Monte holiday mountains and valley
Our trip north continues as we leave the mountainous region of Alto Palancia for another mountainous region north of Madrid, this time staying at Monte Holiday site. We love the mountains and countryside and planned to stay here for four nights. Our stay coincided with Easter weekend so the site was busy and it meant the girls were able to spend time with other children.
Monte holiday site covers a large area and offers camping facilities, bungalows and treehouses. Antonio, the campsite owner, prides himself on the fact that it is an ideal site for families and particularly children. There is a wide range of sports and activities to appeal to a mixture of ages, including playgrounds, football pitches, tennis court, volleyball pitch, ping pong table, zorbing, climbing and high ropes plus equipment hire for snow-shoe walking, kayaks etc. As well as this, there is an animacion timetable (aimed to younger children) which provides art activities and games. This only runs during the holiday season. Since it was Easter weekend and the site was full of families, the animacion centre (a small hut) was not surprisingly full! The activities run throughout the day but on one evening there was a magic show in the bar area. This was very well attended and proved to be a great show, even if we didn't understand what was being said!
Nature
Nature plays an important role at the Monte holiday site. The campsite is located on a mountain which they own. Outside of the perimeter gates are hides that you hire out for a half a day or a day through a partner company. This is very popular with professional photographers and wildlife enthusiasts. Apparently from the hides you can see a range of different birds and some mammals aswell. The site does have its own farm, well the beginnings of a farm. They currently own a few horses, goats and cows but have big plans to extend this to include smaller, pet-able animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs etc. I'm sure this prove very popular with the children!
Campsite facilities
Back on site, facilities include: a shop (that sells fresh bread); bar and restaurant selling slightly higher than normal priced food and drink; and an outdoor swimming pool (open later in the season). The reception, open between 7.30 am and 11.30 pm, has extremely helpful staff and a large selection of leaflets providing ideas for places to walk to, cycle to or drive to for days out in the local area. We did consider a trip in Madrid from the campsite but it isn't very easy. There are no direct buses or trains from or near the site and it would mean driving nearer to Madrid (about an hour away) before swapping to public transport. I think people come to this site to escape the city and appreciate the landscape and we were more than happy to do the same! Madrid can wait for another day.
Walk to the top of the local mountain
One of the best ways to explore the Lozoya valley and its surrounding mountains is by foot. There are some gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains from the campsite and we couldn't resist heading up one - Cachiporrilla Peak (a walk of 12 kms there and back). The leaflet from the campsite gave some very simple instructions to follow but they weren't as clear as we would have liked. We quickly lost the way. Luckily some locals were able to direct us towards the path at the bottom of the mountain. The route up the mountains obviously isn't one that is regularly used, or even visible but we followed the stone wall up through the bushy undergrowth until we reached the top. As we got higher and higher we could see birds circling overhead. Some were red kites, calling to each other and hunting for food. As we approached the top of Cachiporrilla we saw a group of large birds circling in the thermals above us; these were vultures - a common sight in this area. At the top we were rewarded with beautiful views of the valley dotted with villages and the Pinilla reservoir with mountains as a backdrop, many of which were still covered in snow.
Cycle to Pinilla reservoir and Lozoya village
The sunny weather continued the next day so it was time to use the bikes and explore the valley. The recommended route from the campsite to see Pinilla reservoir and Lozoya village begins on the same path as the walk the previous day. Although only about 8km away, it can be hard going with steep sections in places but takes in some beautiful views. An alternative would be to head in the other direction towards the Riosequillo lake but the campsite owners recommended this way to us.
From busy to quiet
When we arrived at Monte holiday it was busy; there were families everywhere enjoying the Easter break but on Sunday they all packed up and the site was quickly deserted. They don't have a bank holiday on the Monday so most were having to return to work the next day. We almost had the whole place to ourselves. It's funny how different a campsite is when it is full or empty. The busy vibe when the site was full for Easter weekend soon turned to a lazy, subdued affair once it emptied as though it was breathing a big sigh of relief and relaxation. We certainly enjoyed our stay in Monte holiday. It is a heaven for people that love the outdoors and nature throughout the year, no matter what the season. It is also a growing site with plans for the farm and more treehouses in the future. It certainly is somewhere we would love to return to.