It was a crisp sunny Wednesday morning and we gathered at the meeting point in Rascafría.
Being in the middle of the Easter holidays perhaps we were less in number than the usual amount of attendees, but the hikers were as jolly as ever to start the weekly adventure.
Car doors slammed as hikers double kissed or slapped each other on the backs as they greeted newcomers and familiar faces, and we quickly set off on our way at 10.45 It seemed it was going to be an easy hike with little climb involved and we happily started along a lovely little path.
Only 15 minutes had passed and hikers started taking off their outer layers as the outdoor temperature warmed up quickly to around 16 degrees. We walked down country lanes observing horses in their fields and the distinct smell of spring everywhere. Daisies and dandelions followed us along the path to our first town called Oteruelo del Valle.
We crossed a cute little river over a bridge and walked into the tiny and empty town square where we saw an old horse harness where villagers hundreds of years ago shoed their horses in a clever sling. It was entertaining to see some brave hikers had a laugh dangling themselves in the harness. We passed a lovely looking church called Iglesia Parroquial de Santa Marina Virgen y Mártir de Alameda del Valle.
We crossed the silent town in a matter of minutes and we were off to the next town where we saw a sort of tower which I imagined was used to see the lovely views. A couple jolly hikers couldn’t resist the temptation to climb up and have a look.
Shortly after that we could see water insight! The Embalse de Pinilla greeted us. Some hikers skirted the water´s edge braving the sticks and bushes along the way while others enjoyed the view from a distance. Soon it was clear our path had ended and we all had to cross a few metres of thick bushes to get to our first resting point.
We enjoyed a short but restful break under the shade of some trees, we shared chorizo, almonds and chocolate and gulped down water to hydrate us on our way. No sooner had we started to enjoy the view of the lake and the beautiful spring scene, than it was time to get up and keep moving.
We faced the bushes by the lake once more and walked alongside the water.
As we stayed close to the water to avoid the bushes but not too close to sink into the mud some of us noticed strong enticing aromas of a plant that smelled like mint by the edge of the lake, perhaps the warm sun was encouraging the scent of this fresh perfume to fill the air as we walked along. We then arrived at a path where we found we were not alone in this paradise but there were joggers and cyclists all enjoying the wonderful Spring day.
Our path then took us alongside a river and we could feel we were getting closer to civilisation with the familiar sounds of a town drawing closer. It was the beautiful town of Lozoya. We filled up our water bottles in the fountain, grabbed some cheeky drinks from a little corner store, turned on our heels and headed back to exactly where we had just come from.
We followed the river back to our path and arrived at the lunch spot, a perfect place to cater for the twenty something hikers, with enough benches for everyone, although some people enjoyed leaning on the trunk of a tree.
We enjoyed a longer break this time, time to catch up and laugh and even place bets on the coming football match in the afternoon.
It was then that it became apparent that we were only half way along on the hike and that we still had a long way to go to get back to our cars. However it was comforting to know that the route would be slightly different this time.
We set off again, the hikers were full of lunch and ready to go! The pleasant surprise for me was that almost all the way back we were able to enjoy the majesty of the snow capped Penalara mountain. It was a gorgeous sight to see in the scene with the bright blue sky and yellow flowers all along the vibrant green fields . As we walked we passed many cows and trees in blossom. It really was such a beautiful way to return.
Then we meandered through back paths of villages to the sounds of sheep baaing and little streams flowing near our paths. Hikers made their way back to the meeting points through various routes crossing a town in a variety of exciting ways. Then people started checking their smart watches, phones and GPS as it felt like we were getting closer, yet it just felt a bit too long. The sun was beating down hard and by now every hiker had peeled off all jumpers, and were down to their very last layers.
We came the town Oteruelo with the horse sling and realised we were very close to the end. Before we knew it we were crossing the river and were back to where we had started. It was a victorious day and we enjoyed a well deserved alcohol free beer, beer or chamomile tea at a lovely local restaurant.
Well done everyone! And thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome on the hike, I had an absolutely wonderful day! Hope to see you all again soon!
Rita Zaccarelli
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario