Culture

• Monasterio del Paular (Paular Monastery)(2km): This historical gem dating back to the fourteenth century is very well preserved and combines both Gothic and Baroque. We recommend the guided tour which is given by the benedictine monks who run the monastery.. www.monasterioelpaular.com.
• Puente del Perdon (Bridge of Forgiveness) 2km: This famous bridge from the Renaissance is located next to the Carthusian monestery..
• Sala permanente "Luis Feito" (2km): This exhibition holds more than 150 paintings from this famous artist, who has strong links with village of Oteruelo del Valle .
• Iglesia de San Andres Apostol (St Andrew the Apostle´s Church)(0km): Built between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, it also hosts anopen-air comedy auditorium .
• La Cason (0km): Built by the Trastamara in the seventeenth century .
• Puente de la Angostura (9km): This Roman Bridge is located in a beautiful natural setting .

PLACES OF INTEREST NEARBY

Palacio de la Granja de San Ildefonso (42km, Segovia): This palace together with its famous gardens and fountains was a retirement home for Felipe V and a holiday home for his successors . Segovia (54km): A city of World Heritage: Aqueduct, Cathedral,Fortress, Town Hall... Palacio de caza de Riofrío (52 km): very close to the city of Segovia . El Escorial Monastery, Casita del Príncipe, Silla de Felipe II y Valle de los Caídos (The valley of the Fallen) 48 km from our houses . The castle and village of Pedraza (42km): declared "Monumental Village" . The village and Castle of Buitrago de Lozoya

Nature

Horse-riding routes around the valley. Visit the Natural Park of Cumbre,Circo and Lagoons of Peñalara (in the municipal district of Rascafria) from the Puerto de Cotos mountain pass (1860 metres altitude) to the peak of Peñalara (2430 metres altitude), the highest peak in the region of Madrid. Valdeskqui-puerto de Cotos: For those who love skiing, our houses are only 14 minutes away from the resort.

• Visit the Mirador de los Robledos, a natural viewpoint with amazing sights of the whole valley of Lozoya.
• Visit La Isla: the Lozoya waterfall and lake.
• picking of different varieties of mushroom.

• Mountain routes-.
  
  Green route, "Radcafria-Puerto de Cotos": The Paular Monastery - Las Presillas - THe Angostura bridge - The Belgas forest- Socrates´ well - The Guarramillas stream and the Angostura river (origins of the Lozoya river) - The Pingarron mountain shelter - Tejos woods - Cotos mountain pass
  
  Green route 4, "Rascafria - Puerto del Reventon": A route which was kown to link Paular Monastery to the Granja, passing through places like "El carro del diablo" or "Robledal de los Horcajuelos".
  
  Green Route 5, "Rascafría - Peñalara - Lagunas": The Paular Monastery- Puerto de Cotos - Natural Park of Cumbre, Circo y lagunas de Peñalara - "Laguna del Operante" - "Laguna de los pajaros" - "Laguna Grande de Peñalara ".
  
  Green Route 6, "Rascafría - Puerto de la Morcuera": The Paular Monastery- The Bridge of Forgiveness - Las Presillas- The Aguilón and Angostura streams- wild pine forests- The Purgatory Waterfalls and summits- View of the Pico de la Najarra, Cuerddda Larga and Peñalara - Puerto de la Morcuera mountain shelter.
  
  The routes can be done on foot, horseback, some parts by bicycle and cross-country skiing when possible. You will be able to see species like the black vulture, the golden eagle, as well as various trees among which a millennium yew that is considered to be one of the oldest trees in the Iberian Peninsula.

 

Free Time and Leisure

"Las Presillas" natural pools. Horse-riding through the valley. Bike rentals. Paintball (10km). Quad routes (10km). Ski and sleigh rentals ("Valdesqui" and "Cotos" resort) - 14km, in the municipal district of Rascafria).

• Experience the typical cuisine from the Sierra Norte of Madrid in various redtaurants.
• At nights: Rascafria has a wide range of pubs, discos, cafés and terraces

Details of Rascafria

Rascafría is a municipality located in the headwaters of the Alto del Lozoya and Valle del Paular, in the northwest of the region of Madrid.

Despite the fact that this is not a town with a large urban centre, Rascafría has one of the largest municipalities of the region of Madrid that includes beautiful natural areas such as Peñalara Nature Park (with the highest peak in the region).

The sustained use and respect from the neighbours toward the natural environment, allows us now to enjoy these privileged environments.

The town itself retains the popular architecture of the Sierra del Guadarrama, but not only that, the many centuries of Rascafría´s history have left a rich historical and artistic heritage, beginning with the famous monastery of Paular from the fourteenth century.

VILLAGE SERVICES

Petrol station. Pharmacy. Health Centre open 24 hours a day. Bus stop: Madrid - Rascafria - Madrid. Banks and cash points. Tourist Office. Garage. Public swimming baths. Shops and supermarkets. Bars and restaurants. Sports centre. Library and a cultural centre.

THE HISTORY OF RASCAFRIA

The Paular Valley was inhabited during the eighth or nineth centuries, there are graves that bear witness to this, but its written history begins in 1302 when the city of Segovia decided to repopulate the area in the south of the Sierra and by doing that, they had to give up part of their rights, and to delegate to the oligarchy urban crews quiñoneros the parish of La Trinidad, San Esteban, San Martin and San Millan; they founded the four villages in the headwaters of the Valley known as Rascafría, Oteruelo, Alameda and Pinilla.

The land was taken up by peasants in the north of the peninsula that would benefit from the special conditions of repopulation. The Valley was to become part of the "Sexmo of Lozoya" as an administrative unit of the Community of Villa y Tierra de Segovia.

Dating from the fourteenth century The Paular Carthusian was formed to be a part of John I of Castile´s policy to restore the monastic orders as a structural element of their territories.


La Cartuja made an important differernce in many different ways, first in the inhabitants of their environment and secondly in the making of history in Spain. Rascafría and Oteruelo del Valle was gradually rebuilt with various people, defending their rights, organizing themselves to survive. Together with the people of the Valley, Alameda and Pinilla, they were able to buy the territories where they and the people of quiñoneros in Segovia lived.

In the late nineteenth century Rascafría had one thousand inhabitants. Its economy was based on farming, but even the old paper mill of the Carthusian monks was still iin working order. This mill, in addition to three flour mills and two sawmills, was the first paper mill of Castile and where the prince edition of Don Quixote paper first came from,