Andy Rodker's photos with the keyword: Roman road

Sierra de Guadarrama backdrop. Between Zarzalejo and El Escorial, Madrid Province.

Another shot of this vast palace-monastery creation of Felipe II, with its backdrop of Mount Abantos.

The central Sierra de La Guadarrama viewed from the Roman road between Zarzalejo and El Escorial.

In January the days are short and I need to hurry along to stay warm and to leave enough time for photos, or else get lost and on a cloudy night, this is surprisingly easy to do, no matter how well one knows the path in daylight!

A January shot and the oak still holding on to its leaves, as they do. They will drop in March and the new leaves will be ready to emerge straight away.

Seen (just about) at bottom left. I think most of it is in the much later wall! Zarzarlejo, El Escorial, Sierra de Guadarrama, Madrid Province. Granite country.

Between El Escorial and Zarzaleja. I suspect most of it is now in the walls that line it!

My views of this sierra last week were from a closer vantage point. I should have been there this week but an arrogant student decided that the immersion course was not to his taste and so he got it cancelled after only 2 minutes of us all meeting! I now have a battle to get paid and the academy has a fight to retain the contract. A worrying few days all round! (There was nothing wrong with the course).

Las Machotas and blackberries from the Roman road. I tried to convey the shimmering heat haze on this scorching August day.

I broke the law. This shot is taken from the railway tracks! However, there was a crossing point here, roughly in line with the Roman road, and I was surprised to see it blocked off (the reult of an unfortunate accident maybe? But probably just offialdom). I wasn't going to retrace my steps and add another hour to my journey,so I climbed over the fences, trespassed on the tracks and saw this for HFF with the palace monastery of El Escorial as a backdrop!!

I must be going mad! Not only do I take a shot of two ponies that magically appear as one, but I have done it again!! I KNEW I was witnessing a very cute kid suckling its mother. But it was finding it hard to get a purchase as the mother was positioned too close to the rocky ground and the wall. It was amusing watching it try to get into a good position (why it didn't come round this side is beyond me!). But when I came to look at the shot later... you guessed it; no sign of the kid! But I can assure you it is there, hidded behind mum and trying to balance on that raised stone.

That fence and tree again!

One of the better preserved stretches.

Another classic fence (I don't include the wall in my fence definition, only the posts and wire). And another favourite tree.

San Lorenzo de El Escorial, some way off but still impressive, against the backdrop of Mount Abantos. The best preserved stretch of the Roman Road is at this point.

Roman road near Zarzalejo and El Escorial

Only a few sections haven't seen the paving stones uprooted and used for building walls and farm buildings. This is one such section. On the ground, this road is not at all a straight line. From the air and on the map it is a typical straight Roman road! The red and white waymark is for the GR10, the long distance walk from Valencia to Lisbon - or Lisbon to Valencia if you prefer. This is recent. I was surprised to see it here as previously, the GR10 passed many kilometres further north, through the centre of the Sierra de La Guadarrama. Perhaps they will be alternating the routes every couple of decades or so in order to give the paths a rest! If so, it is a good idea (although I am told that the GR10 is not much used and I must say that on my many walks using fragments of the GR10, I have never seen any long-distance walkers!)

The impressive, huge, awe-inspiring yet oppressively grim monastery-palace of Felipe II is a little softened seen through the brambles! Taken from the Roman road.