Picnicking in Hemingway Country

If you're here at the right time, the air will be heavy with the perfume of incense - a wildflower, the jara, like a wild rose, grows in profusion here. The place is usually deserted. Make your way down to the river which flows through the ravine. Sit by it now, sip your wine and think of Pilar as the shadows lengthen on your summer afternoon

Pines, Sierra de Guadarrama

"'I want to bathe my feet' the woman said and, taking off her rope-soled shoes and pulling off a heavy wool stocking, she put her right foot into the stream.

'My God, it's cold.'"

Ernest Hemingway, For Whom The Bell tolls

The fighting that ebbed and flowed around Segovia, El Escorial and Madrid during the Spanish Civil War was focused, for a time, on the range of mountains which rises from the sun-baked plain here in the very heart of Spain. This Sierra de Guadarrama is, indelibly, Hemingway country; fragrant with pines, it endured shellfire and bombing action which was later immortalized by the great writer. What better place for a picnic than a picturesque mountain pass, by a crystalline stream gurgling over pebbles, in the shadow of a bridge which was, in fact and in fiction, the focal point of guerilla activity? More than fifty years after the event, you can come back to this evocative place, spread a rug over a carpet of soft pine needles, open a bottle of rioja and nibble on the roast chicken you purchased in a Madrid market.

Flashback: troops advance in the sierra, 1936

I have often picnicked in Hemingway's sierra, which lies so close to the city it's almost a suburb. Sometimes, I take the train from Atocha station for the thirty minute trip to El Escorial, the small town which nestles in rocky foothills and which is known more than anything else for the vast monastery/ palace created by Philip II. On other occasions, I prefer to journey to Navacerrada, in the eastern sierra- with its rounded granite peaks, dark green pine forests and high mountain lakes. This area, too is close to the capital; sometimes, on a clear day, you feel you can almost reach out and touch the mountains, especially in winter when the peaks are snow-capped. You can get to Puerto de Navacerrada, the ski-centre gateway to the mountain passes very quickly by train or by car - and from this point, hike or (much easier) take the ski lift up over the pines to a picnic place with a panoramic view. Usually, there are about thirty trains daily out of Atocha for El Escorial, a third that number to Navacerrada. En route for the latter, you have to change trains at the foot of the mountain, continuing on the final few miles in a tiny little railway car which makes the ride even more memorable.

Most times, however, I make my picnic trips by car. The train is fun (and cheap) but a car offers infinite freedom - except, perhaps, for the return trip to Madrid on a summer Sunday afternoon. An endless line of cars stretches ahead of you, shimmering in the heat; all you can do is sit and wait patiently as the caravana bumper-to-bumpers its way, slowly, towards the city.

Sunlight and shadow in the mountains near Madrid

Here, then, are two delightful picnics you'll enjoy in Hemingway country - with some great sightseeing en route or on the way back. The first trip takes you to the Sierra de Guadarrama, with side trips to La Granja and Segovia, the second to El Escorial and the mountain streams beyond.

To get to both picnic places, you exit the city in your rental car on the A6 expressway, which you reach via the Plaza de Espana and the calle Princessa in the western part of Madrid. It's a superb road, part of an excellent Spanish system. Madrid these days is being rapidly urbanized; the ritzy, flower-filled suburbs - Aravaca, Las Rozas and new developments will be with you almost to the sierras. At Villalba, you follow the sign "Puerto de Navacerrada" and swing right, leaving the flow of traffic and joining a narrow paved road which will take you up into the mountains. At first, the grade is gentle, but soon the climb becomes steeper and the air fresher. From the side of the road, the slope falls away sharply; it is dark with pines, which have distinctive pink trunks here and a woodsy fragrance. Look for the fresh water springs by the roadside as you continue on; the water here is much prized for its purity and people come all the way from the city with bottles to renew their supply.

Puerto de Navacerrada, as the name suggests, is your gateway to the mountains and to the pass which offers you a view of both old and new Castile. The town is a popular winter resort and big ski lodges dominate the hills on all sides, backed by ski lifts and T-bars. There's an open air market here during summer, where you can buy distinctive pottery. When you get to the market, turn right and follow the sign to Los Cotos.

A few kilometres further on, you'll arrive at the ski lift which will take you up the steep slopes of Pico Penalara to the lake or to the summit (around 6,000 ft above sea level). You may prefer to have your lunch on the lower slopes, where friendly sheep and the occasional horse chomps on the lush grass, before the ride to the top. I prefer the summit with its view of Segovia far below, just a few dark specks on a vast hot orange canvas. If the day is warm, walk down to Lake Peñalara which, during summer, is surrounded by gaily coloured tents and smoking barbecues. The water is cool, but refreshing.

With lunch over, you can have an afternoon sightseeing close by. Retrace your route back to Puerto de Navacerrada and when you reach the market, turn right, following the road to Segovia. Pine forests and some sharp hairpin bends await you as you drive slowly down the pass. After the pines, you'll see shaded oak glades and the rippling stream where Pilar washed her feet in the Hemingway story. In fifteen minutes you arrive at La Granja de San Ildefonso - and the fabled summer palace of the Bourbons. The palace is open weekdays from 10 am to 1 pm, 3 pm to 7 pm during the summer, and is worth visiting - particularly for its tapestry museum.

La Granja: palace, gardens and Fama fountain

But La Granja's treasure is its gardens; more specifically, the fountains in its gardens. La Granja's parkland covers 358 acres and its fountains rival, if not outshine, those of Versailles. The Neptune Basin and the marbled cascade are extraordinarily beautiful, especially when the water is turned on (at 5.30 pm sharp on Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays). The Fama fountain in front of the palace shoots a shimmering plume of water 100 ft into the air. Both palace and gardens can be visited for the equivalent of a few cents.

The city of Segovia is only 11 kilometres away from La Granja, so you'll have plenty of time to explore this old city, with its still-functioning Roman aqueduct. If you skipped your picnic back in the mountains, try the Meson de Candido, a restaurant which is, quite literally, in the aqueduct's shadow. The Meson is several floors of dark beams and nooks and crannies; red and blue light filters through stained glass as waiters scurry about with plates of succulent roast lamb Segovia-style, or crisp roast suckling pig. This restaurant is internationally famed for its food and its ambience. A warning, though at weekends, it's usually crowded

Segovia: the Roman viaduct and the alcazar

There's much to see in Segovia, as any good guide book will tell you. But don't leave without taking a look at the Alcazar, which stands, like the prow of a ship, overlooking the valley below. The 603 is a fast way back to Madrid: it takes you through a tunnel under the mountain and then joins the expressway back to the city.

For your second picnic, you leave the city the same way, but this time you leave the highway, swinging left on the road to El Escorial. This route takes you through fascinating country; be sure to look for the prize bulls as you approach El Escorial! You'll see them, black and white mostly, staring at you from behind stone walls on either side of the road. These are famous bull breeding ranches, and they cover hundreds, perhaps thousands, of acres in all directions.

San Lorenzo de El Escorial

It's a short trip, and you soon arrive in this town (now almost a suburb of Madrid) with its grey stone houses and vast mountain behind. El Escorial means "slag heap" - a not particularly edifying association for the place which is the site of one of the country's most renowned edifices. By all means visit the monastery/church/royal residence that is San Lorenzo de El Escorial; it is a rich museum and a stunning reminder of Spanish power at the time of Philip II, the man who sent the armada against Elizabeth I, to his eternal regret. The place, with its library of 50,000 books and manuscripts, priceless paintings, royal apartments, vast church and royal pantheon (where the dark grey marble tombs of most Spanish monarchs are located) is a monument to the king who built it and to 16th century Spain.

After an hour or two (or three) in the Escorial, take the road to Avila. You'll climb into the Escorial mountains, once again into Hemingway country. A few kilometres on, you'll arrive at a massive bridge spanning a ravine. On the far side of this bridge, pull over and park in the shade of the pines. If you're here at the right time, the air will be heavy with the perfume of incense - a wildflower, the jara, like a wild rose, grows in profusion here. The place is usually deserted. Make your way down to the river which flows through the ravine. Sit by it now, sip your wine and think of Pilar as the shadows lengthen on your summer afternoon.

jara blooms, Sierra de Guadarrama