Horizontal Restaurant
What to order: grilled meats or a game dish, such as the venison carpaccio or the pigeon risotto
geocalia
Day itinerary · 40.59° N · 4.15° W
Sunday on Abantos: pine forest above and a mountain table.
A mid-morning climb through the pine forest behind the monastery, lunch in a 1918 forestry house turned restaurant and a stroll round the Jardín de los Frailes.
Leaving from
Part of San Lorenzo de El EscorialThe Central SystemScenic train journeys in SpainHistoric bookshops and libraries of Europe
Add to my trip
Total time8 h
By car45 min each way
Walking9.5 km · 4 h
DifficultyMedium
Cost€40–70 pp
Best timeApril – June · September – November
With a dogYes, on a lead
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Madrid 45 min by car
via the A-6 and the M-505
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1
Climb through the Abantos pine forest to the Malagón pass
9.5 km via the Romeral dam and the drovers' track
- 8 min on foot
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2
Horizontal Restaurant
grill and game · €€€ · booking required
Camino del Horizontal, s/n, 28200 San Lorenzo de El Escorial · +34 918 90 38 11
Restaurant €€€Book - 15 min on foot
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3
Friars' Garden and its viewpoint
short walk back in the village
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Back home
You reach Madrid around 18:30
Approximate cost
About €35–60 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Climb through the Abantos pine forest to the Malagón pass
Behind the monastery there is a whole mountain. This plan climbs it through the pine forest that the forestry engineers replanted at the end of the 19th century, reaches the Malagón pass, on the border with Segovia, and goes down to lunch at a forestry house that has been a restaurant for more than a hundred years.
The Day, Hour by Hour
8:30 · Departure. From Madrid, about 50 minutes along the A-6 and M-505. Park in the upper part of the village, towards the Romeral dam.
9:30 · Abantos pine forest. The municipal route starts next to the wall of the Romeral dam, passes the Casa Rústica viewpoint, the Fuente de la Teja park and the springs of the stream, and climbs along the Cañada Real Leonesa drovers' track to the San Juan de Malagón pass. It is about 9.5 km of medium difficulty, almost all uphill on the way out, with stretches of the GR-10.
14:00 · Lunch at El Horizontal. On the way down, at more than 1,100 metres in the forest, the former forestry house at the Fuente de la Salud. Grilled meats, game and seasonal cooking, with a terrace under the pines. On Sundays it is open from 10:00 to 20:00. If you left the car at the dam, you drive up in a few minutes along the forest road.
16:30 · Jardín de los Frailes. Back in the village, the viewpoint over the monastery's gardens.
17:30 · Return.
With a Dog
The route goes through public forest and a drovers' track: the dog can come, on a lead, because there is livestock. It is not allowed in the monastery.
Distance9.5 km
Time4 h
Change the route
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Miranda & Suizo Café
What to order: chocolate with picatostes, the town's traditional afternoon snack
Mesón La Cueva
What to order: a Castilian roast and homemade cake; if there are salt cod days, try it
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Spring and autumn. In summer, set off at eight. In winter there can be snow on the pass: check the weather.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Set off early in summer
The climb is in the sun in several stretches.
- 2Bring a warm layer
At the Malagón pass the wind blows and it is several degrees colder than at the Lonja.
- 3Book the terrace
It is the first thing to fill up on Sundays.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is it a hard route?
Medium difficulty: 9.5 km with continuous climbing on the way out.
Can I take a dog?
Yes, on a lead.
Is El Horizontal open on Sundays?
Yes, from 10:00 to 20:00.
What if it rains?
Swap the route for the monastery and keep the lunch.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/san-lorenzo-de-el-escorial/itineraries/abantos-pine-forest-and-mountain-lunch
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.