Manzanares el Real is a town thirty miles north of Madrid and a starting point for hiking in the Sierra de Guadarrama, the mountain range that curves north around Madrid with summits peaking at more than 6000 feet.
This post covers a low-level walk out of the town, following the River Manzanares into the sierra. A staggering feature are the granite rocks, some polished to smooth surfaces and others stranded in the landscape, caused by millions of years by erosion.
Fantastic day out in stunning scenery !