Soto del Real

Soto del Real or simply Soto, is a mountain village in the zona norte de la Comunidad de Madrid. This is where we live since April (2024).

Soto-14Jun20.jpg

We made our first visit on 6 October (2013) but did not find much to see or remember particularly from the place. Little did we know that we would buy our house there in December (2023). This is now our main residence.

The place used to be called Chozas de la Sierra (Uk.pngCottages of the Mountain) although cottage has to be understood here not in the modern British sense but more as a rustic hut (it would be Fr.pngCabane in French). The sierra is correct and refers to the place being in the valley by the Sierra de Madrid, more precisely, by the Cuerda Larga beneath La Najarra, with beautiful views on la Pedriza. It is surrounded by Manzanares el Real, Colmenar Viejo, Miraflores de la Sierra, Rascafría and is about 50km from Madrid.

It has the major concentration of storks in Madrid (along with Manzanares et Real. You can get very close to them in the Parque del Rio, by the church.

It has a Mediterranean climate but of the Csb ("cool dry-summer") type as opposed to Madrid which is Csa ("hot dry-summer") [1].