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= Hiking in la Sierra de Madrid =
 
= Hiking in la Sierra de Madrid =
  
This is a list of our [[Walks and hiking|walks]] in the Sierra de [[Madrid]].
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This is a list of our [[Walks and hiking|walks]] in the [[Sierra de Madrid|Sierra]] de [[Madrid]].
 
You can download [[Media:SierraDeMadrid.gpx.zip|the GPX data for all these walks together]].
 
You can download [[Media:SierraDeMadrid.gpx.zip|the GPX data for all these walks together]].
  
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Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-13.jpg|Elena and the infinite.
 
Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-13.jpg|Elena and the infinite.
 
Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-16.jpg|Wild vegetation, a basic human endeavor in the form of a wall, and the capital of a former empire all in perspective.
 
Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-16.jpg|Wild vegetation, a basic human endeavor in the form of a wall, and the capital of a former empire all in perspective.
Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-19.jpg|Guadalix de la Sierra.
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Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-19.jpg|<span id=guadalix6oct2013>Guadalix de la Sierra.</span>
Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-20.jpg|Villages from the Sierra are not known for their own.
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Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-20.jpg|Villages from the Sierra are not always known for their particular beauty.
 
Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-21.jpg|The churches have kept something of an identity and character.
 
Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-21.jpg|The churches have kept something of an identity and character.
 
Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-22.jpg|What is not ugly is left to decay.
 
Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-22.jpg|What is not ugly is left to decay.
 
Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-23.jpg|Time and sun together.
 
Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-23.jpg|Time and sun together.
Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-24.jpg|Soto del Real.
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Image:cero-SanPedro-6Oct2013-24.jpg|<span id=soto6oct2013>Soto del Real.</span>
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
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File:TejeraNegra-nov2015-12.jpg|Presiding.
 
File:TejeraNegra-nov2015-12.jpg|Presiding.
 
File:TejeraNegra-nov2015-13.jpg|Great rock tiling.
 
File:TejeraNegra-nov2015-13.jpg|Great rock tiling.
File:TejeraNegra-nov2015-14.jpg|Riaza.
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File:TejeraNegra-nov2015-14.jpg|<span id="riaza">Riaza.</span>
 
File:TejeraNegra-nov2015-15.jpg|With its beautiful plaza mayor.
 
File:TejeraNegra-nov2015-15.jpg|With its beautiful plaza mayor.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
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The highlight of this walk in the Valle de la Fuenfría was a waterfall, ''the shower of the Germans'', called like this because German hikers liked to bathe in the pool, a tradition we found easy to honour as this segment of the trip was met with heavy rains.
 
The highlight of this walk in the Valle de la Fuenfría was a waterfall, ''the shower of the Germans'', called like this because German hikers liked to bathe in the pool, a tradition we found easy to honour as this segment of the trip was met with heavy rains.
  
<center><wz tip="When the shower is not enough.">[[File:ducha-alemanes-Sep2018.jpg|650px]]</wz></center>
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<center><wz tip="When the waterfall is not enough.">[[File:ducha-alemanes-Sep2018.jpg|650px]]</wz></center>
  
 
<gallery perrow=3 widths=200px>
 
<gallery perrow=3 widths=200px>
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File:Caliz-Pedriza-2Jan19-24.jpg|Picnic before getting back.
 
File:Caliz-Pedriza-2Jan19-24.jpg|Picnic before getting back.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
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== Puerto de la Morcuera y la Najarra ==
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The one walk you should have in the [[Sierra de Madrid]] if you can make only one! For us it was a lengthier <wz tagtotip="morcuera13jun20-1" width=-400>8.78km loop</wz>, in a bit less than 7 hours (but only half moving), but this is an otherwise easy hike, though with breathtaking, emblematical and varied views of the mountain range of the ''[[sistema central]]'', which we regard as the best way to enjoy this area of [[Spain]].
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<center><wz tip="Julia in the first big cluster of rocks we met at the feet of the Najarra, before we lost her mother and sister and had to retreat.">[[File:Najarra-13June20.jpg|650px]]</wz></center>
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{{gpx|Media:2020-06-14--Morcuera-Najarra.gpx}} <span id="morcuera13jun20-1">In cyan, the main walk; in yellow, our first attempt the day before (Julia and Fabrice's going up and down & back and forth):<br>[[File:morcuera13jun20-1.jpg|400px]]</span>
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On {{thisday|13|June|2020}}, with [[Julia]], [[Luz]], [[Elena]] and [[Fabrice]].
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This one was special as our first big excursion following [[covid|confinement]] (last before that was the [[Caer Caradoc]] in the [[Shropshire hills]]). We made <wz tagtotip="morcuera13jun20-1" width=-400>two attempts</wz>. The first one, on Saturday the 13th, with a direct climb to the Najarra, was unsuccessful as we lost track of each other in the <wz tagtotip=morcuera13jun20-2 width=-400>first big rock formation</wz>, where [[Julia]] and [[Fabrice]] were bouldering, while [[Luz]] and [[Elena]] were taking a path round, which led to the two groups disconnecting. The hiking was more challenging than we thought and we got defeated so we got back home. It was also the first time we got [[campercita]] out and all the camper-part was down, for some battery problem. Despite sore muscles due, for instance, for Fabrice getting all the way back down to the car and up again when not finding anyone here, part of which carrying Julia, we decided not to take this incident for a no, and returned. The next day. <span id="morcuera13jun20-2">[[File:morcuera13jun20-2.jpg|400px]]</span>
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So, on {{thisday|14|June|2020}}, this time also with [[Inma]] and [[Tizon]], and going the other way around, that is, the gentle slop as an ascent and the sharp one as a descent (definitely the one we recommend), also starting slightly earlier (still very late by our hiking standards, c.~14:00), we finally completed the walk which, to our surprise, turned out to be, indeed, not difficult (it had been chosen for that) although not fully trivial in parts (see the images) but also, more importantly, truly outstanding with unique views on the ''cuerda larga'', [[la Pedriza]], [[la Cabrera]], <wz tagtotip=morcuera13jun20-4 width=-600>[[Madrid]] itself (!?)</wz>, <wz tagtotip=morcuera13jun20-3 width=-400>[[Tres Cantos]] (!?)</wz>, etc., which makes this walk the one we'd recommend if you have only one to make in the area.
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<span id="morcuera13jun20-3">View of Montecito (our Tres Cantos flat), shown by an arrow, from the Collado de la Najarra. We are behind the first line of buildings, so we don't have a direct view to these mountains.<br>[[File:Montecito-desde-Najarra-14June20.png|400px]]</span>
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<span id="morcuera13jun20-4">View of Madrid from the Collado de la Najarra.<br>[[File:madrid-desde-najarra-14Jun20.jpg|600px]]</span>
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<gallery perrow=3 widths=200px>
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-1.jpg|On our first attempt, at the parking (mirador del Cossío), with [[Grelot]].
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-2.jpg|We first tried to attack directly the Najarra.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-3.jpg|We spent much time visiting the local summits, bouldering with [[Julia]], leaving Elena and Luz increasingly behind (still visible on this picture)...
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-4.jpg|thinking they would catch up; we can always wait for them.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-5.jpg|But eventually we lost track of them and couldn't find them from any viewpoint.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-6.jpg|On our second attempt, with the other route, a first highlight is this water-related construction.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-7.jpg|Elena checking up something, with Luz ready for the long journey.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-8.jpg|This path is easier and we met friendly locals.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-9.jpg|Most of them were in the valley at the bottom.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-10.jpg|Tizon joined us.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-11.jpg|A bit of bouldering for Julia.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-12.jpg|At the local top, ''Collado de la Najarra'', with the best view.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-17.jpg|La [[Peña del Rayo]] emerging from the woods, for a future excursion (with [[la Pedriza]] in background).
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-14.jpg|The view of the full ''Cuerda Larga'', which Luz, of course, could not enjoy.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-15.jpg|Instead she enjoyed another type of baby-activity.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-16.jpg|Julia was all on the bouldering side.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-18.jpg|At the horror of her grandmother.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-19.jpg|We stayed one hour here, playing, eating, and more bouldering for Julia.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-20.jpg|Even if efforts are moderate to get there, it is a serious mountain range.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-21.jpg|Luz still oblivious at what is going on.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-22.jpg|Another popular activity: finding beautiful rocks.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-23.jpg|Wanting so much to bring this back home (of course, we didn't).
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-24.jpg|Alpian feelings...
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-25.jpg|Back on track, towards the Najarra.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-26.jpg|This was the most difficult bit, with no clear trail to cross through these rocks.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-27.jpg|For Julia of course it was peanuts.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-28.jpg|A vulture surveying.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-29.jpg|Past the main difficulty, now on the high-plateau of la Najarra.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-30.jpg|Something up there caught our attention.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-31.jpg|The Iberian ibex.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-32.jpg|On the other side, a full herd was there grazing.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-33.jpg|They were jumping and escalading with disconcerting disregard for the impossibility of it.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-34.jpg|It was of course a great show to see them. There is a very large overpopulation, so they are common to see and easy to approach.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-35.jpg|They are a natural fit for the scenery.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-36.jpg|Luz unperturbed. Julia spotting still other wild goats.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-37.jpg|Closer to the top. The plateau is a gigantic field of serenity.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-38.jpg|A perfect oasis of calm from where to admire the ''Cuerda Larga''.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-39.jpg|No end of space on the top of a mountain.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-40.jpg|The last meters towards the final top.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-41.jpg|A bit of rest first, on a bed of rocks.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-Najarra.jpg|This bit of rocks is the Najarra.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-42.jpg|Julia and Fabrice went there (Najarra). This is at the tip.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-43.jpg|Luz stayed behind, with mama and mémé.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-44.jpg|Time to go back down.
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File:Morcuera-13-14June20-45.jpg|Passing by our yesterday's starting point, the groups of rocks where we got lost.
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</gallery>
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== Peña Citores, Las dos hermanas y Peñalara ==
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On [[Elena]]'s [[22 June 2020|39th Birthday]] ({{thisday|22|June|2020}}). <wz tagtotip="2hermanas22jun" width=500>A 14.9km loop</wz> in 5 hours with 690m total ascent/descent (skip 1.56km for Elena & girls and 90m ascent/descent from their skipping the end of Peñalara).
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<span id="2hermanas22jun">In green the part till the top of Peñalara by Fabrice alone:<br>[[File:doshermanas_22-06-2020.jpg|500px]]</span>
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<center><wz tip="''La Hermana Menor'', both the Mountain, and Luz, on the final part of our hiking.">[[File:DosHermanas_hike-22June20-2.jpg|650px]]</wz></center>
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<gallery perrow=3 widths=200px>
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-2.jpg|At the beginning with the flowers of the ''loma de las dos hermanas''.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-1.jpg|[[Guille]] called to congratulate [[Elena]] on her [[22 June 2020|39th birthday]].
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-3.jpg|[[La Sierra de Madrid]] from behind with [[la bola del mundo]] and [[Siete picos]].
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-4.jpg|The slope is very gentle on the ''camino de Peña Citores''.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-5.jpg|[[Julia]] climbing the ''trincheras'' to get a good view of the road towards [[Madrid]] that it's defending.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-6.jpg|A detour towards the Peña Citores.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-7.jpg|On the ''Senda del Batallón Alpino''.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-8.jpg|Pause on Peña Citores.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-10.jpg|Julia climbing around.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-9.jpg|Up and down.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-11.jpg|Meanwhile, [[Luz]] having her mountain lunch.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-12.jpg|The ''trincheras'' from the Peña. Difficult to imagine they have served any defensive purpose.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-13.jpg|The big attraction of the day: ladybugs.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-14.jpg|Leaving la Peña Citores towards the Dos Hermanas with Siete Picos in background.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-15.jpg|La Hermana Mayor (the mountain).
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-16.jpg|[[Fabrice]] and Julia towards Peñalara.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-17.jpg|''La Laguna mayor'' from the ''Hermana mayor''.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-18.jpg|The girls stayed behind.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-20.jpg|The ''Risco de los claveles'', which we left in the distance, from the top of Peñalara.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-19.jpg|The ''Real Sitio de San Idelfonso'', better known as ''la Granja''.
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File:DosHermanas-22June20-21.jpg|Little Elena and Julia and invisible Luz by the foot of the ''Hermana Mayor'' as Fabrice gets back down from Peñalara.
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</gallery>
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== Flanks of the Abantos ==
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A walk by the mountains of [[El Escorial]] on {{thisday|26|July|2020}}, namely, the ''Abantos'', with [[Inma]] and her brother [[Carlos]] (Elena's uncle) who suggested the route, selected for its practicality so staying on an isoline, avoiding the top and privileging a bathing stop which of course was very popular with Julia. The recorded track was <wz tagtotip=abantos26july width=500px>11.7 km with 450m ascent in 6h40 (4h walking)</wz> but we actually closed the loop after walking through El Escorial (in particular the square of the monastery) and spending [[26_July_2020|much time at a terrasse]], the first time after our March-June confinement. There we also had the company of Chicha and her partner as well as Eva, for a little while, whom we visited again to buy some soap.
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<span id="abantos26july">[[File:Screenshot_15-07-2020_193524.jpg|500px]]</span>
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<gallery perrow=3 widths=200px>
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-2.jpg|Luz in her now familiar hiking setup.
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-4.jpg|On a local top.
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-3.jpg|Encounter with a friendly breed of dragonfly, sitting on manzanilla.
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-7.jpg|The main road of our isoline.
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-8.jpg|Julia with the seat of the Spanish monarchs.
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-10.jpg|The mirador where we had our picnic with a stunning view of the Royal site.
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-11.jpg|Going off-track to capture better views of the monastery (or satisfy one's climbing urges).
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-12.jpg|The woodlands.
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-13.jpg|Towards the fountain, with the Abantos in the bakground.
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-14.jpg|Julia with the Reboul.
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-15.jpg|Pausing against the sun.
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-17.jpg|On our way back on a small path crossing through the forest.
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-18.jpg|Julia ahead.
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-19.jpg|Down, waiting for the others.
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File:ElEscorial-Abantos-26June20-25.jpg|At a [[26 July 2020|terrasse with baby Luz]], her first.
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</gallery>
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== Cascadas del Purgatorio ==
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https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/ruta-por-las-cascadas-del-purgatorio-desde-el-km-21-300-13711576
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= To do =
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* Mas de la Pedriza
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* La cresta de la Cabrera
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* Cabeza de Hierro (menor & major)
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* la Maliciosa
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* Toda la cuerda larga
  
 
== Links ==
 
== Links ==

Revision as of 11:49, 21 July 2020

Hiking in la Sierra de Madrid

This is a list of our walks in the Sierra de Madrid. You can download the GPX data for all these walks together.

Bola-del-mundo-26Aug18-15.jpg

Contents


Fuente de la Campanilla

On 3 June (2012) with Elena's parents.

The fountain of the bell lies in the woods of Navacerrada in the Sierra de Madrid. It has a bell which people ring before drinking the icy cold water from the mountains.

It turned out to be the last walk of Onyx, our terrier, who passed away one month and one week later. As one can see from these pictures, although 14 years old and a half, he remained healthy till the end, in fact, till the very last day.

El Cerro de San Pedro

On 6 October (2013).

SanPedro.jpg

The Cerro de San Pedro is a landmark of the Sierra de Madrid, as it stands alone from the rest of the chain of mountains from the Sistema Central. Its small height and spread out distribution makes it an easy hike. It affords splendid views of the north of Madrid, being so close, and of the rest of the Sierra, around it. After hiking it, we passed by Guadalix de la Sierra and Soto del Real.

Icon gpx.jpgDownload the gpx file for this track.

Sierra de Hoyo de Manzanares

On 13 October (2013), with Tizón. We did not expect much from this little patch of Sierra, far from the mighty Pedriza. But it exploded all our expectations. It was very quiet, we met nobody there, and the views and feels are about as grandiose as those of the most famous spots in the Sierra de Madrid. We also had a nice view of the Palace of Canto del Pico, with its strange architecture, even at a distance, and made famous as a residence of Franco.

Icon gpx.jpgDownload the gpx file for this track.

Abedular de Canencia

On 27 October (2013), with Elena's parents and Tizón.

Icon gpx.jpgDownload the gpx file for this track.

Fp.laussy.jpgThe third route was the first from a book of scenic routes in the Sierra, bought by Elena en marge of a manifestation in Madrid, and the first with Inma & Julio. We quickly realized that it was bringing us to the Chorrera de Mojonavalle which we had visited back in July 2008 with Daniele and where I almost killed myself, slipping while climbing the waterfall (?!) The choice of a wood was motivated by Autumn, and we headed for this popular location where birch trees (abedules) mix with pine trees. It had rained a lot the previous days, and many mushrooms enthusiasts were passing by with full baskets. So abundant were the Boletus edulis that we also found enough ourselves for the supper. Another unexpected encounter was with the Spanish celebrity Dani Mateo who was enjoying family moments hiding in a cap that could not however also conceal his peculiar voice (and who tried to climb the waterfall in very much the same foolish and dangerous way I did in 2008).

Along the Manzanares

On 1 November (2013). With Elena's parents and Tizón.

Icon gpx.jpgDownload the gpx file for this track.

This is very close from Tres Cantos and Colmenar, and again is an area of unsuspected beauty, suitable for shorter walks.

The Yelmo

On 7 December (2013). With Tizón.

Icon gpx.jpgDownload the gpx file for this track.

The Yelmo is the highlight of la Pedriza. This area is so beautiful, we hardly dare to go. Each walk in the area is replete of adventures, overwhelming feelings and time pressure. This was no exception as we could not complete the loop and had to take a taxi to bring us back to our starting point.

La Pedriza

On 20 March (2014). With Carlos Sanchez, Blanca Silva, Juan Pablo Restrepo, Guillermo Guirales, Camilo López-Carreño, William Júnio Lima, David Colas, Dmitrii Vishnevskii, his wife Irina and their friend Olga, and of course, Tizón.

PolaFlowGroupExcursion-Pedriza-March2014.jpg

El Cerro de San Pedro, in the springtime

On 17 May (2015), with Julia and Tizón.

It had been a long time, well over a year, since our last hike in the Sierra de Madrid, due to our Madrilean year. To get it on track again, we returned to the Cerro de San Pedro, which is an outstanding hike with a terrific view of a good portion of the Comunidad de Madrid. It is also our opening walk of this series, and we went the both of us. This time, we were accompanied by Julia and our little dog.

Hayedo de tejera negra

On 7 November (2015). This was before Fabrice's trip to Bruxelles for the European Union. We went there for the autumnal palette but had apparently missed the narrow window of optimum colours by a few weeks, as the woods were all mourning already, but the mountains were splendid. They never fail to impress.

The snow in Castilla y León

On 17 January (2016), we went with Isabel and Camilo (also with Elena's parents, Tizón, ourselves and Julia) to the mountains, with a specific aim: to meet the snow, a first time for Isabel & Camilo (Julia got close enough in Auvergne in March (2015) but this basically was a first experience for her too as she was so tiny earlier; in fact she still has occasions to discover the snow for the first time!). There has been little snow in Europe this year, so we had to go a bit far, to the frontier of the Comunidad de Madrid, at its meeting point with Castilla y León.

Garganta de los Montes

On 18 June (2016), with Elena's parents and Tizon, we went to the mountain that sits behind the Cabrera, of which it affords a splendid, if not unfamiliar, view. It is largely forgotten from tourists and hikers so that you can enjoy a peaceful stroll among cows wandering freely and, in our case, even a flock of goats guarded by two half-savage dogs who galloped towards us as we reached the top. This reached a moment of extreme tension as they chased Tizon and captured him for a few seconds of extreme shock as it wasn't clear if they were not going after his life. Despite the horror, me jumping onto the dog (harming my leg in the way), Inma's shouting in shock, it so appeared they wanted to play with him as he was unharmed (he got the scare of his life and the moaning he made when he got caught, unable to escape the much faster dogs, appeared to all of us as that of a prey being murdered). Thankfully, all went well and we could complete the tour with only a good fright.

Hoyo de Manzanares: Cruz del Pan

On 12 October (2017), with Elena's parents and Tizon, Elena and Julia (without Fabrice) went to Hoyo de Manzanares to do the circular walk of Cruz del Pan. It took them around 3-4 hours because Julia was walking around 50% of the track.

La Bola del Mundo

On 26 August (2018), with Camilo.

The alto de las Guarramillas is better known as the "bola del mundo" by Madrilenes, due to the old Spanish TV displaying in its announcements the antennas that crowns the top of the mountain on a stylized globe. It affords a rare view of the Communidad de Madrid, with Manzanares el Real, Colmenar Viejo, Tres Cantos and Madrid all lined up (you can get an idea of this view from one of our panoramas). This is a special spot for us as this is the view we have from our breakfat terrace in Montecito.

It is an easy (7.8km) hike from the Puerto de Navacerrada till the top and back, on a fully paved road, which decided us to attempt it in the last days of recovery of Fabrice's surgery (we used to walk round Tres Cantos before that). Since Fabrice couldn't carry Julia, this is also the first mountain excursion she fully completed on her own! It took us 1h30 to the top, going slowly. We spent another one hour there, marveling at the view with a snack. It was thrilling to identify our flat from so far away (29.5km in a straight line). We missed the Ventisquero de la Condesa, which is the birthplace of the Manzanares, that was a few hundred meters away but a fact we discovered only afterward. It was another hour to go down. The day ended with a nice dinner at the Terraza Jardin Felipe in Navacerrada.Bola-mundo-trajectory-aug18.jpg

La cascada del Hervidero

On 9 September (2018), with Camilo.

There are several waterfalls (cascada) in the Sierra, which give you the occasion of bathing in summer time. One of the most interesting waterfalls is quite close from home, in San Agustín del Guadalix.

Ducha de los Alemanes

On 15 September (2018), with Camilo and Elena's parents.

The highlight of this walk in the Valle de la Fuenfría was a waterfall, the shower of the Germans, called like this because German hikers liked to bathe in the pool, a tradition we found easy to honour as this segment of the trip was met with heavy rains.

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Other interesting cascades include:

  • Poza de Sócrates y cascadas de las Guarramillas
  • Cascada de la Presa del Pradillo

El Caliz de La Pedriza y Peña Horcajo

Icon gpx.jpgDownload the gpx file for this track.

On 2 January (2019). Our first excursion of the year, on one less-regarded side of the Pedriza, with one highlight: El Caliz. We had selected it facil from Wikiloc, but once there, it turned out to be quite challenging. We could not close the loop through the wild vegetation as the path was regularly being lost in the rocks which were seldom making it possible to cut through, and we had one hour left of light, so we went all the way back (carrying Julia on the backpack to walk fast although she managed all the way up alone and would certainly have been able to complete the walk with enough time left). This is a great excursion that affords splendid views of the Pedriza and el Caliz is a unique boulder formation, changing shape and character from every directions (I named my computer after it). We also spotted the magnificent rock el Tolmo sitting between two mountains, to which we will return to pat it.

Puerto de la Morcuera y la Najarra

The one walk you should have in the Sierra de Madrid if you can make only one! For us it was a lengthier 8.78km loop, in a bit less than 7 hours (but only half moving), but this is an otherwise easy hike, though with breathtaking, emblematical and varied views of the mountain range of the sistema central, which we regard as the best way to enjoy this area of Spain.

Najarra-13June20.jpg

Icon gpx.jpgDownload the gpx file for this track. In cyan, the main walk; in yellow, our first attempt the day before (Julia and Fabrice's going up and down & back and forth):
Morcuera13jun20-1.jpg

On 13 June (2020), with Julia, Luz, Elena and Fabrice. This one was special as our first big excursion following confinement (last before that was the Caer Caradoc in the Shropshire hills). We made two attempts. The first one, on Saturday the 13th, with a direct climb to the Najarra, was unsuccessful as we lost track of each other in the first big rock formation, where Julia and Fabrice were bouldering, while Luz and Elena were taking a path round, which led to the two groups disconnecting. The hiking was more challenging than we thought and we got defeated so we got back home. It was also the first time we got campercita out and all the camper-part was down, for some battery problem. Despite sore muscles due, for instance, for Fabrice getting all the way back down to the car and up again when not finding anyone here, part of which carrying Julia, we decided not to take this incident for a no, and returned. The next day. Morcuera13jun20-2.jpg

So, on 14 June (2020), this time also with Inma and Tizon, and going the other way around, that is, the gentle slop as an ascent and the sharp one as a descent (definitely the one we recommend), also starting slightly earlier (still very late by our hiking standards, c.~14:00), we finally completed the walk which, to our surprise, turned out to be, indeed, not difficult (it had been chosen for that) although not fully trivial in parts (see the images) but also, more importantly, truly outstanding with unique views on the cuerda larga, la Pedriza, la Cabrera, Madrid itself (!?), Tres Cantos (!?), etc., which makes this walk the one we'd recommend if you have only one to make in the area. View of Montecito (our Tres Cantos flat), shown by an arrow, from the Collado de la Najarra. We are behind the first line of buildings, so we don't have a direct view to these mountains.
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View of Madrid from the Collado de la Najarra.
Madrid-desde-najarra-14Jun20.jpg

Peña Citores, Las dos hermanas y Peñalara

On Elena's 39th Birthday (22 June (2020)). A 14.9km loop in 5 hours with 690m total ascent/descent (skip 1.56km for Elena & girls and 90m ascent/descent from their skipping the end of Peñalara). In green the part till the top of Peñalara by Fabrice alone:
Doshermanas 22-06-2020.jpg

DosHermanas hike-22June20-2.jpg

Flanks of the Abantos

A walk by the mountains of El Escorial on 26 July (2020), namely, the Abantos, with Inma and her brother Carlos (Elena's uncle) who suggested the route, selected for its practicality so staying on an isoline, avoiding the top and privileging a bathing stop which of course was very popular with Julia. The recorded track was 11.7 km with 450m ascent in 6h40 (4h walking) but we actually closed the loop after walking through El Escorial (in particular the square of the monastery) and spending much time at a terrasse, the first time after our March-June confinement. There we also had the company of Chicha and her partner as well as Eva, for a little while, whom we visited again to buy some soap. Screenshot 15-07-2020 193524.jpg

Cascadas del Purgatorio

https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/ruta-por-las-cascadas-del-purgatorio-desde-el-km-21-300-13711576

To do

  • Mas de la Pedriza
  • La cresta de la Cabrera
  • Cabeza de Hierro (menor & major)
  • la Maliciosa
  • Toda la cuerda larga

Links