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Madrid launches five routes for hiking without needing a car
The Community of Madrid has added five new routes to the Green Routes network of the Regional Transport Consortium. The proposals make it possible to combine Metro, Cercanías or intercity buses with walking or cycling routes between places such as Chinchón, Leganés, Boadilla del Monte and the Madrid mountains.
With the expansion, the programme reaches 60 routes, connects 45 municipalities and totals almost 1,200 kilometres. That figure, however, applies to the network as a whole and not solely to the five routes launched now. All the itineraries have their start, finish or an intermediate point connected to public transport.
One of the additions is From the Plateau to the Plain, a 20-kilometre route through south-east Madrid that passes through the area around Chinchón and Colmenar de Oreja and uses part of the route of a former railway used to transport limestone. CRTM classifies it as medium-high difficulty because of some stony sections.
The shorter alternative is Leganés-Cuatro Vientos, at eight kilometres. The path links up with Las Presillas park and can be combined with other itineraries towards Alcorcón, Boadilla del Monte and Villaviciosa de Odón. It also partly coincides with routes on the metropolitan Arco Verde.
Another of the new routes, Leganés-Boadilla del Monte, starts in Leganés; it is 18 kilometres long and of medium difficulty. Its first six kilometres coincide with the route towards Cuatro Vientos, and much of its course forms part of the Arco Verde area. It is intended for both hiking and mountain biking.
To the west, Boadilla-Majadahonda-Pozuelo has been added, at 13 kilometres and of medium-low difficulty. The itinerary crosses Monte de Boadilla and Monte del Pilar and has an urban section as it passes through Majadahonda, before continuing towards Pozuelo de Alarcón.
The most mountainous option is Soto del Real-Manzanares El Real. It is 18 kilometres of medium-high difficulty, and the second half enters terrain characteristic of La Pedriza. CRTM itself warns that there is a secluded section where it does not recommend walking alone, and advises against the route during periods of extreme heat because of the lack of shade and water fountains.
That warning is especially important for anyone thinking of trying the routes immediately. Although the expansion is announced at the end of August, CRTM considers it inadvisable to undertake From the Plateau to the Plain in the summer heat, and directly advises against the Leganés-Cuatro Vientos, Leganés-Boadilla del Monte and Boadilla-Majadahonda-Pozuelo routes at this time of year. For several of the new options, autumn will therefore be a more suitable time.
Before setting out, the Consortium allows users to consult the details of each Ruta Verde and download its route as a PDF and in a format for following the route from a mobile phone. On routes that use a bus to get there or return, it is also advisable to check that day’s timetables and, if travelling with a bicycle, the operating company’s conditions.