La Herrería, El Castañar and the Silla walk

The long version of Philip II's Seat: 8.6 km of moderate difficulty that the town council website estimates at about 2 h 45, through four types of woodland, from ash groves to oak woods, the chestnut grove and the gallery woods of willows and poplars along the stream. La Herrería is part of the Natura 2000 network, within the Site of Community Importance "Cuenca del Río Guadarrama", and has survived intact because it belongs to Patrimonio Nacional and was not sold off in the 19th-century confiscation of Crown property.

The route

It sets off from the tourist office, on calle Grimaldi, and goes down to the Lonja of the monastery. On the parapet of the wall a plaque recalls the meridian line drawn by Luis Ceballos in 1905, which shows that the building is not oriented exactly to the cardinal points. Through the arches that join the Casa de la Compaña with the Botica, you pass the entrance to the Friars' Garden and its viewpoint.

After crossing paseo de Carlos III, you enter La Herrería by the columns at the Cuesta de los Pastores; the area was declared a Picturesque Landscape in 1961, along with the Pinar de Abantos. You continue past the Seminario fountain, with a kiosk of information panels on the forest, the Cruz de los Romeros and the stone bridge over the arroyo del Batán, where the procession of the Virgen de Gracia passes each year. You have to cross the M-505 road with care.

Then you go round the wall of the El Castañar estate to its main gate and the Fuente de la Reina, climb past the Tilo de la Mano (the Hand Lime), which has lost two of the five branches that gave it its name, and pass the fence of the Historic Territory of Philip II, a Bien de Interés Cultural since 2006. The ruin of the Casa del Sordo, a 16th-century gamekeeper's house, already gives views over El Escorial before you reach Philip II's Seat. The return crosses the M-505 again and enters the town by the Calleja Larga, with a final stop at the viewpoint of the King's and Queen's Gardens.

What you need to know

• Distance: 8.6 km.
• Time: about 2 h 45.
• Difficulty: moderate.
• Best time: October to May; in October and November the chestnut grove is the best part of the day.

There are stretches of narrow path and two road crossings. Near the Fuente de la Reina the Senda ecológica also begins, an adapted, accessible route that follows the forest track to the Silla, in case anyone in the group prefers an easier way. Take water and comfortable footwear. Dogs must be on a lead.

Special dates

On the second Sunday of September the Romería de la Virgen de Gracia is held in this area, a festival of National Tourist Interest since 1988, with the rondón dance to the sound of dulzainas (traditional reed pipes).