Blessings of the Camino : Manzanares el Real to Las Dehesas

We woke up to the sounds of a large flock of swallows outside our open window shortly after it got light outside.  The other inhabitants of our dorm soon began to stir, and by around 7:30 am we were packed up and ready to head out.  

Leaving our full packs behind, we walked towards the church and the center of town, following the delicious smells coming from the local panaderia.  We were soon sitting at a wooden table in a warm brick bakery, enjoying café con leches and napolitanas with the locals and a few climbers.  

Thus fortified for the first stage of our walk, we took a short tour through town, circling around the base of the castle, with its tall rounded turrets of striped brick, and its fences made of woven branches and sturdy sticks.  It was a beautiful sight, lit by the early morning sun. 

As we made our way back through town we stopped to admire the abundance of stork nests on the roof of the church.  There must have been nearly a dozen nests which ranged from small, messy piles of sticks to established nests that were 3-4 feet tall. A large flock of White Storks circled the roof, clacking to each other, scuffling, and soaring through the warm morning air.  It was quite the sight to behold. 

We navigated out of town through a quiet residential neighborhood, and then followed a short dirt track to the entrance of the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park.  The line-up of cars waiting to get into the park stretched down the highway on this gorgeous Good Friday, and the parking lot was already full.  Tucked below a dense canopy of pines was a wood panelled and glass Visitor's Center that could have belonged in one of Canada's National Parks, except for the red tile roof. 

Our footsteps crunched along the wide gravel path as we began a gentle climb, following the edge of the national park.  The scenery in this section was absolutely stunning. A rough stone wall bordered the path, beyond which were green fields and pastures, some inhabited by cows and horses. Rugged, rocky mountains provided a stunning backdrop, glowing in the morning sunshine.  

Large square boulders with rounded corners and edges were piled and scattered across the landscape, and they crowned the ridges and mountains like fingers pointing upwards into the sky.  The tallest peaks were covered in snow, which stood out against the bright blue sky.  

A highlight was passing the hermitage of San Isidro.  The small stone building was tucked into the base of the mountain, and it had beautiful stained glass windows, a tile mural, and a cross created from horseshoes.  It felt like a sanctuary, perhaps from storms crossing the mountains.  

 

 

We made our way through the landscape slowly, taking many breaks to admire and photograph the scenery.  Before we knew it we were entering the small village of Mataelpino.  Many people were out enjoying the sunshine in the small community, but the town itself was just beginning to open up for the day.  

We made a slight detour off the Camino to the El Valle Panaderia and Cafeteria, where we indulged in glasses of fresh, cold zuma and croissants that were still warm.  Delicious!  Sitting on the sidewalk patio, looking at the stunning scenery, it was difficult to imagine a better place to be at that moment. 

When we left Mataelpino behind we found ourselves following a narrow dirt track that wove along above the highway and below the magnificent mountains.  We were surrounded by fragrant lavender and leathery shrubs that were filled with plump blossoms.  In a few weeks these hills will be covered in a riot of colour! It was very bright and sunny as we crunched across the dry, sandy, landscape, listening to lizards scurrying into the underbrush, and watching as delicate yellow, light green, and orange butterflies flitted through the air. 

After eventually crossing the highway, which was extremely busy with holiday traffic, we found ourselves following a dirt path below the highway, which ran parallel to a clear, fast-flowing stream.  The waters rushed and gurgled as they tumbled down the slope, drowning out the sounds of the traffic above us.  The grass was soft and lush along the stream banks, and a sign indicated it was an important habitat for amphibians.  Although we kept a sharp eye out, we didn't manage to spot any frogs, but we certainly enjoyed the abundance and diversity of birds!

After crossing the highway a second time we followed the muddy and slightly wet track through a treed corridor between fields.  Just before we reached the outskirts of Navacerrada, we stopped to photograph and watch a flock of mixed birds.  A retired Spanish couple who had been walking down the path behind us stopped to see what Sean was photographing, and then began animatedly talking about the little European Robin we were watching.  When we caught up to them again a few blocks later they were searching the shrubs for signs of bird life!  

The town of Navacerrada looked like a mix of holiday villas and condos that somewhat resembled the ski chalets found in mountain towns across Canada. Many modern and up-scale hotels, bars, and restaurants filled the center of the town.  After the climb from Mataelpino we were hot and thirsty, but all the patios seemed to already be entirely full. We navigated the crowded sidewalks until finally we spotted a small bar with two stools available.  We soon discovered it was more of a bar than a café, so we ordered two small cervezas.  As is customary in Spain, our drinks came with 'a little something.'  In many cases this is mixed nuts, chips, or tortilla, but this time it was a delicious dish that seemed to be mashed potato, apples, and chorizo.  It had a smoky flavour and a bit of spice that was entirely delicious! 

With this additional fuel we set off out of town, preparing for the big climb of the day.  We dove up an extremely steep, partially washed out track beside a graffiti covered abandoned building, but then found ourselves on a lovely dirt footpath that wound through a peaceful pine forest.  The warm sun filtered down through the delicate pine needles, filling the air with the fresh, tangy smell of pine.  The pine cones were truly enormous, highly polished looking, and unexpectedly heavy. 

We enjoyed the walk through the forest and managed not to get lost, even though there were several forks and branches in the trail where the yellow arrows could have used a touching up of paint, or perhaps been made more visible (we failed to them).  In any case, we successfully descended towards Cercedilla, passing a herd of colourful and character-filled cows along the path, and then encountering a small group of colourful sheep with very cute faces.  

When we finally reached Cercedilla we found that it too was full of holiday makers.  As in the previous town, all the bars and restaurants were full, and the sidewalks were crowded.  When we stepped inside the church we saw that the icons of Jesus and Mary were ready to be carried through the streets, and we realized there must be a celebration planned in the town tonight. 

The suspicion that a fiesta is being held tonight was confirmed when we reached the far side of the town and began to climb more steeply.  The road up the mountain was lined with a long procession of parked cars, and and a steady stream of well-dressed people was walking down the path beside the pavement. Couples, teenagers, and families spanning 3-4 generations were making their way down to the town.  We felt like fish swimming up stream! 

Our destination for tonight was about 4 km beyond Cercedilla, up a steep and unrelenting climb.  The slopes on either side of the road were covered in fragrant pines, and the scenery was beautiful!  Along the way we passed two youth hostels that are typically open to pilgrims, but are currently housing Ukrainian refugees.  Apparently the larger hostels in the Comunidad de Madrid are all currently being used this way, which is a truly noble humanitarian gesture.  Although it has made finding pilgrim accommodations along the way a little more difficult, we are truly glad to know these resources are being used to provide much needed assistance and support for Ukrainian refugees.  

We also passed many of the other hostels and hotels we contacted to ask about accommodations.  When we decided to change our plans at the last minute and head to Spain a month early, we didn't fully realize we were beginning during Holy Week.  This is a huge celebration across Spain, and since we are in a region offering several national parks, cycling and hiking trails, rock climbing, lakes, stunning mountain scenery, and many holiday villas and hotels, almost everything in this area was booked solid this weekend.  All the places we passed along the winding mountain road were indeed full! 

After passing a Visitor's Welcome Center for the National Park and surrounding region we joined the throngs of people walking through the pine forest on the uneven cobble stones of the old Roman Road.  This Via Romana dates from the time of Emperor Vespasian (69 - 79 AD), and was used to connect Titulcia to Segovia, crossing the Sierra Guadarramas through Fuenfría.  It was quite an amazing feeling to walk such an ancient route, and imagine what it must have been like, and what the people who walked it at various times throughout its history must have looked like. 

We followed this road, which ran more or less parallel to the paved highway for a few kilometers.  We weren't sure if we'd be able to access our accommodations from the forested track, so eventually we made our way back up the steep slope to the road, where the yellow arrows of the Caminos were painted on the crash barriers.  One of the highlights of this section was passing a man who was headed downhill with a huge raptor perched on his forearm.

Shortly afterwards we came to Casa Cirilo, the restaurant and Casa Rural where we had found one of the very few available rooms for the night.  It was tucked away among the very tall pines at the edge of the road, and the large patio out front was absolutely full of people.  It took a little while to find someone who could speak English so we could explain that we had a reservation for a room.  Even though the place was bursting at the seams, the staff was incredibly kind and patient.  We checked into a lovely room, did our laundry and had a shower, and moved back down to the restaurant for a couple cervezas and boccadillos con queso.  They were delicious, and the English speaking staff seemed to adopt us, giving us extra snacks and making sure we were okay and had everything we needed.

It was a gorgeous day on the Camino, which ended with a long hot climb up to around 1,300 m elevation, but we couldn't have asked for more. 

Distance: 25 km
Accommodations: Casa Cirilo