Rascafría: Trails, Culture and Nature
Accommodation in Rascafría
In Rascafría, the Ruta Verde 1 runs from Puerto de Los Cotos via El Paular to Rascafría. It can be covered on foot, on horseback or by mountain bike; with sufficient snow, parts of it can also be used on skis.
File:Rascafría, Madrid, Spain - panoramio.jpg
Photo: wortofree madrid via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Trails and Landscape
The El Paular y Los Batanes circular route is 4.3 kilometres long and begins and ends at the Los Cascajales car park in the centre of Rascafría. The route features forests of Pyrenean oak and riverside vegetation.
The trail from Rascafría to Oteruelo is just over 2 kilometres long, has no incline and forms part of the Camino Natural. At El Bosque de Finlandia, there is a water feature along the trail from Rascafría to El Paular, as well as birch, yew and holly trees.
For day planning, you can consider the means of transport, route length and route profile as separate criteria. This places a circular route, a level trail and a connection with several possible means of transport side by side.
The trails therefore differ in their basic form and use: the circular route returns to the starting point, the trail to Oteruelo is designated as a level connection, and the Ruta Verde 1 lists several possible means of transport. The route form, elevation profile and means of transport can therefore be considered separately.
The Centro de Visitantes Valle de El Paular is located in Rascafría next to the Puente del Perdón and provides an information point for visitors. Public bus routes 194 and 194A serve this Centro de Visitantes.
Culture and History
The Real Monasterio de Santa María de El Paular has been protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural in the category of National Monument since 1876. It was founded in 1390 by the House of Trastámara as the first Carthusian monastery in Castile.
The monastic complex of the Real Monasterio de Santa María de El Paular includes the church, chapter house, tabernacle-sanctuary, refectory and cloister of remembrance. A three-arched bridge made of granite blocks was probably built in the first half of the 18th century to replace an older bridge.
Nature and Water
The Las Presillas recreation area has three river pools; swimming is permitted exclusively in this area. Access to the Las Presillas recreation area is free of charge.
The Peñalara Massif features well-preserved glacial landforms that are considered unique in the Comunidad de Madrid. The Cascadas del Purgatorio were formed by the erosion of the Arroyo del Aguilón; the water flows between prominent granite rock faces and dense Scots pine forests.
The other destinations also have different focal points: El Bosque de Finlandia and the Cascadas del Purgatorio are characterised by water, vegetation and rock or forest, while Las Presillas mentions three river pools and specifies that swimming is permitted exclusively there. The Peñalara Massif complements these natural sites with glacial landforms.
Other local pages in the region: Becerril De La Sierra, Cercedilla, Navacerrada, El Boalo.
For the overarching travel overview: Madrid.
