Aceite Greenway Nature Trail. Subbética section

This route starts at the River Guadajoz Viaduct, near the town of Luque (Cordoba), a place that can only be accessed from the Nature Trail. The remains of a railway stop still stand at the beginning of the route. Further on is the Laguna del Conde Nature Reserve, otherwise known as Salobral Nature Reserve. The lagoon, which can be seen from the Trail, is a shallow, seasonal karst wetland that is part of the larger wetland known as “Lagunas del Sur de Cordoba”. Given the growing interest in nature observation, an observatory has been built for watching the myriad bird species that inhabit the lagoon, including mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), northern shovelers (Anas clypeata) red-crested pochards (Netta rufina), common coots (Fulica atra), cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo), and even flamingos(Phoenicopterus roseus), which consider these brackish waters as their ideal habitat.

The newly renovated train station at Luque has been transformed into a bar-restaurant where it is possible to have a rest. After this former station, another Greenway can be taken, which leads to Baena (8 km). This town is nestled in the Sierras Subbéticas Nature Park and Global Geopark, a unique environment worth visiting not only for its cultural wealth, but also for the beauty and diversity of its landscape, strewn with geological formations whimsically shaped by water, and valleys dotted with rocky outcrops, depressions, poljes and caves.

This area provides a favourable nesting environment for many bird species, in particular raptors like golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) and peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus), as well as noisy red-billed choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and crows (Corvus corax), who can be seen flying over most of the rest of the Nature Trail. The route continues from Luque to Carcabuey, through a cliff area known as the "Ruta de las Buitreras" (18 km) owing to the large wake of griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus)that nest there.

A tourism information kiosk can be found shortly before arriving at Zuheros, crowned by its Moorish castle.

The next stop on the route is Zuheros station, from where it is possible to visit the Cueva de los Murciélagos, a natural monument of great historical and geological value. The streets and squares of the town, designated a Site of Cultural Interest, are also worth visiting.

Several paths start from Zuheros into the Subbética Nature Park, including the River Bailón Path, one of the most attractive, rich in landscape and biodiversity. Soon after Zuheros, a bridge of great historic value crosses over a river. Although olive trees dominate the landscape, the route sometimes traverses through dense Mediterranean oak and carob woodlands, over which loom mountain ridges, where no olive groves can grow.

Further down the path is Doña Mencia station, also converted into a restaurant. The town sits on one side of the route but there are some activities in the town worth the visit: its renowned wineyards of Montilla-Moriles wine or renting a bicycle just near the Greenway in Subbética’s bike touring Centre located in a former hangar. The town also has a caravan parking lot. New footpaths branch off from the Trail into the very heart of the Nature Park. Past the station, the route crosses the only tunnel on the Trail and a few viaducts, including the Sima Viaduct, where extreme sports are practiced.

After winding through olive groves, clearings and Mediterranean shrubland, the route reaches the town of Cabra. The local railway station marks the beginning of the Sima de Cabra Route. The station turned restaurant also houses the Olive Oil Train Interpretation Centre, where the history of this Nature Trail, its towns and natural environment are narrated and interpreted.

Past Cabra, the route moves on to Lucena. Its railway station has been converted into a Crafts and Traditions Interpretation Centre, where the traditions and crafts that made this town famous are shown, including pottery, silverwork, bronze work and wood work, as well as its oil culture, folklore and feasts.

There is also a Museum of Vintage Cars at the station, next to the restaurant.

Further along the Trail, the terrain is no longer quite as steep. There are increasingly less olive groves and more vineyards, from which one of Cordoba’s flagship products, the Moriles-Montilla wine, is made.

The route reaches Moriles-Horcajo, the last station on the Trail, which provides service to Las Navas Sepillar, a hamlet of Lucena. From here, the Trail continues another four kilometres, through olive groves and vineyards, to Lucena.

As already stated, the Subbética Nature Trail links with many routes and leads to two protected areas, Laguna del Conde and Sierras Subbéticas Nature Park, enabling the traveller to enjoy the experience on foot, by bike, or even by car. As with the Aceite Greenway Nature Trail, additional trips, be it historical or cultural, may be enjoyed from the different towns that dot this Trail, including the Caliphate Route (Luque), or the Moriles Wine Route (Lucena).