• Español
  • English

Landscape Trail

Itinerary: Loop route in Boadilla's Monte Sure, from the Arroyo del Nacedero to the Montepríncipe housing development.
Highlights: Mediterranean landscapes, cultural landscapes, panoramic photography
Length : 5.73 km.
Approximate duration: On foot: 2-2.15 h, Bicycle: 1-1.15 h.
Elevation: 663-730 MASL 
Average Grade: 3 - 4%
Maximum: 15 - 16%
Accessibility: Suitable for People with Reduced Mobility only on the first section of the route, from the beginning until hitting the Camino del Romeral. Subsequently, there are sloped areas with  dirt paths.  

This trail goes through natural and cultural landscapes of Boadilla on an itinerary that begins in the plaza of the Palacio del Infante Don Luis, before heading towards the Avenida de Madrid and entering the Monte de Boadilla along the way bordering the palace's orchards. At this point, next to the access gate to the garden, is the Puente de Ventura Rodríguez (bridge), under which runs the Arroyo (stream) de El Nacedero, the name that the Arroyo de la Fresneda takes along this section. This stream and its network of thalwegs run throughout the woodland area, playing an essential role as an ecological corridor for plant species, wildlife life, and connecting urban and peri-urban natural spaces.

Continue the trail flanked by Portuguese oaks (Quercus faginea) until you reach the edge of the palace orchards, where a great plain opens up and you can see artificial nests provided for storks, which can be spotted on towers and roofs in the urban area

Continuing along the path you will reach the bridge over the Arroyo de la Fresneda, after which you will come to a large dehesa, a forested pasture dotted with ash trees, holm oaks and a Portuguese oak here and there. At this point the trail runs between the Palacio del Infante Don Luis, to the west, and the Monte de Boadilla, to the south, in a bygone era a hunting area and a source of natural resources for the people of Boadilla. The dehesa landscape reflects this transition between urban and natural areas, a unique ecosystem and landscape recognized worldwide as a paragon of balanced natural resource usage.

The route bears right onto what is known as the Camino del Romeral. At this point there begins the loop path that runs through the Valle del Arroyo de las Pueblas, through a holm oak grove also featuring large stone pines (Pinus pinea), a species common in the Monte de Boadilla, with isolated trees or small groupings that confer upon them a majestic appearance, contrasting with those areas where they appear in large clusters, the result of reforestation. Half way along the path you will see majanos, artificial burrows built of concrete to favor the breeding of rabbits. Soon the first ash trees of the Fresneda del Arroyo de la Puebla appear, and the first gum rockrose bushes. The holm oak grove in this area is dense and, as one advances, the gum rockrose  (Cistus ladanifer) becomes more abundant, until forming veritable white blankets when they bloom, from late spring until well into the summer. The route turns again until reaching the Montepríncipe housing development, and continues, bordering the houses before returning along the path of the Prado del Espino. On this section you can enjoy several panoramic overlooks with views of a whole mosaic of landscapes: from urban landscapes of industrial areas, and linear infrastructures, to the central presence of the Ciudad Grupo Santander complex, to the agricultural areas around the municipality of Navalcarnero, with the peaks of the Sistema Central mountain range as a backdrop. Along the trail, towards the middle of it, one comes across one of the woodland’s largest cade junipers (Juniperus oxycedrus), with another beautiful overlook right nearby.

Landscape trail
Landscape trail
Landscape trail
Landscape trail
Landscape trail
Landscape trail
Landscape trail
Landscape trail
Landscape trail
Landscape trailje
Landscape trail
Landscape trail