Madrid: Trail of Los Molinos, Navalagamella

The Los Molinos de Navalagamella trail has the perfect ingredients for a very complete and entertaining hike. To begin with, we will travel back to the 13th century and walk through different periods until we reach the 20th century and the Civil War. Along the way, we will be delighted by the wonders of the Mediterranean forest, in which the Madrid holm oak grove and the breathtaking junipers stand out! The reward? Two water mills that have been standing for more than 500 years. Join us!

Our trail runs through the largest “Red Natura 2000” protected area in the Community of Madrid. This whole area is protected by law. The basins of the rivers Alberche and Cofio, and their surrounding areas– with plentyful holm oak groves, extend for over 210,000 acres. Amongst the birds that stand out in the area are the Black Vulture and the Iberian Imperial Eagle, one of our most iconic birds of prey, which is also in danger of extinction.

During the route we will make different stops to contemplate the wonders that the holm oak forest of Madrid has to offer, with many species that have

become accustomed to the dry, long and hot summer weather, adapting perfectly to the circumstances.

We will see the remains of the front lines of the Battle of Brunete, sadly famous for its brutality and death toll. We will also have the opportunity to see one of the main Spanish droveways, in use since the 13th century: the Eastern Leonese Royal Cattle Track, and we will enter the world of hydraulic mills. We will visit two of these mills, and will learn how they dammed the river to give power to the “rodezno”, a wheel with blades that drove the millstones to produce flour.

WILL YOU JOIN US?

LENGTH

3.72 miles

ELEVATION GAIN

636 feet

Duration

3h 45m

Trail type

Loop

Difficulty

Easy

Details of the Trail

We will make several background-talk stops along the way. One of them will take 25 minutes, so we can also have a snack and rest a bit.

There is only one section that is slightly more complicated due to the cobblestones on the ground. The rest of the path is very smooth, with hardly any elevation gain.

Important information

We are in the Madrid foothills area. In the summer, you should protect yourself from the sun with a cap, sunscreen and sunglasses. If it has rained recently, there is a stretch of stones that is somewhat slippery. It is imperative to come with hiking shoes or boots. It is also andatory to bring at least one and a half litres of water, as there are no water fountains along the way.

Some of our activities in Madrid can be combined with each other. For more
information, please contact us.