Regional Government of Madrid celebrates 10th anniversary of Green Routes by incorporating five new proposals

Regional Government of Madrid celebrates 10th anniversary of Green Routes by incorporating five new proposals
The Regional Transport Consortium proposes as many as 42 new routes on its website, spanning a total of 707 kilometres through 30 municipalities. The new routes have been designed for both cyclists and hikers. The routes always start and finish at a public transport node: the underground, Light Railway or suburban railway stations or intercity bus stops

The Regional Government of Madrid celebrates the 10th anniversary of the start-up of the first Green Routes with the inclusion of five new proposals from its extensive list. Organised by the Regional Transport Consortium of Madrid (CRTM), they can be undertaken on foot or by bicycle. The first three routes are the GR-7.6 Manzanares el Real-Colmenar Viejo, GR-7.7 Colmenar Viejo-Tres Cantos and GR-7.8 Tres Cantos-El Pardo.

These three routes, which cover a total distance of 58 kilometres, form part of an old 117-kilometre route, covering the whole of the River Manzanares from its source at the Bola del Mundo until it flows into the River Jarama, very close to Rivas Vaciamadrid, hence becoming the fourth new Green Route presented by the Consortium. This begins in the heart of the Guadarrama National Park, crosses two regional parks, travels close to a dozen historical bridges, three dams and by the remains of the old Manzanares Canal. Due to its long distance, it has been designed in seven stretches, with all types of users being able to cover each stretch.

The countryside crossed is full of contrasts and ranges from the high peaks of Pedriza del Manzanares to the seemingly endless holm oak woods of Monte del Pardo. The mid-point of the route crosses the popular Madrid Río Park, and ends up in the groves and lakes of the Southeast Regional Park.

The fifth and final proposal is the GR-7.9 Madrid-Soto del Real route, which travels along the popular cycle path on the M-607 highway. This is a very popular route with athletes, particularly road cyclists, that can be accessed from Montecarmelo underground station or Fuencarral suburban train station.

LIST OF ROUTES

The Regional Government of Madrid offers a list of all these routes available on the website of the Regional Transport Consortium.

The CRTM began this programme a decade ago. With the inclusion of the five new routes, a total of 42 are now available, covering a total of 707 kilometres passing through more than 30 municipalities in the region. All these routes have been designed to be enjoyed by hikers, runners and cyclists of all ages and levels.

These routes have the particular feature of starting and finishing at a node on the public transport network: underground, Light Railway or suburban train stations, or suburban or intercity bus stops. They also indicate the intermediate stations or bus stops (if these exist), as well as the distance in kilometres and the level of difficulty of the route.

The criterion for the numerical order is similar to that used in the organisation of the radial highway corridors that connect Madrid which, run from the A1 to the A6 in a clockwise fashion, in addition to the M-605 corridor. There is also a central sector, known as Madrid City, for those routes that run through the metropolitan area, always with its path, or part of it, within the Cycling Green Ring.

Added to which they allude to the municipality or municipalities the route takes, specifying the main milestones relating to the cultural or natural heritage of the municipality.