Gargantilla del Lozoya y Pinilla de Buitrago

The thermometer in Madrid reads 38°C. Here, 74 kilometres north, it's 22°C and a jacket feels sensible. Gargantilla del Lozoya and Pinilla de Buitrago sit at 1,133 metres, high enough that even August afternoons carry a breeze that wouldn't feel out of place in the Peak District.

These twin nuclei—really one elongated village split by a country lane—string along a ridge above the Lozoya valley. Stone houses with terracotta roofs cluster around two small churches, nothing grander. The Sierra Norte rises immediately behind; oak and pine forest roll down to the river, 400 metres below. It's the sort of altitude where weather arrives without warning: morning sun can flip to afternoon cloud within an hour, and winter snow closes the final approach road several days each year.

Walking, Not Tick-Boxes

There is no checklist. The medieval parish church in Gargantilla is open only when someone's around to unlock it; the identical-looking sibling in Pinilla usually follows suit. Inside you'll find plain stone, a retable touched up in the 18th century, and the smell of burnt candles. That's it. The pleasure is callejeando—wandering the narrow lanes between dry-stone walls, spotting a 16th-century coat of arms wedged above a garage door, or following the sound of water to a stone trough where women once did the weekly wash.

Three signed footpaths leave from the upper edge of the village. The shortest, the PR-M 12a, drops 2.5 km through holm oak to the Lozoya river and turns back. Allow 45 minutes down, an hour up. Mid-week you'll meet nobody; Saturday lunchtime you might share the path with a family from Alcobendas and their determined dachshund. Longer options thread east into the Sierra de la Puebla, but download the track before you set off—waymarking is sporadic and phone coverage vanishes after the second ridge.

If you only have a morning, park by the cemetery (plenty of space, no charge), walk the ridge track at sunrise, then drift through both church squares before the bar shuts its kitchen at 15:30. That's the entire itinerary. It works.

What the Altitude Does to Lunch

Even in July you can sit outside without wilting. The solitary bar will serve a toasted baguette rubbed with tomato, a slab of tortilla, and a caña for €4.50. Vegetarians get cheese and piquillo peppers; vegans get the tomato toast and an apology. Service is leisurely—one man behind the counter, Radio Nacional in the background—so order a second drink while you wait.

The campsite restaurant, El Fogón de Guille, two kilometres back down the M-127, is the only place that reliably answers questions in English. Mixed grill, chips, salad, half-litre of house wine: €14. They'll swap meat for grilled aubergine if you ask early. British motor-homers rate it for "proper chips" and "no nonsense portions". Book at weekends; every caravan from Santander seems to pull in around 21:00.

Getting Up and Getting Stuck

From Madrid-Barajas airport it's 70 minutes' drive: A-1 north to junction 69, then the M-127 single-carriageway that corkscrews up to the village. The road is wide enough for two coaches to pass, but Spanish day-trippers still brake in the middle of corners for photographs. On Sunday evenings the return queue to the A-1 can add 40 minutes.

Without a car, take the 191 bus from Plaza de Castilla (NOT Avenida de América) to Buitrago del Lozoya, then the 191A connection. Total journey time two hours; there are only three services a day, none on Sunday. Taxi from Buitrago costs €18—if you can persuade the driver to come this far.

Fuel, cash machine and a Carrefour Express are all 15 minutes away in Buitrago. Gargantilla itself has a small grocer open six mornings a week, a pharmacy counter that appears on Thursdays, and nothing else. Fill up before you climb.

Seasons That Change the Village

May and June green the valley floor and keep daylight until 21:45; temperatures hover between 14°C at dawn and 24°C mid-afternoon. September and October add ochre to the oak canopy and bring migrant storks overhead. These are the sweet-spot months: warm enough for T-shirts at midday, cool enough for proper sleep.

High summer is surprisingly busy. The campsite pool fills with Madrid families escaping the city furnace; the village bar runs out of tortilla by 13:00. Shade is limited on the ridge paths—carry water.

Winter is serious. Night frosts start in November; January mean minimum is –2°C. Snow ploughs clear the M-127 first thing, but the side street to your rural cottage may stay white for days. Chains or winter tyres are obligatory after storm warnings. On the other hand, you get empty trails, wood-smoke mornings and the chance of eagles drifting along the thermals above a white-clad valley.

The Honest Downsides

Phone reception is patchy inside stone houses. The village has no ATM; the nearest is down a twisty road. Public buses exist mainly for schoolchildren—miss the 07:15 and you're stuck until tomorrow. If it rains heavily, the river path turns into calf-deep clay that will ruin pale trainers. And if you arrive expecting souvenir shops or evening entertainment beyond a single bar terrace, you'll be asleep by 22:30.

Staying Over

Ten rooms above the bar offer clean, pine-furnished doubles for €55 including breakfast (toast, coffee, orange juice—no fry-up). Heating is via plug-in radiators; ask for an extra blanket in winter. The three-star alternative is the campsite: 120 level pitches, English-speaking reception, pool and €27 a night with electric. Wooden bungalows sleep four from €70. Weekends in May and October book up early with Spanish walking clubs.

Worth It?

Gargantilla del Lozoya y Pinilla de Buitrago will never feature on a "Top Ten" list. That's precisely why some travellers come: to walk at altitude without ski-resort infrastructure, to eat simple food at Spanish prices, and to remember what 22°C feels like when Seville is melting. Bring walking boots, download offline maps, and plan for early evenings. Two relaxed days here reset the urban pulse better than any spa break—and you'll still be back at Madrid airport in time for a late flight home.