Pedriza Anterior - Loop 19.11.2020

I rated this route as difficult for the sections where you have to climb a bit using hands, not suitable for people with vertigo or afraid to climb. But absolutely fantastic route for the more adventurous hiker. The first part is not very frequented, so it was very quiet. I saw mountain goats as well as a couple of salamanders that posed for me.

Start from Manzanares el Real, going up through the village, following Calle de Los Panaderos, then Calle del Risco and Calle de las Peñas until the end. From there following the yellow-white market path PR-M1 and starting the climb up into the Pedriza Anterior.

At the crossing with GR10 we cross a little river and keeping right and following the yellow-white route. Just after crossing the river, you will see the red and white marked path forking off to the right. Take the left fork to follow yellow-white markings. About 500 meters further up the mountain, you will see the Cueva de Chaman on your left hand. From here the route gets a bit more difficult, where you need to climb with hand and feet over a few boulders. After about 1km you will find another cave.

The next intersection will be just after a big boulder, opening up to a field of heather, keep to the right. The path here was inundated, so I followed a dry sidetrack, but with quite a bit of bushwhacking. After the heath, follow up the slope through the scree until reaching the intersection with one of the other main routes. Go right to keep following the yellow and white markings as the path will start taking you down the hill, all the way until Collado de la Dehesilla.

Cross the meadow towards the left and follow the route down into the valley alongside the river: "Arroyo de la Dehesilla". Almost at the bottom, you will see the big boulder "El Tolmo", behind the boulder on the left the path continues down. Continue down until the "Prao Peluca". Here I did some exploring to the Fuente de Pedro Acuña and Regufio Giner de los Rios.

I would recommend here to cross the bridge to the west bank of the river and follow the "Autopista de Pedriza." As I have walked this path many times already I decided on a bit of variation and stayed on the east bank to follow the path here. But there was a lot of bushwhacking, and the path has mostly become overgrown since it is forbidden to swim here. However, if you are feeling courageous: there are a couple of really nice waterfalls and a very nice view on Cancho de Los Muertos, so the east side does offer some extra eye-candy: the road less taken!

As you are getting closer to the bridge at Cantocochino the route starts widening and getting easier. From Cantocochino to La Forca it can be very wet, especially when it has rained a lot the river floats outside its borders often. At la Forca you will see a little cantine/terrace. Continue straight and follow the red-white marked path until the parking of el Tranco. From el Tranco we take the last bit of route alongside the river and eventually merge onto Avenida de la Pedriza to follow the road back into the village.