Pedraza on a Sunday: jail, roast and castle.

Pedraza is small, so Sunday is not about rushing but about fitting the opening hours together: the jail opens in the morning, the roast is eaten at midday and Zuloaga's castle reopens in the afternoon. If you arrive before eleven you park without trouble and walk round the village before the lunch visitors arrive.

The Day, Hour by Hour

9:30 · Departure. From Madrid, a little under an hour and a half, depending on the route; from Segovia, about 40 minutes. Leave the car in the car parks outside the wall: there is no parking inside.

11:15 · Village Jail. It is at the Puerta de la Villa, the only entrance to the village, which was a jail until 1890. Guided visits every half hour, of about 20 minutes, for €4.

11:45 · Walk round the village. Go up to the Plaza Mayor, look at the coats of arms on the mansions and the church of San Juan, continue towards Santa María and the castle and return along the restored stretch of wall and the Pozo de las Hontanillas.

13:30 · Lunch. La Olma, on Plaza del Álamo, is open every day from 13:30 to 16:00. Suckling pig, milk-fed lamb or cochifrito, from a wood-fired oven. Book and order the roast.

16:00 · Pedraza Castle. In winter it opens from 16:00 to 19:00. The guided visit takes in the Entre Muros courtyard, the parade ground and the museum in the north tower, with work by Ignacio Zuloaga, who bought the castle in 1925. Admission, €8.

17:30 · Return. You reach Madrid around 19:15.

Where and What to Eat

Pedraza is about roasts: milk-fed lamb and suckling pig. La Olma is the safe option on a Sunday because it publishes its midday hours every day. El Soportal, beneath the arcades of the Plaza Mayor, roasts the lamb in a wood-fired oven and only takes bookings by phone; Casa Taberna, on the same square, is grill and produce, with a terrace without reservations.

With Children

The jail is short and has a history of prisoners; the castle has a parade ground. The streets are cobbled: a baby carrier is better than a pushchair.