Madrid Province, (not City)

Typical granite extravaganza. Favourite scrambling, rock-hopping and walking country, La Sierra de La Cabrera. This would have been on one of my very early walks here, when I was blown away by the granite forms. 100 + walks later and I still am!

On my evening walk. The right time of year for this tree at its best. On large, please!

A path near my new home. The path is incredibly steep (to give you an idea, look at how close the two lamp posts are in relation to each other). The steepest section is just out of sight, after the top four shallow steps. I don't dare use it in the wet or, even worse, in ice! (Railings not provided!). The murk is not just twilight but in addition the sand cloud we get from the Sahara from time to time. The mountains should be visible on the horizon but they aren't due to the 'Calima' or sand cloud. You can actually taste the sand on your tongue!

Madrid in the far distance. (35 km away) Best on large / full screen.

One of many such doors here. The waggon-wheel ruts show centuries of use. (* Maybe not so old. Please see José Manuel Polo's comment below.)

A bright, sunny but extremely cold day. I'm looking forward to the return of the storks!

The parish church (Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen), Valdemanco, Madrid Province. The brooding hulk of Mondalindo lies behind. Better on full screen.

Unexpected sight from the back of the house today - the contrail from A PLANE!!!! Not sure the last time I remember seeing one! Skyline of La Sierra de Guadarrama (The smaller Siera de La Cabrera, my favourite walking area, is the jagged, lower ridge to the right).

Typical granite, La Sierra de La Cabrera. I'm not sure if it's a Henry Moore or a Barbare Hepworth.

In need of a little TLC perhaps!

We are on a small hill and this is a prominent (recently built) landmark. It houses the admin offices of the local community.

View from dining room window

Bright light but perishing cold today.

A cold but good day scrambling and walking in the Sierra de La Cabrera. The Torre de Valdemanco is the spire upper left. More visible from some angles than from others. Apparently it is possibe to scramble up it without a rope but I didn't fancy it, especially as the rock was very icy!

A street in Algete just before the big freeze this winter.

The town where I now live with my sister and her family. First posted on ipernity in 2018 and these were my notes at the time: I Googled 'Algete Church' to get the church's name and found this photo a little way in! I must have put it on Pano and forgot! I had thought this was it's first outing!

A very hot day. A view of the less frequented easten side of the range. The western and southers sides are thronged with day-trippers from Madrid.

We live on top of a hill near this crenellated house which acts as the admin centre for the local estate or 'urbanización' in Spanish. I like to think of it as a Moorish lookout tower (they do exist near here), but of course it's not, and is of fairly recent construction.