Every Easter the region of Bajo Aragón resounds with the beating of drums in solemn processions. Until the 1970s the inhabitants of the region could also hear the rumble of trains as they ran from the banks of the Ebro down to the Mediterranean, following a different route from the longest of all Spanish rivers. That route, long without trains, has been developed for cyclists and walkers to enjoy some wonderful countryside.

Our Greenway starts at the village of Valjunquera, although it is possible to start from Alcañíz. Starting from Alcañíz we first pass by Valdealgorfa on our left, where a traditional houses and streets are accompanied by a particularly elegant station building built in the Aragonese Mudejar style.

For some distance our trail follows the course of the Guadalupe river on its way towards Val de Zafán and the rural district of Matarraña. Then, with the aid of a series of spectacular viaducts and tunnels, we travel down the Val de la Reguera valley, through a rural landscape dotted with charming villages

Km 0

After the station Valdealgorfa the trail passes through a very long, very straight tunnel. This tunnel is witness to a strange phenomenon twice every year; at dawn the entire two kilometres of its length is illuminated with a mysterious and ephemeral beam of white light.

Once through the tunnel the Greenway runs through isolated countryside, leaving the banks of the river and cutting through a dense pine forest on its way to the Matarraña meadowlands. Our journey is broken up by two stations, both a long way from the villages they serve: Valjunquera, at Km 2.4 and Valdeltormo at Km 6.8

Km 10

After the latter station, which is abandoned like all the stations we have passed so far, the line drops down towards the river Matarraña. The old railway line runs through a tunnel of pine trees and, after a series of tight bends and gloomy tunnels, the Greenway surprises us with an airy but very long viaduct over the waters of the river Matarraña. We are now at the lowest point on the route; from here the Greenway climbs gently upwards, once again through dense, deserted forests. Before moving on we should enjoy the delightful view from this elegant concrete vantage point, with the gentle murmur of the waters below and the chirping of birds providing background music (Km. 11,8).

A little further on we arrive at the Torre del Compte station (Km. 12.4), now converted into one of the most inviting hotels that travellers on any of our Greenways can hope to find. Here we can sleep, eat, or simply enjoy what this charming oasis has to offer before starting our climb up towards Valderrobres. The actual villages of Valderrobres and Torre del Compte are some way from their stations (especially the former) but they are both well worth visiting.

Km 20

The fruit trees that border the stretch of line into Valderrobles station (Km 21.3) signal our arrival at a high open plain on which our Greenway levels out, but only slightly and not for very long as in front of us lies the impressive rocky barrier of the mountains of the Terra Alta region of Tarragona. The station at Cretas (Km 23.6) is the last stop in the province of Teruel.

Km 25

From here the Greenway begins to descend gradually to the river Algars, the natural border between Aragon and Catalonia. We cross this river by the Viaducto del Algars (Km 29.4), a stylish concrete viaduct, very similar to the Matarraña viaduct we mentioned earlier, to arrive at the Arnes-Lledó station (Km. 29.9). Now we are in the province of Tarragona

This is the end of  our Val de Zafán Greenway, but it need not be the end of our journey since the Terra Alta Greenway and the Baix Ebre Greenway extend for a further 49 km, almost as far as the Mediterranean coast at Tortosa and the Ebro Delta.