Clonk, clink, clonk, clong!
The sound of cowbells followed my afternoon on Madrid’s country trails. Aiming for high(ish) places, I took Guadalix de la Sierra’s Ruta 7, a loop from the village to the mountain San Pedro and then back via a second village. Doable in an afternoon, I was told.
Translating a guide to the rutas armed me with a hand-drawn map and directions. Unfortunately, there are more branches in the trail than in the guide and in several places, the path isn’t clear. Signage along the way, which follows several “via pecuaria”, was minimal except for the odd posting to say I was, indeed, on a trail.
An accidental two-hour detour into the middle of rural Spain meant not reaching the peak, but the scenery was beautiful so I took my time. Next time I’m setting out earlier to have a chance of completing the loop.
