In Spain there are over 7,000 kilometres of out-of-service rail lines, but far from being useless, they are currently being transformed for the use and enjoyment of walkers and cyclists, and even people with reduced mobility. These are called Vías Verdes (greenways) and they already include more than 1,500 kilometres of old railway lines, an interesting cultural and historical heritage to discover. This is the case of the Via Verde of the Sierra Norte de Sevilla, which mainly runs along the branch that linked the Zafra-Seville line with the Cerro del Hierro mines. The first section, about 4 kilometres long, runs along a cattle trail in the heart of the Sierra Norte de Sevilla Natural Park.
These traditional roads, used by cattle in search of pasture, also connected towns and vilalges. At this point the Huesna river appears, which will accompany us for much of the way. Soon we stumble upon the Rivera del Huesna resting point, a widening of the trail where the animals could rest or spend the night. The panorama is dominated by a multitude of well-maintained farmhouses, with their traditional stone fences.

The route through the old railway line begins at the Los Prados fork. It was in the year 1895 when they inaugurated the transport of goods along this route. In the middle of the Industrial Revolution, the steam engine decisively changed business, thanks to the ease and speed with which it transported goods. The metal from this mine was carried, in long trains, to the Port of Seville and by boat to Glasgow, to the blast furnaces of the Scottish company that started the exploitation.

The iron bridge built over the Rivera del Huesna allows you to enjoy this interesting second section. The train had to face obstacles such as streams and uneven surfaces. Along this beautiful river it is possible to distinguish how the plants are arranged parallel to the river, according to the availability of water.

After this oasis of freshness, the landscape becomes more rugged with some incredible views of the valley that we pass by. Waterfalls spring from this relief, such as the nearby Cascadas del Huesna Natural Monument. This is how man took advantage of the water for the production of electrical energy, and the old power plant can be seen from our route.

To overcome this relief, a single 105-meter tunnel was also built. Soot stains from the locomotives are still visible on its ceiling. You should also look at the number of buildings associated with the train track: stations, workers' homes, warehouses, garages, an unrivaled testimony of how the past of the place was. Finally, after passing from hand to hand between different European and Spanish companies, the railway line went out of use in 1970, when mining definitively became unprofitable.

The gentle hills announce San Nicolás del Puerto, a village of Celtic origin whose Roman bridge is worth a stop off to visit. After the Arroyo del Pozuelo and the extensive meadows, we reach the Cerro del Hierro Mining Town where the families of miners lived, separated from the English colonial houses for the engineers. The memory of mining extends to the impressive landscape of holes and cavities in the karst rock left by the exploitation, and open-pits run along the hiking trail. The latest mining constructions mark the end of the road along the Sierra Norte Greenway.