Cerrón

Overview

This interesting mountain is the highest top completely located in the province of Guadalajara. Only Pico del Lobo (2.272 m.), which is the highest summit in Sierra de Ayllón, Alto de las Mesas (2.257 m.), La Buitrera de los Lobos S (2.221 m.) and Las Peñuelas (2.211 m.) are highest than Cerrón, but all of them are in the border of the provinces of Guadalajara and Segovia (that belong to two regions of Spain, here named “Comunidades Autónomas”: Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y León).
Cerrón is a lonely mountain, ideal for lovers of large landscapes and for people who looks for the solitude on the way to the top. Though this mountain is less than 100 kilometres away from the big city of Madrid, here we can walk by one of the areas with less density of population in Spain, even in Europe!
This area of Pico del Lobo and Cerrón, threatened for a long time by the sky resort of La Pinilla (located in the North face of Pico del Lobo) and by the project of building a big radar to serve to the spanish army, has been recently declarated Natural Reserve (“Reserva Natural del Pico del Lobo-Cebollera”) by the Junta of Castilla-La Mancha, with a surface of 10.024 has.
We expect that this declaration can be the first step to a future bigger natural park of Sierra de Ayllón, now restricted to a small zone in Tejera Negra Natural Park, in the province of Guadalajara, where there are some interesting beech woods, one of the more southern in Spain and even in Europe (the others are located in the spanish province of Tarragona, and in the island of Sicilia, in Italy).

Getting There

By bus: public transport get from Madrid to the village of Buitrago del Lozoya and Montejo de la Sierra (about 8 kilometers of the beginning of the routes!). In Buitrago del Lozoya there is a taxi. If you don't have a car, it's a good idea to get the beginning of the routes to Cerrón.
You can get the timetable of the bus company “Continental Auto” (bus stop in Madrid is in Plaza de Castilla) to Buitrago del Lozoya and Montejo de la Sierra in the link: Mancomunidad de la Sierra del Rincón
By car:
-From Madrid and southern Spain:
Follow highway A-1 to Buitrago del Lozoya. From here take the ancient N-1 until a cross-roads. Turn right, passing Gandullas (where you can see three huge parabolic aerial of the phone company “Telefónica”), Prádena del Rincón and Montejo de la Sierra. Then follow a local road indicated as “puerto del Cardoso” and “hayedo de Montejo” (a protected beechwood). When you cross a bridge over the river Jarama, nearby to the little parking of “hayedo de Montejo”, it’s time to park the car if you want to start the route at this point; for an alternative route, go on till the village of El Cardoso de la Sierra, 3 kilometres far away, located in a charming valley surrounded by oakwoods and the nearby mountains of Sierra del Rincón (in the border of Guadalajara and Madrid, recently declarated as Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO).
-From northern Spain:
Take A-1 and go out by a local road, passing Horcajo de la Sierra and Montejo de la Sierra; from here, follow the same route already indicated.

Red Tape

No permits or fees are required. However, passing to Ermito valley can be restricted due to a wild boars’hunting party in winter (usually, only one day a year; last hunting party: February 5, 2006). In this case, the access is not possible and it’s dangerous walking through this valley, except by the tops. This area belongs to the Sonsaz Hunting National Reserve (“Reserva Nacional de Caza de Sonsaz”).
In winter, the road conditions can be consulted in the web page: Dirección General de Tráfico (in spanish) or in the pages 601-611 of “Teletexto” in channel number 1 or 2 of the TVE (spanish public television).
To visit “hayedo de Montejo” you need a permit that you can get calling to one of this phone numbers: 918697058 or 918697217 or visiting the Sierra del Rincón Union Information Center (“Centro de Información de la Mancomunidad de la Sierra del Rincón”) in the village of Montejo de la Sierra, in the exit by road on the way to “hayedo de Montejo”.

Camping and lodging

Camping is not allowed, but you can climb Cerrón in a long day without any problem, even in winter.
You can find some apartments or country houses (“casas rurales”), a wonderful experience for staying some days in this zone, very different from the classical hotels: they are, sometimes, ancient houses of traditional architecture in stone and wood or new houses built according to that ancient architecture. Visit the web page: top rural to find it. It’s a good oportunity for admiring the rustic houses of those little villages, for buying and eating several traditional dishes and for sleeping in silence, far away of tumult and stress of big cities.

When to climb

In winter: cold days when it is neccesary carry a good equipment (even an ice-axe and crampons for the last part of the route, where the ice or the hard snow can make dangerous the ascent). Careful too in the return to the valley, because the early sunset (about 6 p.m.) can make useful the head-lamp (and temperature falls quickly!).
In summer: hot days. It’s better rise early and carry a lot of water (though you can find some streams by the way, you have to be careful because there are cows and sheeps that can pollute it). Likewise, protect the head with a good bonnet or hat.
In spring or autumn: you will find more agreable temperatures, a lot of different colours in the forest and hundreds of birds singing: these are the best seasons for climbing.

Mountain conditions

Visit the web page: Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (Meteorological National Institute) for knowing the weather prevision in this area. You have a seeker where you can see the local prevision for several days searching by the name of village (ordered before by “Comunidad Autónoma: Castilla-La Mancha or Madrid” and “provincia: Guadalajara or Madrid”). In this case you can search the village of Montejo de la Sierra (province of Madrid) or El Cardoso de la Sierra (province of Guadalajara).
For knowing the snow conditions it’s a good idea consult the web page of La Pinilla ski resort: La Pinilla ski resort or the “Teletexto” in TVE (see before).

Maps

The best map of this area is "Sierra de Ayllón y Ocejón" Scale 1:50.000 edited by La Tienda Verde

Images

View Cerrón Image Gallery - 24 Images