After meeting a historic corner of the Sierra Norte (The inheritance of Santiago), We invite you to travel the road that goes from Pinilla to Choker, that matches the Cañada de la Cerrada de Garay in path, also known as Cañada de Santiago, in honor of the Church of Santiago, which we have discussed previously. Could it be this part of the road that Juana traveled from Buitrago Castle to the Church of Santiago for that historic appointment? We don't know, But let our imagination as we travel the road...

To begin this route we must place in the street Buitrago along the stream of la Pinilla, in Pinilla de Buitrago. The street name already tells us clearly where it was assumed the old road going towards Buitrago.

Beside the stream, We can see that the street forks, one of them crosses the Brook and the other is directed parallel to the brook, by its right margin, in the direction of the cemetery. We take this last option, a paved calleja descending very gently, beside the stream, passes in front of the cemetery. Past the cemetery, the asphalt ends and the wide lane becomes ground. We walked by the closed Canada of Garay, the width of the space dictates the model of livestock, in this case canada that should have at least 75mts.

The road is approaching the reservoir and gives us beautiful landscapes with water as protagonist. Shortly after we went through a grove of maples of Montpellier which gives some originality plant road.

Shortly after the road forks, We tacked to the Southwest, getting away from the reservoir. On our left we leave the equestrian centre Cerrada de Garay, on whose estate we can watch beautiful horses trotting and grazing, in the green pastures of excellent quality due to its location near the reservoir.

We passed a Wattle which gives way to a wide space between the dry stone terraces, that narrows as we move forward, always leaving one space for the passage of people and cattle. Yet in some stretches the terraces and vegetation clothes the way giving air of meditation. After the terraces ash trees and Oaks create a very closed forest. Ash trees make up vegetation, Robles, some oak, morrioneras, arraclanes, rose hips, boneteros, Brambles and vines.

We left more open spaces dominated by Oaks and as we move forward we are overlooking in the distance Choker village under the cerro de La Cruz. Next, and in the direction which move looks over the belfry of the Church of Santiago.

The road, now trail, It is embedded between zarzales that appear between the terraces, into a meadow, where tacked at a crossroads, Northwest.

It is this meadow where the Hermitage of Santiago is situated, built in stone and brick, prior to 1390. Its apse is of mudejar style, and the cover is mudejar Gothic. The belfry still shows majestic. It must have been along the s. 17TH when occurred the plundering of the baptismal and campaigns, until you reach the current state of ruin.

En este escenario se produce el encuentro entre el monarca Enrique IV, y el sequito que acompaña a la niña Juana el 26 October of 1470, donde los nobles castellanos juran a la princesa Juana como legitima heredera al trono. Oficiándose las capitulaciones matrimoniales entre el Duque de Guyena, hermano del rey de Francia y la hija del rey de Castilla.

El camino de zahorra blanca se dirige ya hacia Gargantilla, entre amplios prados salpicados de fresnos trasmochados, donde pasta el ganado. Las vistas del valle guardado hacia el Sur por la cuerda montañosa que se forma entre Cabeza de la Braña, el Mondalindo, Peña Negra y el cerro del Cuadrón son magnificas, con el pueblo de Garganta de los Montes bajando por la falda de este último.

El camino pasa por encima de las vías del tren de la línea Madrid-Burgos, hoy en desuso, y con la bonita estampa de Gargantilla bajo el cerro de La cruz llegamos a nuestro destino.