A Black Slate Spanish Village – Patones de Arriba
Hola chicos!
Back in March we explored a small Spanish village that we had heard referred to by some Spanish friends as ‘el pueblo negro’ or the black village. A little bit of research on the interwebs told us that Patones is split into two parts. The ancient Patones de Arriba or Upper Patones which is hidden amongst the surrounding hills, and the more modern Patones de Abajo or Lower Patones where the locals have built more modern houses with modern conveniences on the flat land at the bottom of the hills.
Driving to Patones de Arriba is by far the easiest and most convenient way to visit but parking is a big problem. It is a very popular lunch spot with the Madrilenos as it is only a short 60km drive from Madrid. We decided to test out the bus which was also the cheapest transport option. We took Bus 197 from Plaza de Castilla to Torremocha and connected with minibus 197A from Torremocha to Patones de Abajo. We think it cost around 5.50€ per person one way but we are not sure as we easily confused the bus driver with our Spanglish. Our ticket said Patones so we were not too concerned. The best thing about Spain is that the further you travel from the center of Madrid the less English is spoken. The locals are always friendly and try to communicate but often our Spanglish is better than their English which is worrying because don’t forget that the dogs in Madrid understand Spanish better than I do.
On arrival in Patones de Abajo we found a bar cafe on the main street for a delicious morning tea of chocolate pastry and cafe con leche costing 7€ for the two of us. It was also an excuse to use the toilets before the uphill hike to Patones de Arriba.
Signs through the small town point the way uphill but the locals will also point you in the right direction. It is only a 2.2km walk along a dirt trail between the two towns, but it is steep and took us 35 minutes.
We were not to sure what the hiking trails in Spain were like so we decided to explore the town and have a lunch on a restaurant terrace. You have to ensure you make a booking on arrival as this small town is well known for its gastronomy and the restaurants book out. We wanted to try the local specialty of goat kid roasted in a wood fired oven. The restaurants were expensive but taking into account the difficulty of the location to get produce to the table, the charming town and the terrace atmosphere we were happy to pay the price for the lovely experience and phenomenal food. I would highly recommend it to anyone, but for those on a budget, just as many locals were walking the trails and having a picnic lunch on the hillside as were eating in the restaurants.
After lunch we wandered the charming town and found that there were literally no shops in town only restaurants. Its refreshing to visit a place that is not full of tourist souvenir shops and their Chinese made paraphenalia. I mention this because like in Australia it is difficult to buy a decent Spanish made souvenir. The Spanish Artisans promote their products as ‘Spanish made not from Chino’.
The whole town is entirely constructed from black slate hewn from the hillside. The higher you climb the houses become rubble, succumbing to over five hundred years of weather and lack of occupancy. In the village itself there a a few houses and renovators delights for sale and its very easy to imagine yourself living in a small village in rural Spain. It was refreshing to see that renovations to some buildings were underway so the small town continues to be cared for.
The minibus timetable between Patones de Arriba and Torremocha is rather sporadic, so we decided to walk along the camino rural or rural road that links the villages. It was an easy 5km walk through olive groves and almond trees.
All in all a fabulous day. We will definitely be returning for the hiking and picnic lunch.
Hasta Luego chicos y mil besos!
