You wish its cobblestone streets were endless
Between the tourist bustle of Patones de Arriba and the daily tranquility of Patones de Abajo, the residents of this municipality of the Sierra Norte de Madrid, within reach from the capital, 40 minutes on the road to Burgos.
Its proximity, its spectacular nature and its wide natural offer each week they attract hundreds of mountaineers, motorcyclists, cyclists, hikers, cavers, photographers, mycologists, film locators and travelers in general.
What if we add mystery with a little rain?
DAY 1: TERRACE AND ECOLOGICAL ORCHARDS
We left Madrid to the limit that the rain and the intensive workday turn the roads into the bread of every Friday and we managed to arrive in time to eat.
Our base of operations will be Rural House Melons , an old family corral in Patones de Abajo converted with care and care into a charming accommodation which just opened its doors this year.
After leaving our luggage in our rooms, the rain allows us to enjoy the terrace of Bar Manolo _(Avenida de Madrid, 78) _, just across the road. It's about a popular place among Madrid mountaineers both to meet before going up to the summit and to have lunch on the way down one of its sandwiches, portions, combined dishes or, in our case, hamburgers.
The afternoon will pass strolling through the orchards that resist around the livestock route. To follow it, just turn right through the Parroquia de San José in the direction of Uceda, the town that stands proudly on the hill that can be seen from the front.
The road is littered with chestnut trees, almond trees, quince trees and the precious virgin vines, that turn red in autumn as opposed to the yellow of the poplars.
We will meet soon the Cabarrus channel, subject to an adaptation plan to take advantage of it as a pedestrian and cycling circuit, until we come across the Jarama River, whose shady shore offers a pleasant bathing area for summer walkers.
Casa Rural Melones, our base camp
On the way back we stop to visit the facilities of ** Tómate La Huerta ,** the project of Natalia and Simón, two young agronomists who decided to set up here your organic fruit and vegetable business. In addition to setting up his stall at a fair almost every weekend, home delivery to individuals, restaurants and consumer groups.
Next to him are the lands of the members of the ** CSA Vega de Jarama ,** an association dedicated to f Promotion of local production of organic agriculture and livestock that manages to distribute more than 60 baskets of six kilos of vegetables every week.
When night came we moved to Torrelaguna , where those who want to find the atmosphere have something to eat and/or have a drink. Our option is the ** Taberna del Motero **, and there are many who travel the area on two wheels. To the rhythm of the best rock, we give an account on your terrace of your huge anchovy toasts with blue cheese, goat roll with caramelized onion and tuna belly with red peppers.
We finish off dinner with a walk around the square to see the facade of the town hall and the church in the moonlight before going to bed.
Tips: if you can, avoid weekends in Patones de Arriba
DAY 2: BLACK SLATE, TORREZNOS AND POTS
With a stomach full of organic tomato toast, local honey and homemade sponge cake, we are about to discover the jewel in the crown: patones from above, a town so visited by tourists and mountaineers that on weekends you have to see regulated access by car.
Those who don't get up early will have the option of parking in Patones de Abajo and walking up (it's just twenty minutes). It didn't take long to figure out why it's so crowded: a black slate town surrounded by mountains that looks like something out of a Tim Burton movie.
in the the Tourist Office , equipped with a permanent exhibition and models of the area in the old Church of San José, organize guided tours on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays at 12.00 noon for 2.5 euros.
The usual thing is to come early in the morning, Take a walk along one of the numerous routes it offers and treat yourself to a rewarding tribute in one of its innumerable restaurants.
Time has run out for us, so we visit on our own all **its bucolic corners (there is a proposed itinerary with explanatory panels)**, from its laundry room to its threshing floors passing through the steep street of the ovens.
Their torreznos are a classic in the place
The cold begins to penetrate the bones, so we look into the cozy Las Eras Restaurant _(Calle de Las Azas, 29) _ to drink a wine in the heat of its fireplace (in summer we can do it on its enviable and colorful terrace). Vegetarians will find in its menu the largest number of options in the whole town.
The aperitif continues in the Royal Tavern, famous for its appetizing torreznos. All leaving room for the popular plate of crumbs , that we will find in the menu of the day of any restaurant.
Back in the square we visit ** El Trasgo , a craft shop specializing in wood carvings.** We, however, are going to taste their sausage varieties to end up buying four: blueberries (the most striking to taste and sight), walnuts, blue cheese and boletus.
The forcefulness of the food demands a siesta and, although the afternoon has gotten up rainy, we don't care because we have reserved a place in the ** ceramics workshop that they offer in our rural house,** open to all kinds of public (it is not necessary be housed).
Ricardo will teach us, with various techniques and types of clay, how to make pots, that we will have to leave there drying until they go through their oven (we can return for them whenever we want). Nevertheless, he already has a lot made so we can plant our own cactus (they have an incalculable amount between the greenhouse and the rest of the house) and not leave empty handed.
And as night falls, the bustle turns to silence
We have spent the afternoon kneading and decorating our creatures, so we are ready to have dinner based on local products. The sausages from El Trasgo are perfectly complemented by **an organic tomato salad, button cheese from Quesería Jaramera and a wedge of El Gran Cardenal** (originally from Torrelaguna), all washed down with the Bailandera craft beers.
The rain allows us to carry out the most magical activity of the trip: the night walk to Patones de Arriba. Illuminated by the light of an almost full moon, the shortcut will allow us to avoid the road almost entirely and pass under the aqueducts built in the rock for a climb of barely twenty minutes.
We arrive at midnight to see how the spell has vanished: the tourists have disappeared, the shops and restaurants have closed and the few residents who live in the town await the new day by the warmth of their fireplaces. The bustle has turned into silence, the carriage into a pumpkin.
DAY 3: PEAKS AND RESERVOIRS
We repeat breakfast early in the morning to hurry up the hours before undertaking the inevitable return. We take the car to the Town of Atazar , which once housed the workers of the homonymous reservoir.
From there we headed the Path of the Genaro (GR 300, marked at all times by endearing blue stick figures) to reach the famous Cancho de la Cabeza in a route of just one hour (The traditional option is to arrive from Patones de Arriba in a march of four). Except for a small section of firewalls, it runs at all times along a path frequented by bikes and even mountain bikes.
El Atazar Reservoir
The top rewards with infinite panoramic views of the Sierra de Guadarrama, the mountains of Guadalajara, the Atazar Reservoir (and town) and the rest of the Alto Jarama community.
Backtracking with the car, in the vicinity of the Reguerillo cave (currently closed) and the fascinating gullies, we stop at the Olive Pontoon , a disused dam that once held back the waters of the Lozoya River and is now frequented by photographers who want to take advantage of the yellow of its poplars, the green of its meadows and the gray of its cliffs, full of climbers.
Before starting the return, we repeat at Bar Manolo to leave with the good taste of its star dishes: marinated meat, meat with tomato and grilled ear.
Catching air before returning to the asphalt