Sierra de La Cabrera

Ahead are the three highest peaks of La Sierra de La Cabrera, Cancho de La Bola in the centre, Cancho Gordo to its right and Cancho Largo further right still. Cancho Largo is taller than Cancho Gordo by only 2 metres at 1.564 m (5,131 ft).

Looking north across the Lozoya Valley

La Sierra de La Cabrera

La Sierra de La Cabrera. All oldies from me for a few days at least while I take it easy after an operation for a detached retina. All OK, I just can't spend long in front of a screen for a bit!

From Cancho Gordo near the top.

Convento Monasterio de San Julian Y San Antonio below the granite crags of the Sierra de La Cabrera.

La Sierra de La Cabrera.

Granite again! (Perhaps on Z for the rocky detail) I wanted to post some local shots but today (and the past week) has been clouded by another calima dust / sand cloud from the Sahara. Miserable! So, another from my archives!

Sierra de La Cabrera. I know I've posted this before but I'm happy for it to have another airing!

Typical Sierra de La Cabrera walking country.

Granite playground. On Z please for the rocky detail.

Cancho de La Bola. Home of vultures. There's one soaring above La Bola itself; that white guano-stained boulder at the top. Taken from a snowy GR10 (long-distance path from Lisbon to Valencia). This shows a middle section of La Sierra de La Cabrera.

Iberian lavender (or cantueso) and mountain stream babbling over granite and dappling in the late spring sun a few years ago.

Typical granite extravaganza. Favourite scrambling, rock-hopping and walking country, La Sierra de La Cabrera. This would have been on one of my very early walks here, when I was blown away by the granite forms. 100 + walks later and I still am!

Unexpected sight from the back of the house today - the contrail from A PLANE!!!! Not sure the last time I remember seeing one! Skyline of La Sierra de Guadarrama (The smaller Siera de La Cabrera, my favourite walking area, is the jagged, lower ridge to the right).

Typical granite, La Sierra de La Cabrera. I'm not sure if it's a Henry Moore or a Barbare Hepworth.

A cold but good day scrambling and walking in the Sierra de La Cabrera. The Torre de Valdemanco is the spire upper left. More visible from some angles than from others. Apparently it is possibe to scramble up it without a rope but I didn't fancy it, especially as the rock was very icy!

Sierra de La Cabrera, Madrid province. * I used to call this 'Spanish' lavender but at the insistence of Isabel I am now (correctly I'm sure!) calling it 'Iberian' lavender, as it is also found in Portugal! This variety is known as Cantueso and used to be thought of as the same as Provencal wild lavender but DNA profiling shows it is not the same. The top two 'petals' are in fact modified leaves. Shot taken in 2013 and first shown on ipernity in 2017.