El Yelmo circuit

This is very varied walk with some steep climbs and descents with some climbing round boulders and then good paths for some of the way. What makes this a great walk are the rock formations and the amazing views all the way around the circuit of El Yelmo.

Spanish maps included within these descriptions are provided courtesy of the Spanish IGN and remain © Instituto Geográfico Nacional.
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The grade of this walk is S/B/Scr, which means
S – Strenuous: More than 600 metres ascent and/or more than 15km in length with steep, loose or heavily vegetated sections.
B – Less than half the route on rough ground.
Scr – Scrambling: This implies the need for handholds to ascend steep rock pitches with a sense of exposure to vertigo and where a slip could lead to a serious accident.

Nearest town	Manzanares el Real
Directions to start	The entrance to the park is from the M608 which you need to approach from Manzanares el Real heading out towards Cerceda. If approaching from Cerceda there is no left turn so you need to go towards Manzanares and use the first roundabout. As you leave Manzanares after the roundabout take the road after 500m signed La Pedriza. Follow the road until you reach the barrier. If you are within the opening times (see the timings in restrictions and recommendations below) you will be able to continue into the park and continue for 3-4km to the Canto Cochino car park.
Start point (Lat/Long)	40.749300, -3.896730 Click here to view in Google Maps (in a new browser tab)
Length (km)	12.50
Ascent (metres)	810
Walking time (hours)	4.5
Total time (hours)	6
Recommendations or Restrictions	Although this appears just a reasonable ascent and distance you should take account of the large amount of negotiating the various boulder areas where walking is slowed considerably. There are some areas where you need to scramble around and over boulders but this is not difficult. On the descent there is a short area on a rock slab that could be classed as limited exposure. Entering the park is restricted at certain times of the year. The details are as follows: Jun, Jul, Aug and Sept – Mon – Fri Barrier is open 0730-1030. Sat-Sun and Hols, Barrier is open 0700-0930 Outside these times you are required to catch the free bus to get to the start.