Las Eras Restaurant
What to order: chargrilled meat with sautéed vegetables, or migas with chorizo
geocalia
Day itinerary · 41.00° N · 3.64° W
Sunday in Patones: rock in the morning, slate in the afternoon.
Four hours of beginner climbing on the Patones crags, lunch in the black-slate village and the old Pontón de la Oliva dam at sunset.
Leaving from
Part of Madrid's Sierra Norte: Patones, Buitrago and the Montejo Beech ForestThe Central System
Add to my trip
Total time9 h
By car1 h each way
Climbing4 h · from age 6
WalkingAbout 3 km
DifficultyBeginner
Cost€80–110 pp
Best timeMarch – June · September – November
With a dogYes, in the village; not on the climb
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Madrid 1 h by car
via the A-1 and Torrelaguna to Patones de Abajo
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1
Introductory climbing and abseiling in Patones
climbing and abseiling introduction · 4 h · €45 · book with PlanetSport
+34 699 361 161
- 5 min by car2,7 km
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2
Las Eras Restaurant
charcoal grill and migas · €€ · open until 17:00
Calle Azas, 29, 28189 Patones · +34 918 43 21 26
Restaurant €€ - 3 min on foot
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3
Patones de Arriba, the black slate village
walk around the slate village
- 12 min by car7,4 km
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4
Pontón de la Oliva Dam
10 min by car towards Valdepeñas de la Sierra
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Back home
You reach Madrid around 19:30
Approximate cost
About €65–80 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Introductory climbing and abseiling in Patones
Patones is the easiest adventure Sunday north of Madrid: the limestone crags of Patones de Abajo are a classic climbing school, and up above, five minutes away, the black-slate village has somewhere to eat late. You finish at the Pontón de la Oliva dam, in the Lozoya gorge.
The day, hour by hour
8:50 · Set off. From Madrid, an hour on the A-1 and Torrelaguna. From Guadalajara, a little under an hour.
10:00 · Introduction to climbing. With PlanetSport, four hours on rock in Patones de Abajo: equipment, basic progression and belaying techniques and an abseil. €45 per person on their website, from age 6 with an adult, minimum group of four. Book a date on their calendar. Bring mountain footwear, water and something to eat.
14:30 · Lunch at Las Eras. At the top of Patones de Arriba, with a terrace over the village: grilled meats, sautéed vegetables, migas. Open until 17:00 and dogs are welcome. Book on 91 843 21 26.
16:15 · Patones de Arriba. A stroll along the cobbled streets, a Site of Cultural Interest since 1999. If you left the car below, the weekend shuttle runs until 19:00.
17:30 · Pontón de la Oliva. Ten minutes by car: the 19th-century ashlar dam between the Lozoya cliffs.
18:30 · Head home. An hour to Madrid.
Without climbing
If you do not fancy rock, swap the morning for a walk along the Lozoya bank from the Pontón and eat earlier, at El Rey de Patones, the village's first restaurant, open since 1970.
Time4 h
Change the route
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
El Rey de Patones
What to order: suckling kid or migas, and whatever is in season at the weekend
El Bodegón de Patones
What to order: a spoon dish and whatever the garden gives that week
Asador Las Murallas Restaurant
What to order: Torreznos or ham with beans to start, a roast Sierra de Guadarrama meat and, for dessert, French toast with ice cream
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 Madrid's Sierra Norte: Patones, Buitrago and the Montejo Beech Forest
Spring and autumn. In summer the limestone burns at midday; in winter, only on sunny days.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book the climbing in good time
The introduction needs a group of at least four: if there are two of you, ask which dates already have a group.
- 2Bring warm clothes
In the afternoon, in the Pontón gorge, it gets cool.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need experience for the introduction?
No: it is beginner level and from age 6.
How much does the day cost?
Between €80 and €110 per person, with the climbing, lunch and petrol.
Can you go with a dog?
To the village, the restaurant and the Pontón, yes; for the climbing, they do not say.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/sierra-norte/itineraries/intro-to-climbing-and-ponton
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.