# A weekend in the Sierra Norte: Patones, the Hayedo de Montejo and Buitrago A Saturday of climbing and slate in Patones, a night in the village and Sunday at the Hayedo de Montejo and the Buitrago wall. An hour from Madrid and Guadalajara. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/sierra-norte/itineraries/sierra-norte-patones-beech-forest-buitrago · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Dónde: Madrid's Sierra Norte: Patones, Buitrago and the Montejo Beech Forest The Sierra Norte de Madrid is hard to see in a day, because Patones, Buitrago and the Hayedo de Montejo are 40 minutes from one another. With one night it sorts itself out: on Saturday, the rock and the slate village of Patones; on Sunday, first thing, the guided trail through the Hayedo and, before lunch, the Buitrago wall. It is an hour from Madrid and a little less from Guadalajara. ## Where to sleep AccommodationTypeFor whom Hotel Rural La FuenteFour double rooms in Patones de Arriba, with a shared fireplaceCouples or with a dog, dining on foot in the village El Bulín de PatonesFour apartments with kitchens, for 2 to 4Families, dogs too La BeltranejaRooms against the Buitrago wallThose who prefer sleeping close to the Hayedo; no pets Sleeping in Patones makes Saturday complete; sleeping in Buitrago saves you 40 minutes on Sunday morning. ## Getting around By car: there is no transport linking Patones, Montejo and Buitrago. From Madrid you go up the A-1 and Torrelaguna to Patones; on Sunday, from Patones to Montejo via Torrelaguna and the A-1, and back to Madrid from Buitrago on the A-1, about 75 km. ## El plan ### Saturday · 10:00 · Introductory climbing in Patones Four hours on rock with PlanetSport in Patones de Abajo, from age 6: €45 per person on their website. Book the date beforehand. ### Saturday · 14:30 · Lunch in Patones de Arriba El Rey de Patones, the village's first restaurant, since 1970: kid, migas, fabes. Or Las Eras, right at the top, with a dog. ### Saturday · 16:30 · A walk round Patones de Arriba The streets of black slate, a Site of Cultural Interest. The shuttle from Patones de Abajo runs at weekends until 19:00. ### Saturday · 18:00 · Pontón de la Oliva Ten minutes by car to the ashlar dam in the Lozoya gorge. Come back to the village for dinner. ### Sunday · 9:30 · Pass in Montejo de la Sierra Collect the pass at the Sierra del Rincón information centre, at Calle Real 64. From Patones, count an hour and a quarter. ### Sunday · 10:00 · Guided trail through the Hayedo de Montejo Free, with a guide and a daily quota. No dogs. ### Sunday · 12:45 · Buitrago wall The high wall and the Clock Tower, €5; on Sunday it closes at 13:45. ### Sunday · 14:00 · Asador Las Murallas and the Arrabal bridge Lunch inside the walls and a stroll along the Lozoya bank before heading back by the A-1. ## Un consejo más If you can't get a Hayedo pass, swap Sunday morning for the Picasso Museum in Buitrago, which is open from 10:00 to 14:00, and the wall. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How do you get the Hayedo pass? By online draw on the Sierra del Rincón website, from the 1st to the 5th and from the 16th to the 20th of each month, or in person on the same day at Montejo de la Sierra. It is always collected there. ### Can I go with a dog? Patones, the Pontón and Buitrago, yes; the Hayedo de Montejo, no. La Fuente and El Bulín admit dogs. ### How much does the weekend cost? Between €120 and €190 per person with accommodation, climbing, meals and petrol. ### Is it worth sleeping there? Yes: with a night you reach the Hayedo first thing without leaving Madrid in the small hours. ## Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel Rural La Fuente**, desde 40 € / night: Four rooms in the slate village La Fuente is a very small hotel inside Patones de Arriba, at Calle del Despeñadero, 7, in a traditional village house. It has four double rooms, each with its own bathroom, and a shared space with a fireplace and a full kitchen that works as a family living room. It is accommodation for those who want to sleep inside the village, walk out to dinner at the restaurants on the neighbouring streets and have the hills at the door. La Higuera, La Acacia, La Encina and La Sabina The rooms are named after trees and have wifi and ambient music. According to the description the hotel published on its blog in 2023: La Higuera, on the ground floor, with its own door to the outside, so you do not pass through the common areas; the hotel recommends it for those travelling with a pet. La Acacia, on the second floor, very bright, with views of the village and a whirlpool bath. La Encina, also on the second floor, with a cast-iron bath. La Sabina, the largest, attic-style, with a balcony over the village, jacuzzi and air conditioning. On that blog the rates ranged from €80 to €105 a night per room with breakfast for two, with a discount from two nights; the Sierra Norte tourist office advertises it from €40. These are prices to confirm, because the current website does not publish them: ask on 659 39 90 69. La Higuera, for those arriving with a pet It accepts pets, and La Higuera, with direct access to the street, is the room the hotel itself assigns to those travelling with them. Car below, suitcase up the Barranco Path By car, take the A-1 and Torrelaguna to Patones. Car access to Patones de Arriba is reserved for residents and authorised vehicles, with a camera and fine: ask when booking whether the hotel arranges a permit for guests and, if not, leave the car in the free car park at Patones de Abajo and go up the Barranco Path, about 800 metres, or on the weekend shuttle explained by the tourist office. For climbing at Patones de Abajo, the introductory climbing session is five minutes by car; for eating, Las Eras and El Bodegón de Patones are a few steps away. - **El Bulín de Patones**, desde 40 € / night: Four studios named after stones El Bulín de Patones is four rural-tourism studios in a single house at Calle de las Escuelas, 6, in Patones de Arriba, with a shared outdoor courtyard. Each has its own kitchen and bathroom; there is no common lounge. They are named after stones: Granito and Pizarra, on the ground floor: one bedroom with a double bed and a sofa bed, for two adults and a child. Mica, a duplex between the ground and first floors: two bedrooms, with a double bed and two singles, for two adults and two children. Cuarzo, a duplex on the top floor: the same as Mica, for two adults and two children. Booking all four sleeps up to 14 people, with a maximum of 10 adults and 4 children, so it works for a family or friends' get-together in the village. What they have inside The kitchens have a ceramic hob, microwave, fridge and Nespresso and Italian coffee makers. There is central heating, air conditioning, wifi and Smart TV with Netflix and Prime Video. There is no fireplace, barbecue or pool. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00, with free late check-out if available; in Patones there is no Sunday check-in. Access is by digital lock, with the details arriving when you check in online. Two dogs per stay, except in Cuarzo They accept up to two dogs per stay in Granito, Pizarra and Mica, for €20 per stay, if you mention it when booking. In Cuarzo they are not accepted. The car and the village Car access to Patones de Arriba is reserved for residents and authorised vehicles. As a guest you can request in advance a permit from the 'Mi Estancia' area to park in the residents' car park at the village entrance, although the permit does not guarantee a space. Otherwise, park free at Patones de Abajo and go up the Barranco Path, about 800 metres. Who runs it It is part of El Bulín, which manages more than forty houses in twelve villages of the Sierra Norte of Madrid and Segovia, with direct booking on its website and service on 918 699 200 or at reservas@elbulin.es. Price and availability are seen in its booking engine. From the door you walk to Patones de Arriba and the restaurants, such as El Rey de Patones, a few steps away; by car, the Pontón de la Oliva is about ten minutes away. - **La Beltraneja**: Two houses against the wall La Beltraneja came from joining two humble houses at Calle del Arco, 10, in Buitrago del Lozoya, which hid in their walls original sections of the wall, the one the Arabs built around the 10th century. Restoring façades and interiors produced an irregularly shaped accommodation, with a bathroom carved into a tower and beds whose headboard is the wall itself, the wall-walk or the barbican. It is named after Juana la Beltraneja, who lived in the Mendoza castle in Buitrago. Sleeping here is sleeping inside the walled enclosure, with the Clock Tower and the Picasso Museum a few steps away. Six rooms, each with its piece of wall La Villa, a 16 m² double on the ground floor, bright and soundproofed, with an original stone wall and a hydromassage column in the bathroom. It is the one with no stairs. El Arco, a 24 m² suite of wood and stone, with two balconies, a wall shared with the wall and the original bathroom carved in the tower; an extra bed is possible. Al-Rabad, an 18 m² superior double with brick and stone walls from a turret, reading corner and rain shower. La Barbacana, a 27 m² suite with a 2 m canopy bed and two balconies over a buttress of the barbican. La Torre, the smallest double, 14 m², with the tower's brick exposed and an attic bathroom. El Adarve, a 25 m² attic suite with a headboard of wall stone and five windows onto the battlements; double bed or two beds. All have wifi, 40-inch Smart TV, a direct-line telephone, minibar with water, Nespresso machine with coffee, milk and pastries, underfloor heating and toiletries; some have air conditioning. In the common areas there is tourist information, a smokers' terrace, a water dispenser and a microwave. How it works You come and go as you please: online check-in and access with codes, no permanent reception. The rooms are reached without a lift, except La Villa. It does not accept pets, according to the Buitrago tourist office. Prices are on its website, which offers better conditions there than on other platforms; contact on 91 868 03 31, 630 351 886 or at info@labeltranejahotel.com. The car, on Calle Tahona Inside the enclosure cars of non-residents cannot drive or park: leave the car in the free municipal car park on Calle Tahona and walk in. Without a car, the ALSA 191 bus runs from Plaza de Castilla to Buitrago. From the door, the wall and Clock Tower and the Arrabal bridge; for lunch, the Asador Las Murallas is on Plaza de la Constitución.