Volterra and the old railway line of Saline
Volterra and the old railway line of Saline
Without wine tasting
| from 2 up to 3 participants | € 39 |
| from 4 and more participants | € 35 |
* Rates are per participants
Do you need a bike?
| Mtb | € 11/per bike |
| E-Mtb | € 20/per bike |
| Helmet (optional) | Free/per helmet |
| Damage insurance (Mtb) | € 3/per bike |
| Damage insurance (e-Mtb) | € 5/per bike |
Up to 4 mtb delivery at the starting of the tour and pick up at the end of the tour for free. For more than 4 mtb please request a quote.
The tour difficulty is primarily a subjective factor, determined by different elements and from never equal situations.
The most important of them is the effort: the more the climbs are high, the more effort is made.
But climbs are not all the same: they can be more or less steep and of variable length.
To get an idea of how many climbs are waiting for you on a tour, you should check the "elevation gain uphill". The higher the "elevation gain uphill" is the higher the number of climbs you have to face.
Another element that can make a tour more or less difficult is the climate and in particular - in summer time - the exposure to the sun.
Doing the same path in autumn or spring with 20/25 degrees is completely different if done in summer with 35 degrees.
In addition to the temperature, even the humidity, the presence of shade and the road surface can increase (even in the worst cases) the difficulty of 20%.
For this reason, there is no a unique answer to the question 'how difficult is a course' is; everybody has its own parameters and sensations that also depend on your training level, so the difficulty index is considered an indicative value.
More easy
Less easy
To help you choosing a guided tour, in addition to the degree of difficulty, we ranked the tours according to the following parameters: Landscape, Nature, Art and History.
Landscape
The trail winds through panoramic paths from which you can admire some of the most beautiful landscapes of the Tuscan countryside.
Nature
The tour takes place predominantly in wooded areas or crosses areas of important naturalistic interest such as parks or nature reserves.
Art and history
During the tour you will find places of great historical and artistic interest such as medieval villages, abbeys, churches and castles.
From Saline you see the river Cecina, awesome with its crystalline waters, and then you start the climb to Volterra along the wooded Nature Reserve of Berignone, a challenge for even the fittest riders. Cycling on roads that run through the rolling hills of Volterra countryside, we pass the village of Mazzola that stands on top of a hill, and continue in the direction of Volterra.
Once in Volterra, we will be taking the entrance of what was the ancient route of the old railway Saline - Volterra. Built around 1909 with a bold project, the railway was opened in 1912, and until 1958 it was the main connection between Saline and Volterra. It was about 8.5 km long and had some unique technical features. In particular, the locomotive was always located downhill in respect to the carriages but with the "face" directed "uphill", so that the carriages were pushed uphill, and when going downhill, the engine was pulling to prevent the train going too fast. Furthermore, because of the slope in the vicinity of Volterra , there was a form of gear system to help the train to climb. The railroad remained in operation until 1958 and was finally dismantled in 1962.
Today you can still see the building that housed the Volterra station, and the 4 tollbooths that you meet on the way down. From here, after a short refreshment stop, we will start a fantastic and almost interminable descent to return to the starting point while enjoying the incredible views of the countryside of Volterra.
Important things to know before you book a tour
Our guided mountain bike tours take place mainly on beautiful off-road routes, allowing us to reach places unreachable by any other means and to enjoy unique landscapes in contact with nature.
However, although they are relatively easy, they may have some more technical features that require a bit of technique when riding a mountain bike.
For these reasons, to participate in a guided tour, whether you choose to do it with a traditional or an electric mountain bike, it is necessary - in addition to being in good physical condition - to be able to ride a bicycle on dirt roads and to know the use of the gear and brakes.
- Always choose clothing suitable for the type of route and weather conditions. The use of slippers or sandals is not allowed.
- The water bottle is not supplied. It is therefore important to have a backpack to carry 1 or more bottles of water.
- During the tours, the guide must not be exceeded.
- Given the length of the tour, to participate, we recommend a good level of training, spirit of sacrifice and ability to pedal for long distances uphill.
- Read also our tips to ride safely.
For this reason, a liability assumption will be required during the booking process of a guided tour.
