With just over 70 registered inhabitants, about 100 km north of the capital, is one of the towns most picturesque and most beautiful of the entire Community of Madrid. Is about the hiruelaa village lost in time that has managed to preserve its charming spirit and the original framework of its streets and stone houses to offer an ideal getaway in a natural setting to explore without haste.
in full Sierra del Rincón, Biosphere Reserve, the municipality of La Hiruela is already found on the northeastern limit of the Sierra Norte de Madrid. Its geographical situation keeps the town almost like a redoubt lost in time, where life goes by at a different pace, in a rugged landscape between valleys full of rich vegetation. Forests, meadows, meadows, streams and a multitude of paths surround the historic stone houses, making the town an ideal destination for hikers.
Despite the fact that La Hiruela emerges in the landscape as if it were hidden between mountains, it is far from being a secret place for visitors, especially for those from Madrid, but not so much for foreign tourists. But the village has known how to control the crowds and the days of greatest influx closes to traffic its historic center. This is not a problem, since right at the entrance there is a comfortable parking free from where it will only take a few minutes to reach the heart of the town.
And it is almost appreciated, because there is something magical about going through its entrance and gradually entering its intricate streets, with ups and downs, bends and corners that can go unnoticed if we are not attentive to every detail. The houses and buildings, perfectly restored, preserve that spirit of mountain village where time does not pass, with its low structure, stone walls, slate, adobe and wood.
Many of the houses are now rural accommodation and others host small businesses designed for the visitor, without falling into the typical tourist of other places. In this way, we will find a limited hotel offer, but more than enough, with the Bar-Restaurant La Hiruelanext to the church of San Miguel Arcángel and the Town Hall, with a pleasant terrace, as the main enclave.
In addition to visiting all its streets and visiting the temple or the highly recommended Ethnological Museumthe other great attraction of La Hiruela are the many paths that depart from the village under different routes around different themes. They are very affordable walks also for families with children and can even be done all on the same day, enjoying the richness of the landscape that changes with each season.
Along these paths we can visit different enclaves of the ethnological heritage that recall the old life of the town, and that even today are a key part of its economic activity, such as the production of honey. The coal cellar, the beehive and the flour millwith the educational beekeeping classroom next to the Jarama river where there is also a recreational area where we can rest and refuel with our own food.
All the paths are very well signposted and classified with colours, and it is worth completing them in their entirety so as not to miss the century-old oaksbirches and hazelnuts, as well as the green meadows and the crops of fruit treeswhich are quite a sight when they are in bloom or bursting with fruit.
100 Routes through the Sierra de Madrid
As a souvenir, in addition to the desire to return, we can take different types of local honey and some delicious artisan donuts. Pure village flavor.
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