Imperial route by motorhome

There are many people from Madrid who, every weekend, take advantage of their leisure time to go out of their community. Many of them are not entirely aware of the many tourist benefits, still unknown, that their region offers, such as this imperial route that runs through several municipalities in the Sierra de Guadarrama and the Sierra Oeste de Madrid

This time there is a historical justification that rounds off the action. It is the route that Felipe II followed from Madrid to El Escorial, a monumental complex chosen by the King as his residence, which partly follows the old Camino Real de Valladolid.

Galapagar, linked to the Escorial through the M-505, does not appear on the official imperial route, but it is a key place on a second road that started from Torrelodones. A route that the monarch ended up preferring and that allows us to get to know this beautiful town with many royal works such as the ruins of Casa Veleta, the King's resting place, or the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, among a good number of outstanding Roman remains. . The power to navigate the Swamp of Valmayor

El Escorial, an emblematic place where they exist, is a place on which the entire route swings. Its huge heritage and good atmosphere are complemented by its wide natural offer, as it is an enclave of great environmental value.

It is a town that allows motorhomes to spend the night in parking spaces, so it will not make things difficult for anyone in this regard. The building always offers something new. An imposing architecture and a majestic setting make Juan de Herrera's work the highest expression of 16th century Spanish architecture. It is the symbol of an empire where austerity is a symbol of strength.

The Herreria Golf Course, La Silla del Rey or some summer residences near the monastery make it a perfect place for rest and leisure.

It is an enclave that offers routes as interesting as the one that takes us to Pico de Abantos, which seems designed expressly for the tourist camper. Because its starting point is a car park, that of Avenida Carlos Ruiz, and because it allows you to enjoy a day outdoors with your family through the GR-10 path.

From here it is worth knowing the Puerto de la Cruz Verde route, a mountain pass in the Guadarrama environment that connects Robledo de Chavela and El Escorial. The views of the peaks of Las Machotas and the Cerro de San Benito will enliven our passage through the M-505 and M-512. Biker bars and formidable views enliven a section of road that undoubtedly offers us a different Madrid than usual. Not to mention a handful of legends like that of the Lady of the Green Cross, a woman killed in a traffic accident who appears to drivers hitchhiking.

Peguerinos, less than thirty kilometers from El Escorial, takes us fully into Castilla y León, specifically Ávila, through the M-505 and M-535. Here we have a complete motorhome area in Valle Enmedio, within the campsite of the same name, where we will have everything we need to rest and refresh ourselves.

A place of pine trees at 1,300 meters above sea level that allows many excursions to the Sierra de Guadarrama, both BTT and on foot, and enjoy the rural atmosphere that we expect from a cattle town of just a few hundred inhabitants. Excursions to Ávila and Segovia, of course, are also allowed if we have a somewhat more urban outburst.

Santa María de la Alameda is a town in the Sierra Oeste linked to the previous one not only by a train station that shares its name with it, eight kilometers from Peguerinos, and which allows access to the Madrid Cercanías network. Regarding the small village, exactly between Ávila, Segovia and Madrid, it has everything we expect from this mountainous town: a nice and quiet walk through silent streets with stone houses and gabled roofs ... period access to many routes to walk for hours among its rich fauna and flora. The difficult thing here will be to choose the route: if the route to La Chorrera del Hornillo or the one to Fortines de las Herreras, or perhaps the one that leads to the Peña del Águila viewpoint, to name just three.