Hiking in la Sierra de Madrid

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.

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.

• 
  Inma (and Nanou), Julio and Elena.
• 
  Los bosques de la Sierra de Madrid.
• 
  Onyx refreshing himself.
• 
  Elena.
• 
  Onyx.
• 
  His favourite spot.
• 
  Laughing at the little dog.
• 
  Are we going yet?
• 
  To the top...
• 
  Who's laughing now?
• 
  Going well.
• 
  The "fountain of the bell", or fuente de la Campanilla.
• 
  Resting.
• 
  A deserved treat.
• 
  The sparse forest of the Sierra.
• 
  Pinecones in fire.
• 
  Toward the top.
• 
  Not looking that far away.
• 
  White campanulas in the wild.
• 
  A river of rocks.
• 
  Julio and Inma.
• 
  Now with Fabrice.
• 
  Pausing with the mountain.
• 
  A carpet of colours.
• 
  More flowers.
• 
  And more rocks.
• 
  Decisions being taken to call this the highest point for today.
• 
  Back in the forest.
• 
  And its enchanted trees.
• 
  Where rocks and trees look at time passing.

El Cerro de San Pedro

On 6 October (2013).

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.

Download the gpx file for this track.

• 
  A wall to pass over,
• 
  The top of the San Pedro.
• 
  Spain (with Madrid in background), as seen from the Cerro de San Pedro.
• 
  Apart from the stunning landscape, what especially takes one's breath away are the colors.
• 
  The colors of a desert...
• 
  in which the grass didn't completely surrender.
• 
  Detail of the vegetation.
• 
  With Manzanares el Real in background, and its pantano, it's actually a lot of water.
• 
  Colors can even be British like as a result.
• 
  Although the major theme is definitely on the yellowish.
• 
  On the ochre side of it.
• 
  Ochre and stone black.
• 
  Here a palette from desert sand, that is actually reddish, and certainly all the variations of chartreuse.
• 
  Guadalix, in between two moutains.
• 
  The high-speed train bridge, that pierces through the Cerro de San Pedro.
• 
  La Cabrera (on the right, the Pico de la Miel and dominating on this shot, the Cancho de la Bola.)
• 
  Elena and the infinite.
• 
  Wild vegetation, a basic human endeavor in the form of a wall, and the capital of a former empire all in perspective.
• 
  Guadalix de la Sierra.
• 
  Villages from the Sierra are not known for their own.
• 
  The churches have kept something of an identity and character.
• 
  What is not ugly is left to decay.
• 
  Time and sun together.
• 
  Soto del Real.

Sierra de Hoyo de Manzanares

On 13 October (2013), with Tizón.

Download the gpx file for this track.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Abedular de Canencia

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

Download the gpx file for this track.

The 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 would bring 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).

• 
• 
• 
  On top of the Perdiguera.
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
  El arroyo del Sestil del Maíllo.
• 
• 
  According to this proud gentleman, this is probably the biggest boletus ever found in this area.
• 
  A sample of our own collect, frying.

Along the Manzanares

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

Download the gpx file for this track.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The Yelmo

On 7 December (2013). With Tizón.

Download the gpx file for this track.

• 
  Our starting point, slightly before la Peña Sacra.
• 
  Tizón on the starting blocks.
• 
  La Pedriza, as seen from Manzanares el Real.
• 
  The Manzanares (river) carving the Pedriza, on its way through the village (el Real) towards Madrid.
• 
  The rocks in a precarious equilibrium.
• 
  Assembling a composition of granite.
• 
  Meeting in the sky.
• 
  Waiting for Elena.
• 
  A climber giving the scale to a rock.
• 
  El pantano de Manzanares.
• 
  With the Yelmo, our destination, in background.
• 
  On the edge.
• 
  Rocks everywhere.
• 
  An unsuspected meadow in between.
• 
  Making the progression overall easy.
• 
  View from the top of the Yelmo.
• 
  Woodlands and snow eating the Central System.
• 
  Leaving, from the other side of the Yelmo.
• 
  One specimen of the abundant Spanish ibex populating the area.
• 
  Rocks draped like giant bed sheets.
• 
  The path is a bit more difficult on the way back.
• 
  The arduous way we came back through, with the Yelmo on the right.
• 
  The crazy burnished copper colors embracing the mountains...
• 
  when the sun sets on the other side.

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.

• 
  Big stones among naked trees.
• 
  Elena, Camilo, Juan-Pablo and Carlos.
• 
  Love (cf. "Love").
• 
  With Tizon who spot something moving in the distance (either David or a goat).
• 
  With the colour theme of the Pedriza.
• 
  The ascension.
• 
  William seriously freaked out at some point.
• 
  The nest of a Griffon Vulture hidden in the rock.
• 
  The Griffon Vulture hiding in its nest.
• 
  Guillermo, more peaceful than the mountains.
• 
  The Geek (cf. "The Clown")
• 
  Dmitrii.
• 
  Everybody.
• 
  The Pedriza balancing its rocks in the face of eternity.
• 
  The style of water carving granite.
• 
  Winners never quit. Even if it's 27.3km.
• 
  Pausing for the photo: Guillermo, Blanca, Carlos, Tizon, Elena, Juan-Pablo & Camilo. Who's got the nicest smile?
• 
  David, just after finding a funny rock.
• 
  William, trying not to fall in the precipice behind.
• 
  Guillermo would seem to drift like a cloud more than walking like the rest of us.
• 
  A narrow path.
• 
  Juan-Pablo.
• 
  Back in the woods.
• 
  One can still see plainly the huge, monumental, massive rock that once was there, as polished as the little ones that are now scattered around.

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.

• 
  The starting spot, somewhere 9km from Colmenar and 40km from Madrid.
• 
  What we have to climb: a lot of rocks in a lot of light.
• 
  This time, we brought Tizón.
• 
  It was a lot of sun for him but he kept a good rythm.
• 
  Here in the lead.
• 
  Meeting.
• 
  On the edge.
• 
  Julia, on top.
• 
  Collation.
• 
  The landscape changed a lot since our last visit.
• 
  On the wrong side of the wall...
• 
  Thistles before they get burned and yellow.
• 
  Their purple touch is nicely matched with the rest of the vegetation.
• 
  Back to the city.
• 
  Julia sad that we are leaving, maybe?

Hayedo de tejera negra

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

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.

• 
  What the mountain looked like for this day.
• 
  It was not snow everywhere, but we found much fun on the way.
• 
  But more than fun, beauty!
• 
  When you see snow for the first time...
• 
  ...and shortly after.
• 
  Cette boule de neige, était une boule de neige. [1]
• 
  Julia, 17 of January 2016.
• 
  The wood was fantastic, petrified in the snow.
• 
  Isabel, facing North.
• 
  Camilo, courting a tree.
• 
  Everything frozen.
• 
  But not everywhere.
• 
  In fact, a bit below it's snow free already.
• 
  Elena in the seriously frozen part.
• 
  Posing with Winter.
• 
  Not enough eyes to see everything.
• 
  The highlight for Julia.
• 
  Her first ice-skating.
• 
  Cabrito in Lozoya.
• 
  Julia's tasting.
• 
  La Fuente de los cuatro caños in Lozoya.

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.

• 
  A ball of flowers.
• 
  "Espliego".
• 
  Tizon back from clearing the way.
• 
  With the upper part of Garganta de los Montes in background.
• 
  Almost free and happy...
• 
  Another friend met on the way.
• 
  Shortcut through a field.
• 
  A nice little fountain made from two branches of a tree.
• 
  Pause picnic
• 
  by the "riachuelo"
• 
  Back on track.
• 
  Mountain woods.
• 
  "Retamo".
• 
  The toughest part of the ascension put some distance between us.
• 
  The Cabrera from behind.
• 
  Julia on the crest.
• 
  Good rythm and good spirits.
• 
  Towards the tip.
• 
  At the top.
• 
  Global view of the mountain covered by lavender (espliego) and genisteae (retamo).
• 
  and of the forest part...
• 
  "Retamo", as shrubs of this type, is very olfactory as well as colorful.
• 
  We found a lot of different types of caterpillars and butterflies.
• 
  "Gartanta de los Montes" (mountain's throat) with its nice stone-walls constructions.

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.

• 
  Julia likes climbing, jumping...
• 
  running
• 
  with the abus
• 
  and Titi
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

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.

• 
  There is a paved road up to the top, making the hiking easy.
• 
  It's actually one of the highest paved roads in Europe!?
• 
  Still, Elena had to develop a technique (the train) to entice Julia to keep going.
• 
  This was so successful that she went all the way up without being carried, making this the first excursion she completed all by herself.
• 
  Although a few pauses were in order.
• 
  So that we could take time for some reflection and contemplation.
• 
  Navacerrada is a place usually replete with snow, but of course not in August.
• 
  Time to gather up one's strenght and keep going.
• 
  The typical expression of the hiker, young and old: the eye fixed on one's destination with an air of incredulity.
• 
  Almost there.
• 
  On one side, the tree-covered cool and well irrigated mountains of Castilla-Léon.
• 
  On the other side, the arid, rocky, burning mountains of the Comunidad de Madrid.
• 
  Now very close to the top.
• 
  We first met this virgin with a pair of skis (still holding the baby).
• 
  It's always easier on the crest, but one has to get there first.
• 
  The rest of the ascension is then a piece of cake.
• 
  Who forgot their key in such a place?
• 
  The bola del mundo, in the full details of what we can hardly make out from home.
• 
  With its rocket-looking antennas, hence the name.
• 
  Elena found the best observation spot.
• 
  Some views from the top: the bit of the mountain recognizable from our Fuente de la Campanilla expedition.
• 
  The Pedriza, with the Yelmo on the right, and the Cerro de San Pedro in the background.
• 
  A bit of la Maliciosa (we think).
• 
  Manzanares el Real is neatly distinguishable, as is Colmenar Viejo. You need binoculars to appreciate Tres Cantos in some details.
• 
  Julia exploring the top of the "World's ball", fully equipped with her little bag and binoculars.
• 
  And maybe coming to some conclusions about it.
• 
  Time to go back down.
• 
  Camilo and Julia actually ran for most of the way.
• 
  Although paved, the road remains tortuous and making great detours.
• 
  We left behind us the then-useless snow guards as odd-looking frontier fences.

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.

• 
  The rio Guadalix, a peaceful river to accompany you to the waterfall.
• 
  It was a stormy day with worrying (although distant) thunders and no rain.
• 
  The bridge on the Guadalix, before the waterfall.
• 
  To go down to the waterfall, one must exert much caution. It's a steep descent.
• 
  The Cascada del Hervidero, a fantastic dual waterfall with a little lake bathing its feet.
• 
  Pausing with the natural wonder.
• 
  Now enjoying the natural pool.
• 
  September is not quite summer even in Spain.
• 
  The water playing hide and seek with the mountain.
• 
  Elena daring enough to take a shower.
• 
  Waves.
• 
  Cascade.
• 
  The infamous stairs, even trickier to go up.
• 
  The area is replete with buildings and engineering from the Canal de Isabel II.
• 
  On the way back, as seen from the flanks of the Canyon.

Ducha de los Alemanes

Other interesting cascades include:

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