality located in the northwestern part of the Valle del Almanzora region, in the province of Almería. It borders with the Almeria municipalities of Tíjola, Armuña de Almanzora, Purchena, Somontín and Oria, and with the Granada municipality of Cúllar. The municipality is located at an altitude of 912 meters. The name Lúcar comes from the Latin “lucus”, which means jungle1. 🌿🏞️

I didn’t go to the museum but you can see it from the Via Verde. The VV goes through Fines on what is a Marble Sculpture Alley with sculpture from numerous European artists.

The restaurant is now unfortunately permanently closed. This is a real shame, let‘s hope someone else takes it on and another resto opens here in the future.