Madrid 🇪🇸 - Carnival, Mammutmarsch and a Ghost Town

Two stops along the way

Two shorter stops on the way to Madrid. In Losar de la Vera we land entirely unplanned in the middle of the carnival. The whole village is out: music, costumes, atmosphere everywhere. What a coincidence.

At Talavera de la Reina we restock our supplies. We also explore the impressive bridge and the town on foot - a genuinely lovely stopover.

Across the city centre

Before the march itself we take a 15-kilometre walk right across the centre of Madrid.

We start at the Matadero Madrid - a former cattle market and slaughterhouse with a slightly grim past, today a centre for art and culture.

From there we follow the Madrid Río for a long stretch, with its green spaces, bridges and paths right along the river.

After a short detour to check in for the Mammutmarsch, the route climbs to the Palacio Real. There we walk straight into a state visit.

Mammutmarsch

On the Mammutmarsch you can walk 30, 42, 50, 75 or even 100 kilometres, depending on how you feel, in various cities.

We opted for the “small” 30-kilometre loop, because Lou was coming along. Just to be safe, the handcart came too, so she could rest.

But Lou? Simply saw it through. Thirty kilometres, shortly before her 16th birthday. An absolute machine.

The route runs in perfect weather all around the beautiful Casa de Campo - an enormous park right beside the city.

Castillo de Oreja

Out of the big city and straight into its complete opposite: we park up for a few days at Oreja - a ghost town with a very old castle dating from the Moorish period.

The drive in was tricky in places, but in the end we are rewarded with views like these.

So we stay several nights, enjoying the absolute quiet and solitude - and the by now pleasant daytime temperatures.

• Truck
• Travel
• Spain
• Madrid
• Mammutmarsch
• Hiking