Top 18 Caves 마드리드

The Hervidero Waterfall is a double waterfall on the Guadalix River, nestled in a rocky canyon and surrounded by riverside vegetation. It can be reached via a flat and easy 7 km (round trip) route starting from San Agustín del Guadalix, ideal for family hikes.

The Bear Cave in San Lorenzo de El Escorial is not a real, deep cave in the geological sense, but rather a peculiar rock formation in the Bosque de la Herrería. It is a natural cavity formed by the arrangement of large granite boulders that create a kind of shelter or "cave." It is located in the Bosque de la Herrería, a protected natural area declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is on a very popular hiking trail, relatively close to the Chair of Philip II and the Fuente de los Hermanitos. Its name comes from the fact that its shape and size might evoke the idea of a bear's den, although no real bear ever lived there. Rather, it is a visual attraction, especially for children. Beyond being a "real" cave, it is a point of interest on the hiking trails in the Bosque de la Herrería.

The caves of the primitive Carpetanian settlement of Caraca are a window in time, from the first Carpetanian inhabitants to the present day, representing the different cultures that have populated the Tajuña valley over time. The current state shows the deterioration typical of a hillside made of marl and gypsum that is brittle and easily eroded. In the time of the Carpetanians, it was a troglodyte settlement with interior passages that connected different galleries, had water channels, warehouses and houses protected from intruders at a certain height from the ground, accessed by ladders and ropes. In the middle of the last century, the Risco de las Cuevas was the setting for several films.

The climb to visit it is quite hard, I would consider it alpine due to its slope and roughness.

It is low and you have to pass crouching. It is important to bring light.

This cave-shelter served as anti-aircraft protection during the Spanish Civil War. It belonged to the Republican side, and its strategic location against the hill made bombing difficult. It was built with pick and shovel after the Battle of Brunete.

On the Jarama front, taking advantage of the structure and characteristics of the terrain, the excavation of caves was common, from small individual shelters to large caves (like the one we can see on the “Secrets of the Greenway” route. Element 8) and tunnels that allowed entire squads or platoons to be housed, the installation of command posts, health posts, warehouses, etc. These excavations, on the one hand, allowed the troops to be hidden from the sight of the enemy and offered good protection in case of bombing, and on the other, they offered a certain degree of comfort to the soldiers who remained in them. These caves usually have many common elements, such as the existence of small holes to support camping equipment or personal objects or chimneys for the escape of smoke. After the Civil War, this type of caves have had various uses. One of them, and a very important one, was the cultivation of mushrooms, carried out until the mid-eighties of the 20th century.

Due to the characteristics of the terrain, caves have been built throughout history, which have served very different purposes. In this area we have clear examples.