Navacerrada Residence

El "hilton spoon", as this unique building in the Port of Navacerrada was known at the beginning, was built in the XNUMXs. The work was designed by the architect Joaquin Aguilera, a member of the Royal Spanish Society of Friends of Peñalara. In its origins, it was managed by the Navacerrada Sports Group, popularly known as "El Navi", framed in the work "Education and Rest", belonging to the Spanish Trade Union Organization.

The Trade Union Work was aimed at promoting and carrying out artistic, cultural and sports activities by the workers framed in the so-called "company groups", so having a building with these characteristics was something to take into account. To promote winter sports, it was decided to build a building that would serve as a shelter for the workers for their weekend and vacation recreation. 

The architects José Antonio Coderch, Ricardo Abaurre and Francisco Cabrero were in charge of carrying it out according to a previous project by Joaquín Aguilera. It is worth noting its majestic tower, which was completed in 1952, which serves as a reference to the area.

The commissioning of the building, which would coincide with the operation of the first chairlift called Guarramillas, determined an enormous urban explosion in the area, with the consequent construction of hotels, parking lots, residential buildings,...

In the 60s and 70s, the station had its golden age, given the inexistence of another with the same characteristics in the entire Sierra de Guadarrama. The need to seek an extension to it resulted in the inauguration of the Valcotos stations, in 1969, and Valdesquí, in 1972.

Despite the extreme weather conditions in the area, other spaces are enabled within the station. This is how "the telegraph" was born, which takes the name of the hill where it was located, or "the showcase", which was the area where sports stars "exhibited" themselves to visitors, who are a clear example of this expansion. Already in 1969 the resort had 5 chair lifts and 3 drag lifts, with a total capacity of close to 5.000 skiers/hour. In 1971, two more ski lifts were extended, bringing the total number of lifts to ten.

Having one electric train line it was something to take into account for the development of the area, although it was about to be abandoned. They say that Carmen Polo, wife of the Generalissimo, went up to the Puerto de Navacerrada to deliver some awards while she was pregnant. But the snowfall was such that the road had to be closed. As she began to feel bad, the only option was to use this means, which was taken into account especially in emergencies. It is extended to Cotos when the Valcotos and Valdesquí stations come into operation.

The influx of people to the area increased exponentially every year. The number of people who came on weekends in 40.000 buses and 130 cars was counted at 7.800, despite the scarce hotel and restaurant infrastructure in the area. Meanwhile, the Navacerrada Residence was the most representative building in the area.

The XNUMXs and XNUMXs is the season's decline. Its poor geographical location, its short and monotonous slopes, as well as its scarce infrastructure, both accesses and resources, together with the lack of snowfall at certain times, make this space reach its ceiling, in terms of the influx of visitors. . Although there are projects to build a gondola from Rascafría to Bola del Mundo, to avoid access by private vehicle, this is dismissed as a result of the strong winds in the area.

Skiing and winter sports are the main attraction in this area of ​​the Sierra de Guadarrama during the winter season. The stations of Navacerrada and Valdesquí, with an adjoining situation, constitute the ideal space for the practice of winter sports for the people of Madrid, given their proximity to the capital. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, we can also go hiking with snowshoes and, in certain cases, rock climbing or ice walls.

To speak of the Port of Navacerrada is also to speak of winter sports, as one of the main ski resorts of the Central System and the closest to the city of Madrid is located here. The Ski Resort Puerto de Navacerrada It has 17 tracks – the longest, La Mancha, is 1.250 m long – some of which saw Francisco Fernández Ochoa train, and it attracts a good number of people from Madrid.

On the other hand, just 10 kilometers from the Residence, we find another of the Central System stations, Valdesqui, located on the northern slope of Cerro de Guarramillas and surrounded by the peaks of Valdemartín and Loma del Noruego. It has 27 slopes (the vast majority of which are blue or green level) and 15 lifts (among chair lifts, drag lifts and tapes). With a drop of 420 metres, it has a 220-hectare ski area and nearly 23 kilometers of marked slopes, in addition to eight snow cannons arranged on its main slope.

In addition to skiing, other activities can also be carried out with snow as the main element. Given the number of existing paths, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing are complementary activities that can be done in your area.

Hiking is the main activity in the area. Its privileged location allows a wide variety of itineraries, both in duration and degree of difficulty. You can drive through the Valleys of Navalmedio, Sietepicos, Fuenfría, La Barranca, Valsaín, or Rascafría. It can also be reached, although at a greater distance, to the Pedriza Valley, where the Manzanares River rises, or to the Moros River Valley, at the foothills of Mujer Muerta.

Among the most representative peaks, you can access the Cerro del Telégrafo, Alto de Guarramillas (also known as the Bola del Mundo), La Maliciosa, Siete Picos, Dos Hermanas or Peñalara, as well as others somewhat further away such as Valdemarín, Cabezas , Montón de Trigo or Cerro Minguete.

Some routes can be carried out without transport support, that is, with departure and arrival from the same port. However, in order not to have to return on foot to the starting point, others with return by electric train that runs through this part of the Sierra or from nearby towns are detailed. Furthermore, its proximity to Penalara Natural Park, which can be accessed both by car and by rail, enables a wide range of hiking itineraries and contact with nature, since it does not allow vehicles to circulate inside.

It is also possible to make longer itineraries online, where it will be necessary to have a support vehicle. However, when necessary, the public transport to be used to complete the proposed routes will be determined.

All the routes are made up of a description of the itinerary, with the most representative points of the same, in addition to the corresponding map and profile. The track is also included for tracking with a GPS device or another alternative (GPS-enabled phone, PDA, etc.).

When hiking, regardless of the difficulty of the route to be followed, it is convenient to take into account a series of recommendations:

• Prepare what you need in advance To carry out the route: backpack, suitable footwear, raincoat, cap, water bottle, sunscreen and lipstick...
• Clothes should be in layers to be able to take it off or put it on depending on the temperature.
• Bring some means of communication such as the mobile phone in case something unforeseen arises, although it is possible that in some areas there is no coverage.
• On field trips, you must take hunting season into account, which includes the months of October to March.
• Check the weather forecast.
• Try not to go alone communicating the itinerary to be carried out.
• Start the activity at a prudent hour.
• Do not overestimate your experience and physical condition and pay special attention if you are accompanied by people with little habit or children.
• If the itinerary passes through a protected area, it is advisable find out about current legislation.
• Avoid going off the marked paths and trails.
• Caring for the natural environment, do not leave garbage and do not take plants or animals.
• Close doors and gates.
• control pets.

DOWNLOAD TRACKS OF THE HIKING ROUTES: 

1. Schmid's Way (14 km)

2. Senda Herreros, Sietepicos and Carril del Gallo (12,5 km)

3. Hill of Guarramillas and Ball of the World (7 km)

4. The Valley of the Barranca and the Camino Ortiz (13 km)

Cycling, particularly mountain biking, is another activity with great possibilities, as it is possible to follow longer routes than on foot, which makes it possible to contact other nearby valleys such as Navalmedio, Fuenfría, La Barranca, Valsaín or Rascafría. It will also be possible to access others further away, such as the Río Moros, La Pedriza, Lozoya, or La Jarosa, always bearing in mind that we can return on the train that accesses the Port of Navacerrada so as not to have to climb it. Road cycling is also another possibility, given its proximity to emblematic ports in the Community of Madrid, such as Los Leones, Morcuera, Canencia or Navafría, as well as the mythical Navacerrada, among others. All of them can be promoted in their two aspects, both from Madrid and Segovia.

Given its particular enclave, from the Navacerrada Residence numerous and varied cultural visits can be made to nearby towns, both on the Madrid and Segovian sides, each with different spaces of interest. As main monuments you can visit the Castle of Manzanares el Realplatforms, Monastery of El Paular o the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial and Valley of the Fallen on the Madrid side. On the Segovian side is the Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonsoplatforms, Palace of Navas de Riofrio or Alcazar of Segovia and its aqueduct.

The urban area of Navacerrada (located 10,9 km away), is surrounded by mountains, next to the reservoir of the same name – small in area and regulating the course of the Manzanares since 1969. It is a typical mountain village ideal for pleasant walks, dotted with sturdy mountain buildings and with a whitewashed parish church and a four-sided bell tower.

It is the starting point for different excursions to the nearby Dehesa de Las Golondrinas or along the Senda de los Almorchones. However, it is essential to get further away from the town to discover and explore its privileged natural environment, integrated into the Cuenca Alta del Manzanares Regional Park, declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1992. To find out about the many itineraries that can carried out, there are different tourist information points in the municipality, as well as interpretation and environmental education centres.

It is noteworthy that in Becerril de la Sierra (14,1 km) there are two completely different churches. One is the one corresponding to San Andrés Apóstol, which was raised in granite between the 1967th and XNUMXth centuries under the canons of rural baroque. Of her stand out the portico supported by Tuscan columns, which houses the atrium and the tower of three bodies. The other is the contemporary Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Valle, whose works began in July XNUMX. It is a modern building, with geometric shapes and exposed concrete.

The chapel of the Old Cemetery is the monument with the greatest historical value in Collado Mediano (14,600 km from the Port of Navacerrada). It was erected at the end of the XNUMXth or beginning of the XNUMXth century in a cemetery where Frenchmen who died in the War of Independence were buried. In the late Romanesque style, it has a rectangular nave covered by an ashlar vault supported by a pointed central arch. The town also has one of the most beautiful churches in the area, the San Ildefonso Parish Church, built in stone in the XNUMXth century, although the altarpiece of the main altar, from the Mercedarias Convent in Madrid, dates back to of the previous century. 

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