Old railway line between Monção and Valença became eco-trail

Former railway line between the municipalities of Monção and Valença has been an ecotrail for 20 years.

Using the old railway line between the municipalities of Monção and Valença, which was decommissioned on December 31, 1989, the first section of the Minho River Eco-trail, linking the Cortes Apeadeiro in Monção to the dry bridge in Valença, was inaugurated on November 14, 2004.

In a statement, the Monção council said that with the opening of this 17-kilometre route, the two municipalities have expanded the region’s sporting, cultural and tourist capacity, reviving the proximity and relationship of both populations with the River Miño or “Pai Minho”, as Galician friends and neighbors affectionately call this international stretch of water.

In the following years, the ecological corridor, “glued” to the River Minho, gained more kilometers, reaching, in a first phase, the Lodeira Park, next to the international bridge, and in a later phase, the historic center of Monção, with an entrance through the Salvaterra Gate. At the same time, a wooden walkway was built in Parque das Caldas.

Since 2017, “the process of widening this ecological corridor has continued, through the creation of new structures and facilities that have gradually boosted the use of this riverside path that is conducive to sports and leisure in communion with nature”.

With a “deep” intervention in Pedra Furada, a pedestrian connection was made between the Lodeira area and Parque das Caldas, guaranteeing the continuity of the route which, after three phases of execution, reached Landre, in the parish of Bela, an area currently undergoing intervention.

At the same time, the “Galicia Mail`o Minho” wooden walkways were built. The Câmara de Monção reveals that, since its opening to the public on March 21, 2021, it has become an “extraordinary visiting card” for the municipality, being very popular with locals and sought after by tourists.

Between Lapela, on the edge of Valença, and the parish of Bela, the municipality has 12 kilometers of continuous “footprint” on the River Miño.

This route, distinguished as the third best green-way in Europe in 2017, has “several points of interest that have earned the general public praise and applause over the years”.

With a view to permanently enhancing this “surprising and exciting” route, the Municipality of Monção recently installed new signage with technical and mileage information about the route, as well as the facilities and places to visit nearby. The panels also warn of safe and sustainable use.

After the inauguration of Rota da Lagoa, three more proposals will be presented in Caldas da Rainha by the end of the year.

River Minho Ecotrail: Valença – Lanhelas