By Metro to the Ball of the World

More than 700 kilometers of routes through green areas of the Community of Madrid that we can access (both at the start and at the end) by Metro, bus or Cercanías train, that is, without the need to use a private vehicle.

The public transport connections of the Community of Madrid weave an extensive interconnected spider web through which we can move from north to south and from east to west to reach places as far apart as the

, the

or the cliffs of

.

Without forgetting the metropolitan green areas, since Madrid is one of the capitals of Europe with the most green spaces per inhabitant.

Historic gardens such as El Retiro, large forest masses such as the Casa de Campo or new parks such as

or

are natural spaces where we can enjoy a relaxed walk, a bicycle route with the family or simply a place where to escape from the stress of everyday life.

The Regional Transport Consortium (CRTM) created in 2011 the so-called Green Route access stations with the aim of promoting sustainable leisure.

They are points of the transport network where itineraries suitable for all audiences can be started, which can be done on foot or by bicycle, which highlight unknown corners and facets of the region, and the fundamental thing: that they can start and finish in a station of the public transport network.

«I have always really liked the mountains, the countryside, going out by bike, walking, and since I am professionally dedicated to the world of transport, I saw that there was a very interesting option of being able to do routes on the weekend or during the week without need to resort to the car", says

, Transport Consortium technician and head of the Green Routes program.

«The advantage of this type of routes is that you can consider itineraries that do not force you to return to the place of origin.

If you do a route by car, it will generally have to be circular.

On the other hand, if you do it by train using the Metro, buses or Cercanías, you can make linear itineraries, and we saw that a network-type concept could be made by supporting some routes on others or making multiple combinations without the need to use the car ».

endless combinations

Numerous bus stations and stops are located in the vicinity of natural spaces and can be the starting point for a day in the open air.

«For example, following the course of the Manzanares River, from its source in the Ventisquero de la Condesa (at the foot of La Maliciosa) to its mouth in the Jarama, in Rivas Valdeacederas, is a route that is impossible to do by car, but Yes, you can do it starting and ending at a point where you take public transport ».

It is the itinerary that Miguel Ángel most wanted to design, and that he managed to draw two years ago transformed into five routes (Navacerrada-La Maliciosa, Puerto de Navacerrada-Manzanares El Real, Manzanares-Colmenar Viejo, Colmenar-Tres Cantos, Tres Cantos- El Pardo-Príncipe Pío).

Two cyclists enjoy one of these routes.MIKAEL HELSING

The transport combinations are almost endless.

There are 100 interconnection points between the different routes.

«Once I took the 601, an intercity bus that leaves in

and ends in

, and from there I began to go down following the course of the river along all the roads that the City Council has made parallel to Somontes.

It got late and I finished the route at an EMT stop in the Puerta de Hierro area.

Finishing a mountain route in a canopy next to the M-30 is a bit crazy, but it's very good and allows you great mobility », he recalls.

A station with access to a Green Route has a series of information elements that allow to know a little more about its surroundings and the possible routes to be taken from it, as well as a descriptive sign at the station itself where the itinerary appears.

In addition, so that the user has some basic notions about the excursion that he is going to do, a simple route book in PDF format has been published for each Green Route station that can be downloaded, printed and carried in his backpack.

This document offers detailed information on the distance to be traveled, its difficulty, whether it is suitable for walking or cycling, places of natural or historical interest, advice, a description of the terrain every few km.

and connections with other itineraries.

It is also available for mobile devices.

Green Route 5.7

The Ruta Verde station program began in 2011 with the publication of the route book for the

station , access to the new area of ​​Madrid Río, one of the most popular green spaces in the capital.

Since then and until now, 42 routes have been published (and there are five more in the forecast) under the Estación de Ruta Verde brand, many of them being real surprises by highlighting areas that are not well known.

We ask Miguel Ángel if he has discovered hidden places.

«Yes, for example the Green Route 5.7

.

I had never been to Seville la Nueva, and there is a very beautiful forest that runs down to the Guadarrama.

The route leaves from Móstoles El Soto, the terminal station of the C5 Cercanías line, one of the most used.

The itinerary covers part of the route followed by the Madrid-Almorox railway, whose purpose was to facilitate access to the capital for agricultural products from the

and

countryside .

Some sections have been recovered as Vía Verde, such as the one that goes from the park of El Soto de Móstoles to the Guadarrama river».

Of course, there are also the classic ones, such as the Vuelta a la Casa de Campo that runs 15.5 kilometers around the perimeter of the park, or the four stages of the Camino de Santiago in Madrid (the second starts near the

station ).

To finish convincing them to try getting involved in this public transport network, think about what you will save in fuel and the prices of transport passes (free for seniors and 8 euros for young people).

"He who does not go out is because he does not want to!"

concludes .

Well that, to take the subway to get to the Bola del Mundo.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more