Day 1 Torrelodones to Burgohondo (97km)
From Torrelodones we headed towards El Escorial. The road was busy with traffic heading for the final time trial of the Vuelta and also a major mountain biking event nearby. El Escorial would be a good place to start from, especially if you can leave some time for the monastery and other historic attractions. A steady climb out of El Escorial is followed by a steep descent into Robledo de Chavela. Pleasant roads winding through sparse pine forest and a heavy pine scent brought us to Cebreros. Ancient slim granite fence posts supported the fences at the side of the road. After a much needed cup of tea in Cebreros it was down to join the very quiet N403 northwards for about 8km until turning left on the AV902 for Navaluenga. There was no accommodation open or available in Navaluenga but the Hostal El Alberche in Burgohondo had plenty of room and good hearty food. It had seemed a long day and we were beginning to regret not stopping earlier, perhaps at the hotel we’d passed on the brief ride along the N403. The main activity in Burgohondo seemed to be the dismantling of the bullring that had been erected in the main square for the previous weeks festivities. The hotel had been full all week but now their season was over. We were the only guests.

Day 2 Burgohondo to Arenas de San Pedro via Pto de Serranillos (60km)
We’re soon climbing towards the Pto de Serranillos. Wizened blackberries on the roadside bushes betray the shortage of water through the summer. In damp shaded pockets other bushes show off their succulent sweet berries. The cultivated patches of ground hugging vines get smaller as we ascend. We climb around 700m mostly on reasonable gradients. Just below the summit, bulls graze and at the summit more cattle are mysteriously penned in an ancient stone built corral. Traversing the summit in mist, we coast down through fine weather and pine forest towards a quite different environment. The villages appear more prosperous. Vines have given way to olives. After Santa Cruz del Valle, we cross over the N502. An unwelcome climb of around 200m takes us into Arenas de San Pedro and the Hosteria Los Galayos.

Arenas de San Pedro is a tourist destination with its famous caves, "Cuevas del Águila", discovered in 1963, six kilometres away from the town. In the centre of the town is the castle of Triste Condesa (the Sad Countess), with a great keep and the Gothic 16th-century church of Nuestra Señora de Asunción.

Day 3 Arenas de San Pedro to Jarandilla (63km)

We climb out of Arenas through pine forest on the quiet C501. We are soon in the bustling town of Candeleda seeking out the panaderia (bakery) and its local specialties. The savoury items were particularly good. The road continues through a series of small villages, all of which appear to have plenty of accommodation. The C501 had become the EX203. We were now in our destination area of northern Extremadura. Although not particularly busy, the road is the main thoroughfare from east to west in this area. There are good views of the sierras to the north, but the road seemed somewhat flat and featureless - improved for the benefit of motorised traffic. An alternative might be to drop down to the small road that tracks the river Tietar before climbing up towards our destination, Jarandilla. Here we headed for the Parador with its impressive courtyard and spacious rooms. There is a range of accommodation in Jarandilla

Day 4 Jarandilla to Plasencia (55km)
What a day! The first stretch was about 200 metres from the hotel to the safety of a bar where we waited for a downpour to finish. Roads had turned to rivers. Flotsam was being funneled through the streets of Jarandilla. We had known that the weather forecast was for bad weather. But this bad? Worse still, it was predicted to continue for some while. Our planned route was to have taken us over the Pto del Piornal by way of the attractions of the Monasterio de Yuste. Charles V, Europe's last Holy Roman Emperor, spent his final years at the monastery that sits just above the village of Cuacos de Yuste. This area is La Vera, a mountainous corner of Extremadura famous for its paprika. In many villages, red paprika peppers can be seen hanging from the old stone houses to dry.

In pouring rain and dense cloud our plan was abandoned in favour of following the EX203 directly into Plasencia. The road surface was littered with debris deposited by the recent torrents. Various signs along the road indicated we were crossing one of the famous old migration routes or cañadas. Cañadas are still marked on the 1:50000 Instituto Cartográfico Nacional maps and have their origins in the migratory routes of the wild fauna. As species became domesticated, shepherds maintained the movements of the large herds and the result is a vast network of tracks - really extended pasture - which link up the regions of Spain. In early summer when water becomes scarce, migration (Transhumanz) begins. Livestock were driven vast distances from areas in southern and central Spain into mountainous more humid regions further north. This custom continued until the beginning of the 20th century. A keen interest in the practice, its ecological value and its revival continues through the Organisation Trashumancia y Naturaleza.

Some compensation for the appalling weather was the late and wonderful lunch that we enjoyed at the friendly Hotel Rincón Extremeño, just off the main square in Plasencia. There has been a market in the main square of Placencia since the 12th century and there is plenty to see around this historic town. It would be a good base for exploring this area of northern Extremadura.