Patones de Arriba, the black slate village

Patones de Arriba is the old core of the municipality, a hamlet of black slate on a hillside above the Jarama valley. It was left almost empty in the 20th century, when its residents moved down to live in Patones de Abajo, and today it is a Site of Cultural Interest, with cobbled streets, threshing floors and several restaurants in restored houses. It can be walked at an easy pace in an hour and a half.

A little history

According to the Sierra Norte tourism website, shepherds from Uceda founded in the 16th century a small hamlet to which they gave the surname of its founders, Patón. For a long time it was a forgotten district of Uceda, and tradition says its residents named their own king to govern themselves, until Charles III gave them independence. In the surroundings there are much older remains: on the Cabeza hill, traces from the Neolithic and Bronze Age were found.

What to see on the walk

• The old church of San José. It began as a hermitage with a bell gable in 1653, became a church in 1753, was abandoned in the 19th century and was rebuilt in the 1990s as a cultural centre. Unlike the houses, its walls are of limestone. Inside is the tourist office, with an exhibition hall and a model of the village.
• The Fuente Nueva and the wash-house, from 1908, with two spouts and a large trough.
• The threshing floors, stone terraces where grain was threshed, which now serve as viewpoints.
• The tinados and arrenes, slate buildings in the upper part for livestock and harvest, with good views.
• The wood-fired ovens. In the mid-20th century about twenty were working; about six remain, almost all on Calle del Despeñadero.
• The slate houses, some of two storeys with Arabic-tile roofs from the 18th century.

How to get up: car, shuttle or on foot

Car access to Patones de Arriba is reserved for residents and authorised vehicles, with camera control and a fine for anyone entering without permission. Park in the free car park at Patones de Abajo or in the park-and-ride one on Calle Arzobispo Baltasar Moscoso, which is unattended. From there there are two ways to go up:

• The shuttle. It links the Patones de Abajo car park with the village at weekends and public holidays, from 11:30 to 19:00, without stopping except for the driver's break from 15:15 to 15:45. Seats are booked through the booking centre on the Patones tourism website, where timetables and price are published.
• On foot, by the Barranco path, about 800 metres of climb. It is not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.

People with a blue reduced-mobility card can request a special authorisation from the town council, on 91 843 20 26, Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 14:00.

By car from Madrid you take the A-1 to exit 50, the N-320 towards Torrelaguna and the M-102 to Patones de Abajo. By bus, ALSA lines 197 and 197A stop at Patones.

Tourist office and what to combine

The Patones tourist office is at Plaza del Llano, 1, and organises guided visits with a local guide. For lunch, in the village are El Rey de Patones, El Bodegón de Patones and Las Eras; to stay overnight, the Hotel Rural La Fuente or El Bulín de Patones. Ten minutes by car away, the Pontón de la Oliva dam; and on the walls of Patones de Abajo, the introductory climbing session.