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Vía Verde del río Serpis - Hike along the river on a disused railway line from l'Orxa

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Twenty kilometers from the coast inside Oliva on the Costa Blanca, a disused railway line has been converted into a beautiful hiking and cycling route. The route runs through lush and green terrain along the Serpis river in the Racó del Duc gorge, or Barranc de l'Infern as it is also called. It starts in l'Orxa and ends in Villalonga and is about 12 km long. This post describes the route from l'Orxa to the disused Fábrica de l'Infern which is located about halfway.


Río Serpis ved Fábrica de l'Infern i vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen

The train no longer stops at the station in l'Orxa. Nature is taking over, bushes and trees are making their way through windows and cracks. But it is easy to imagine what it must have been like when the big steam locomotive came pulling heavy wagons with coal or industrial products and passengers.


Nedlagt jernbanestasjon ved l'Orxa i vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen
Disused railway station at l'Orxa

Castillo de Perputxent i l'Orxa der ruten starter vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen
The castle Castillo de Perputxent in l'Orxa

The railway line was a result of the second industrial revolution that began in the mid-19th century. Alcoy, located a few miles inland, needed coal from England for its industry and a transport route to export its products. The solution was "The Alcoy and Gandía Railway and Harbour Company Limited" which was commissioned to build a railway line from Alcoy to the coastal town of Gandía. Since English investors were behind it, it was called "the English train". Impressively, it only took two years to plan, design and build the 51 km train line. It was completed in 1892 and inaugurated on January 24, 1983. In 1969, it was closed after 76 years of operation because it was no longer profitable.


Det gamle lokomotivet som ble brukt på jernbanelinjen i vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen
The locomotive used

In addition to transporting coal in and industrial products out, the English train gave the population of Alcoy and villages along the route an opportunity to travel to the tempting beaches of the Mediterranean. Thus, Gandía became a tourist town. Alcoy had some metallurgical industry, but at first paper and textiles were the main exports. The train usually had three passenger carriages that could carry 20-25 people. On the most difficult climbs from Gandía, passengers had to get off the train and follow it on foot in order for the steam engine to cope with the load.


Fábrica de Paper i l'Orxa
The paper factory Fábrica de Paper in l'Orxa

The Ruta de Vía Verde is a collective term for disused railway lines that have been rehabilitated and converted into gravel paths for hiking and cycling. There are 3,300 kilometres of such paths in Spain. Walking on these paths brings you closer to nature in a different way than you would otherwise. The stretch between the villages of l'Orxa and Villalonga is one of the most beautiful routes. It runs along the Serpis River, which winds through the Barranc de l'Infern (or Racó del Duc) gorge, which the river has carved out over millions of years.


Kvinne på grusvei ved l'Orxa starten for vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen
The start of the route from l'Orxa

This post describes the section from l'Orxa to Fábrica de l'Infern or Fábrica de luz as it is also called. It is a hydroelectric power station that was built shortly after the railway was put into use. The train line - and thus the walking route - runs along the river all the way from Alcoy where it starts, to Gandía where it flows into the Mediterranean. The train had 8 stations: Alcoy, Muro de Alcoy, Beniarrés, l'Orxa, Villalonga, Potríes, Gandía and Puerto de Gandía.


Kvinne går på grusvei langs elven río Serpis ved vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen
The hiking trail along the river in the gorge below

The line cuts through slopes and cliffs, but 8 tunnels and 12 bridges were also built, 6 of which were made of iron. Several of the bridges have been removed, but in some places the bridgeheads can still be seen. On the route from l'Orxa to Fábrica de l'Infern there is only one tunnel, and it is so short that you do not need a flashlight to get through safely.


Skjæring i fjellet ved vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen


Kvinne går inn i tunnel i vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen


Tunnel på 110 meter i vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen
The first tunnel is 110 meters long

Turvei i skog i vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen
Part of the route goes through forest


Kvinne under trekroner på grusvei i vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen


Turveien langs elven ved vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen


Nærbilde av elven ved vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen

In 1894, it was decided to build a power station that would use the water flow of the Serpis River to generate electricity. To achieve this, a dam was built about 2 km from l'Orxa and a water channel from there along the right side of the river down to the power station, which was named Fábrica de l'Infern or Fábrica del luz. The channel was 1913 meters long, 2 meters wide and 2.5 meters deep. These constructions were also completed in a short time.

Demningen Azud del Infierno i elven río Serpis i vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen
The Azud del Infierno dam - also called Azud del Forn

Akvedukt ved río Serpis ved vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen
The aqueduct on the Serpis River

Ruiner av Casilla ved den ved vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionennedlagte jernbanelinjen
Ruins of small house - Casilla - which was built when the railway line was made

At several points along the line you can see the ruins of small houses - Casillas - that were built during the construction of the railway line. They were used as accommodation for the workers and as storage for tools and materials. Just after one of them you can find the remains of a water tower that was used to refill the boiler of the locomotive after the difficult climb from Gandía. The tank on top of the small tower is gone, but the ground plan is well preserved.


Ruiner av Casilla ved jernbanelinjen
Casilla - small house by the railway

Utsikt fra vinduet i Casilla i vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen
View from the window

Ruiner av vanntank som ble brukt til å etterfylle vann på damplokomotivet ved vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen
Ruins of a water tower used to refill the boiler of the steam locomotive.

Steinformasjoner ved vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen


Ruiner av kraftstasjonen Fábrica de l'Infern ved vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen
The power station Fábrica de l'Infern or Fábrica de luz as it was also called

At the power station where this route ends, the trail goes all the way down to the river. Here, a nice area with benches has been created that makes it nice to take a break with some food and drink here before starting the way home. In this area, the border between Alicante and Valencia and between l'Orxa and Villalonga runs. The train line did not go down here, but on a route a little higher up in the terrain. It passed over the river just below. The bridge is gone, but the foundations are still there.

Rekreasjonsområde ved elven med benker ved vía Verde del Serpis i Alicanteregionen
Rekreasjonsområde med benker ved elven

The Vía Verde del Serpis route can be walked both from l'Orxa and from Villalonga. You can walk the entire route continuously from l'Orxa to Villalonga, but it will be a long trip of about 12 km each way, for a total of 24 km. It is possible to use two cars and leave one in l'Orxa and one in Villalonga, so that you do not have to walk the route back again, but it takes about 50 minutes to drive between the two towns. Therefore, it is best to divide the route in half and take one half at a time. The route from Villalonga to Fábrica de l'Infern is described in another post. For those who want to cycle, you can cycle there and back on the same day either from l'Orxa or from Villalonga.


The "Museo de Ferrocarril Alcoy-Gandía" which is located about 3 km from Gandía has collected photos, plans, documentation and objects from the life of this train.

More excursions: www.turideer.com


This week's excursion: Hike along the river on the disused railway line from l'Orxa to Fábrica de l'Infern.


Length: 5.4 km - a total of 10.8 km round trip. Estimated time is 3-4 hours in total.


Suitable for: Everyone in normal physical shape. This is a safe and easy route where you can't get lost. The climb from the factory to l'Orxa is even and relatively gentle.


Getting there: The tour starts at the disused train station in l'Orxa (Lorcha). Enter "Antiga estacío de l'Orxa" in Google Maps. This will take you straight to the parking lot at the station. From there, just follow the route along the disused railway line. Otherwise, the old train station at l'Orxa/Lorcha is marked on the map.


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