# Job offer near Madrid help needed re ideal location.



## wobbles64 (Jun 12, 2014)

Hi All, I'm new to the forum and am hoping for some assistance to help me decide on my future.

I have a potential job offer in El Espinar about 1.30 hour drive from Madrid and I'm scoping out relocation information before I make a decision. 
I'd want to be closer to Madrid so within about 1 hour commute of El Espinar max. I have no clue about suitable areas so am seeking advise on the best towns to consider.
One which would have a range of ameneties, supermarkets, restaurants, park etc but not a built up city like Madrid as I'd want a house with a garden.
Somewhere there may be a small ex pat community as my husband will be giving up his current job to join me so will be pretty isolated until he learns the language, ideally semi rural area as I would be bringing my dog so need somewhere to walk him off lead where he could run about a bit. 
I had though Las Rozas might be a good place to start based on the reading I've been doing on this website but I'm pretty clueless.
The company would offer assistance in finding a house but I need to give them a narrowed down location list, any thoughts or advise would be very welcome.
Thanks


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## Dunpleecin (Dec 20, 2012)

I can't help in any way whatsoever I'm afraid but just wanted to say congratulations on getting the offer anyway!


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## wobbles64 (Jun 12, 2014)

Well thank you for the lovely message.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

wobbles64 said:


> Hi All, I'm new to the forum and am hoping for some assistance to help me decide on my future.
> 
> I have a potential job offer in El Espinar about 1.30 hour drive from Madrid and I'm scoping out relocation information before I make a decision.
> I'd want to be closer to Madrid so within about 1 hour commute of El Espinar max. I have no clue about suitable areas so am seeking advise on the best towns to consider.
> ...


Wow, a job offer in El Espinar. As this is a small town in the province of Segovia, I'm intrigued as to what the job offer could be. Teaching? 
You could try Las Rozas, which may be your best bet in as much as there's a large range of housing, but it's quite a trek to El Espinar every day. El Espinar is over a 1000 metres high so you'll hit snow in the winter almost certainly and might not want to drive in it. Las Rozas, whilst pleasant enough isn't really special in any way and has a lot of traffic in parts.
Nearer, but more expensive is Torrelodones (pretty small, quite posh commuter town), but going the other way you've got Segovia which has everything you've listed and is a lot closer, although again it's around 1000mtrs high and cold in winter.
All of these places have a lot of houses with gardens, parks and country walks more or less on your doorstep so there shouldn't be too much of a problem with your dog.


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## wobbles64 (Jun 12, 2014)

Brilliant, thanks for your reply. I will check out those places although I must admit the reason I wanted closer to Madrid was because I wanted to avoid the cold winter so I'm trying to get the best of both worlds in that it's commutable but also warm in winter. It is teaching for 12 months then who knows, officially back to the UK but maybe it opens other doors. Thank you for the information. I'll google map those towns now.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

wobbles64 said:


> Brilliant, thanks for your reply. I will check out those places although I must admit the reason I wanted closer to Madrid was because I wanted to avoid the cold winter so I'm trying to get the best of both worlds in that it's commutable but also warm in winter. It is teaching for 12 months then who knows, officially back to the UK but maybe it opens other doors. Thank you for the information. I'll google map those towns now.


But how would you be travelling?
By car is expensive and if you want to live in Las Rozas and commute every day... I've just seen that it's 40 mins/ 50km so lets say 50 mins and 60 kms door to door each way. Seems like a lot of travelling to me.
I think there's a train station but can't find any timetables. Here's a bus timetable, but I can't see any buses that go straight to El Espinar from Las Rozas.
http://www.lasepulvedana.es/pdf-la-sepulvedana/HorariosMadridSegovia.pdf
And here's a link to info about transport in El Espinar
http://www.elespinar.es/servicios-municipales/transportes-y-taxis.html
Another place to think about is (Collado) Villalba. Again, not particularly attractive, but lots of mountains and walking around and Madrid at about 35 mins on the bus.
I understand what you're saying about the winter, but it's only an academic year. Personally, I'd go to Segovia.


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## wobbles64 (Jun 12, 2014)

Thanks again, I'd be driving I commute 45 minutes now, all be it in heavy traffic, so the duration of 50 mins isn't so bad. Vilalba might be a good option but I'll check Segovia too, I'm not too fussed about pretty village if there is open space for my boy to run , my dog will enjoy that too lol. Thanks so much for the bus info though, I'd just presumed to drive like I do here so hadn't considered public transport but now you've raised it I will check it out.


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## carmic (Dec 23, 2012)

It's not just the petrol costs if you are near Madrid, there is also a toll unless you want to drive the mountain road every day. I have family around Villalba and it is quite nice, but I'd look at Segovia in your situation as it is a lovely little town on the right side of Navacerada


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

Congratulations on the job offer!

I live between Villalba and El Espinar. Las Rozas and Torrelodones are both closer to Madrid and thus are much more expensive. The closer you are to the capital, the more expensive the property, on the whole.

If I were you I would choose to live in the province of Segovia and have an easier commute and a cheaper life. It will immerse you in Castillian life! There are some lovely villages around there and although the winter will be harder, you will have a guaranteed summer to look forward to. You get all four seasons, with spring and autumn my favourites, for warm days and cool nights. With ski slopes nearby, great transport links to Segovia and Madrid, you will be living in a fantastic area and if you wish to stay longer, you could always move closer to Madrid if you find that appeals more. I would recommend looking at these websites for somewhere to live. You can put in many search parameters:

fotocasa.es - sale rent flats madrid, barclona houses homes

idealista.com - homes for rent and sale. Free adverts

All the best!


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## wobbles64 (Jun 12, 2014)

Oh thank you, those websites will be most useful.
I wanted closer to Madrid because to be honest avoiding a cold winter for once would be lovely, plus to be able to quickly visit the capital on weekends etc. 
Also I am worried that the further out we go the less likely to find English speaking people and as my husband will be at home initially I figured a small ex pat community would be more likely closer to Madrid. 
But we are coming over on a scoping visit in a few weeks so hope to visit a couple of the areas mentioned in this forum and I'll probably have to enlist the help of an agency to search for us.
I didn't think about the toll roads. 
Thanks again for the info.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

wobbles64 said:


> Oh thank you, those websites will be most useful.
> I wanted closer to Madrid because to be honest *avoiding a cold winter* for once would be lovely, plus to be able to quickly visit the capital on weekends etc.
> Also I am worried that the further out we go the less likely to find English speaking people and as my husband will be at home initially I figured a small ex pat community would be more likely closer to Madrid.
> But we are coming over on a scoping visit in a few weeks so hope to visit a couple of the areas mentioned in this forum and I'll probably have to enlist the help of an agency to search for us.
> ...


ermm - you do know that Madrid gets snow??


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

wobbles64 said:


> Oh thank you, those websites will be most useful.
> I wanted closer to Madrid because to be honest avoiding a cold winter for once would be lovely, plus to be able to quickly visit the capital on weekends etc.
> Also I am worried that the further out we go the less likely to find English speaking people and as my husband will be at home initially I figured a small ex pat community would be more likely closer to Madrid.
> But we are coming over on a scoping visit in a few weeks so hope to visit a couple of the areas mentioned in this forum and I'll probably have to enlist the help of an agency to search for us.
> ...


Ah, that might be the trickier bit... Yes you are less likely to find English speaking people the further you go out, but to be honest, IME you don't find big groups of English speakers even in Madrid. Yes, there will be more likelihood of hearing English in an Irish pub, and there may be more opportunities of finding a theatre group/ football team in the capital, but there aren't large areas of English speakers. Nor small areas come to that...
And winters can be cold all over the centre of Spain, although the last few years haven't been, it has to be said.
Is/ will your husband working?
I would advise both of you to get going with the Spanish as soon as possible, but as a language teacher you'll know that Rome wasn't built in a day and learning a language is a process of years not weeks or months. Then when you find a place to live get a conversation partner, a person who wants to learn English and have a conversation swap time (intercambio) - very popular here. Set up with two or three people and he'll start to make contacts in the community.
For Spanish if either of you are beginners I always recommend the BBC sites 
BBC - Learn Spanish with free online lessons
Mi Vida Loca looks very good
There's lots of info on the forum too about learning Spanish and of course lots of division of opinion(!!)

PS It's starting to hit the 30º's this week (I'm at 890m) so get ready for it to be hot - and cool - when you're looking around!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Ah, that might be the trickier bit... Yes you are less likely to find English speaking people the further you go out, but to be honest, IME you don't find big groups of English speakers even in Madrid. Yes, there will be more likelihood of hearing English in an Irish pub, and there may be more opportunities of finding a theatre group/ football team in the capital, but there aren't large areas of English speakers. Nor small areas come to that...
> And winters can be cold all over the centre of Spain, although the last few years haven't been, it has to be said.
> Is/ will your husband working?
> I would advise both of you to get going with the Spanish as soon as possible, but as a language teacher you'll know that Rome wasn't built in a day and learning a language is a process of years not weeks or months. Then when you find a place to live get a conversation partner, a person who wants to learn English and have a conversation swap time (intercambio) - very popular here. Set up with two or three people and he'll start to make contacts in the community.
> ...


we had 34.9 yesterday - & it's usually cooler here on the coast......... & warmer in winter!


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

wobbles64 said:


> Oh thank you, those websites will be most useful.
> I wanted closer to Madrid because to be honest avoiding a cold winter for once would be lovely, plus to be able to quickly visit the capital on weekends etc.
> Also I am worried that the further out we go the less likely to find English speaking people and as my husband will be at home initially I figured a small ex pat community would be more likely closer to Madrid.
> But we are coming over on a scoping visit in a few weeks so hope to visit a couple of the areas mentioned in this forum and I'll probably have to enlist the help of an agency to search for us.
> ...


There is no way to avoid the cold winter in Madrid! It is the highest capital city in Europe at over 600m/2000'. A popular saying is _nueve meses de invierno, tres de infierno_ and not without reason. This map gives you an idea of climate, with London also shown as a point of reference:

Montly Climate Maps for Spain and Canary Islands

If it's 10º in Madrid and 8º in Sgovia, would it really feel very different? What you could spend on a long commute could pay for you to keep your house cosy and warm. Make sure central heating is on your 'essential' list for a house and look for one with a good energy certificate rating to keep the warmth in. Legally all properties for sale or rent should have one, although, this being Spain, those of us who obey see others blatantly ignoring it and never getting fined! My house is on the market and I had to get one last year. I was happy with a 'D' when I discovered that 85% of Spanish houses are rated E to G. 

As far as expat communities go, I think you would have to be pretty close to Madrid to find many, but there are people of all nationalities dotted around further afield. My best friend here is Argentinian!

You don't have to use the toll road (AP6) but it goes through a tunnel under the Sierra de Guadarrama which can be useful in bad weather. Otherwise it's the NVI which takes you over the Puerto de Los Leones at 1500m, which in winter can require the use of chains. It's a beautiful, scenic road though, most of the time, but it does make the journey longer.


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

Not sure who told you Madrid is warm-ish in the winter. It is freezing cold there! It's a high city and got snow and all sorts for at least 4 long months. 

Then.... it gets very hot in the summer, so hot that Madrid looks pretty empty in August. Unbereable. 

Personally I'd avoid Madrid, expensive and crowded. Segovia on the other hand is very pretty and much cheaper than the capital. 

Commuting in Madrid is a big problem too. 

At the end of the day, if you want to go to Madrid for a day trip, it is near enough, but I wouldn't live there.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Madrid city is too hot for 1 month of the year and cold for maybe 3 months at the most. The other 8 months have fantastic weather on the whole - by that I don't just mean sunny days, but you get seasons as well: proper autumns with brown leaves and crisp days, green springs with the occasional shower. Also the winters are made easier by the occasional warm, sunny day and the fact that it is light until 6.30pm. You only get one or two days of snow.

Also Madrid might be expensive compared to rural parts of Spain, but for a major capital city it is very cheap. Public transport, food and accommodation are way below what you pay in other capital cities in western Europe.

Anyway, back on topic...

I don't know as much about the M6 corridor as Pesky Wesky and Madliz, but I have visited a few of the places around there. As they have said, you are never going to find an expat community anywhere in or around Madrid. The advantages of being near Madrid is that your partner has more chance of finding work, and there are more ways of meeting expats through things like sports clubs.

I think the decision depends a bit on how long you plan to spend in that area. If it's just for a year then really you might have to bite the bullet, accept that your partner is going to struggle to meet people and find work, and instead look for the most interesting place, with things to keep you occupied, but not too far away. Segovia is probably the best option, but if you are into the outdoors, and mountain sports then somewhere Navecerrada or Cerecedilla might be better. Those places aren't much more than large villages, but they have plenty of outdoor activities on offer.

Also my experience is that the south side of the sierra certainly feels a lot warmer than the north side. Certainly more than 2 degrees, but that might be down to it being windier and shadier on the north side. On the other hand the north side is probably more natural, with more trees and wilderness.


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## wobbles64 (Jun 12, 2014)

Wow thanks for all the posts, food for thought. Ha ha no I didn't know Madrid gets snow, bummer  
I am initially only there for 12 months, so want somewhere that is not too remote but that isn't too high in the Mountains so if it does get cold we don't feel we are back in the UK  My husband won't be working, we will be bringing our two dogs so he will get out and about, the conversation partner idea is a great one and I'll be looking into that. It seems Segovia is the place to start looking, it's quite scary as I don't have too much time to visit many areas before I need to make the move, I'll be relying on an agency so the info about the energy rating was very helpful, I wouldn't have thought of that. 
My husband will make it work, so long as he can initially still get Sky sports I'm sure he'll be fine lol. Spanish lessons start tonight for him.


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## Alpedrete (Jun 22, 2014)

Dear Wobbles64
Firstly congrats on the job, the Sierra is a lovely place to live. I live in Alpedrete which is about a 20 minute drive from El Espinar and a 35/45 minute drive into Madrid. My partner drives into Madrid every day for work whereas I prefer to catch the train. The train is direct from Alpedrete into Madrid. Winters in the village are not harsh and snow is rare. We had snow once this year but by the time I arrived home after work it had all melted.
The village has an old central square with numerous bars and restaurants and due to the numerous International schools, there are lots of Brits who live here. The village arranges walks in the Sierra and there is also a puppy park!!! where people meet every evenings with their dogs. We have 3 dogs and the walks around here are lovely! There are cattle paths which take you into the open countryside. 
We are now returning to the UK after being in Spain for 11 years/SNIP/


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## Alpedrete (Jun 22, 2014)

We are now returning to the UK after being in Spain for 11 years and can help you with accommodation. I have read in your previous posts that you are coming out at the end of the month, we would be more than happy to show you the local area, dog walks etc.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Interesting - we considered buying a bank property in Alpedrete last year. Certainly the area looked nice, as did the properties around that area, but in the end we couldn't bring ourselves to move from where we are. One of the doubts we had was that it seemed to be quite a small village, and there might not be that much going on. although really it's right next door to the larger Collado Villalba.


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## Alpedrete (Jun 22, 2014)

We moved out here 6 years ago as we wanted dogs and as you get closer to Madrid it becomes so expensive and properties with a big enough garden are hard to find. We love the outdoors, the mountain walks, the natural pools in Cercedilla and the hustle bustle of Madrid had become too much. The village is small but there are village events and the locals are really friendly, we have our 80 year old neighbour who loves to share his sherry on a Sunday!!! We do still go into Madrid in the evenings particularly if we fancy a curry!!!!We have been really happy here.....


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Do you happen to know what the schools are like in Alpedrete? I know there's a Montessori school there, which I know nothing about, but there must be Spanish schools as well.


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## Alpedrete (Jun 22, 2014)

I really cannot comment on the academic standards of the schools out here. The views I have are just from the parents who we know and they never seem to moan about the schools. The parents who sent their children to the Montessori for primary then decided to send their children to the local schools for secondary. Another friend was completing her teaching practice in the Insituto in Guadarrama (adjacent village) and always said it was going well and the children were fine. There is also a brand new school on the M510 going towards Villalba which looks amazing with regards to facilities but again with regards to the standards I really would not like to say......sorry I cannot help more.....


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Alpedrete said:


> I really cannot comment on the academic standards of the schools out here. The views I have are just from the parents who we know and they never seem to moan about the schools. The parents who sent their children to the Montessori for primary then decided to send their children to the local schools for secondary. Another friend was completing her teaching practice in the Insituto in Guadarrama (adjacent village) and always said it was going well and the children were fine. There is also a brand new school on the M510 going towards Villalba which looks amazing with regards to facilities but again with regards to the standards I really would not like to say......sorry I cannot help more.....


thanks you have been most helpful. It's about now each year that I begin to wish we lived a bit further out of Madrid, with a bit more space to make the most of the weather. Maybe one day we'll do something about it...


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## wobbles64 (Jun 12, 2014)

Alpedrete, That sounds fantastic, am I able to PM you so I can give you more details ? we are still awaiting finalised paperwork etc but the town you described sounds perfect and having a 'local' to show us around would be greatly appreciated.


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## wobbles64 (Jun 12, 2014)

We are planning a trip over around the 24th July , I have my contract and everything looks to be moving along, we are thinking to stay a few days in Segovia then trips to Alpedrete, Torrelodones and Villalba, is it an easy journey between Segovia and each of these towns ? 
I'm comfortable driving in Eurpoe.
I want my husband to get a feel of the places so we can narrow down house locations, plus we are bringing our dogs over when we move so need to scope out the open space which would be a necessity. Thanks


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

wobbles64 said:


> We are planning a trip over around the 24th July , I have my contract and everything looks to be moving along, we are thinking to stay a few days in Segovia then trips to Alpedrete, Torrelodones and Villalba, is it an easy journey between Segovia and each of these towns ?
> I'm comfortable driving in Eurpoe.
> I want my husband to get a feel of the places so we can narrow down house locations, plus we are bringing our dogs over when we move so need to scope out the open space which would be a necessity. Thanks


I have PM'd you.


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## Alpedrete (Jun 22, 2014)

Wobbles64
Segovia to Alpedrete is about a 40 minute drive and its an easy drive, motorway all the way. From us to Villalba is 5 minutes and to Torrelodones 15 minutes, both really easy to get to. Unfortunately we leave for our summer holidays on July 24th but we are around between July 9th and 23rd and would be more than happy to show you around. The dogs walks from Alpedrete are perfect and this is one of the reasons we moved here. We have three labradors and they need to run twice a day as otherwise the youngest goes nuts!!!


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## wobbles64 (Jun 12, 2014)

Hi Alpedrete, I've PM'd my email address so we could tie up without tying up the forum lol. 
We haven't solid dates yet but if I can make it before the 23rd I'll do what I can. 
We are trying to find a dog sitter as our usual lady has a broken foot at the mo so can't do it. Had a depressing day after a visit to a 'premium' boarding kennels which we've never considered using before, dog alcatraz more like, so until we can sort the boys with a house sitter we are reluctant to book solid dates, But hopefully we can hook up before I move over or you come back to the UK. Hope to hear from you soon.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

I've PM'd you both...


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