Although Madrid is not located in the Himalayans… of course going to the moutain for Trekking is possible, and there are good trails to do so.

Just located 50 minutes away by car taking the A-6 Highway (you could also get there by catching the ¨cercanias¨ commuter train from Atocha Train Station that will take you to Cercedilla and then you´d have to change to take the cable car up to Cotos Station) you can do the very nice and not that known ¨Birds Lagoon Route¨, in the heart of the Guadarrama Range.

We can leave the car at Cotos Car Park, where there is a small Restaurant, Venta Marcelino, where we can have a coffee before starting the route.

The trail starts taking the cobbled esplanade which is not hilly. After a 20 minutes walk there is a small Information Point where there are maps about the area, we should turn right here and walk for another 20 minutes, then we´ll see a well indicated sign to go to the Birds Lagoon, and here starts the ¨hilly¨ part of the trail for around 1 hour and 30 minutes more. It´s not necessary to be fit, but a little bit would be recommended.

At the end of the trail we´ll see the very nice, especially in winter when it´s all snowed, the Birds Lagoon where you can stop and appreciate the nature.

On the other side of the mountain, you can admire the very nice views of La Granja & Segovia at the end.

The way back to Cotos Car Park is easier and faster as we just have to go down…

This is one of the better Trekking routes you can do near Madrid and it´s not crowded as others are. It´s quite well indicated with signs along the way.

It usually takes 4 to 5 hours (round trip).

Enjoy!