Climbing and Scrambling

Valdemanco is the nearer valley village (where I normally start and finish my walks in the Sierra) and the village of Bustarviejo is at the head of the valley.

Sierra de La Cabrera. www.ipernity.com/doc/2247598/album/1042038

Ahead are the three highest peaks of La Sierra de La Cabrera, Cancho de La Bola in the centre, Cancho Gordo to its right and Cancho Largo further right still. Cancho Largo is taller than Cancho Gordo by only 2 metres at 1.564 m (5,131 ft).

La Sierra de La Cabrera

La Sierra de La Cabrera. All oldies from me for a few days at least while I take it easy after an operation for a detached retina. All OK, I just can't spend long in front of a screen for a bit!

From Cancho Gordo near the top.

Sierra de La Cabrera. I know I've posted this before but I'm happy for it to have another airing!

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!

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 climbing weekend. The university climbing club. About to climb up the East side of Tryfan, in Snowdonia, North Wales. I am sitting second from the left. You see here a mix of professors, lecturers, students and one grandson (of the lady who took the shot!), 11 years old and the best climber of us all! This would have been in early 1978, The club was tiny - maybe a dozen members and it was called the SSEES Mountaineering Club, affiliated to the London University Mountaineering Club (SSEES = The School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies - now part of University College, London). Great times were had by all, from memory! Originally posted in ipernity 2018.

Rock window (perhaps hopefully onto a brighter future for us all?). The way I took (not a path at all really) went under this rock. Very common to have a giant boulder wedged over a gully in granite country! Granite forms on Pena del Tejo, a little to one side of La Sierra de La Cabrera proper but terrific scrambling territory in its own right. Indeed I spent a whole day here, intending to move on to the main ridge but finding a day's worth of interest at this place, including the mountain stream close-ups I sometimes post. photo taken 2012 and first posted on ipernity in 2017.

Pure granite scenery. Only 25 miles from Madrid. Superb walking country. Firste posted on ipernity in 2016 and taken in Janury 2012.

Sierra de La Cabrera (Cancho Gordo); natural water erosion.

This tree can be seen from afar. Sierra de La Cabrera.

The bottom half of Commando Ridge seen from Bosigran Head, Zennor, Cornwall.

Soaring above El Cancho Largo, Sierra de La Cabrera. Monochrome seemed to suit the greyness of the day.

A hazy day day (well, that is my excuse!). The palace is about 1/3 in from the left and about 1/3 down.

Sierra de La Cabrera granite. There are a number of great rock windows in this granite sierra.