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Passing through the columns, we enter the Bosque de la Herrería, a very special environment under the management of Patrimonio Nacional that features several marked itineraries to enjoy its surroundings. This was the first estate acquired by Felipe II to build the Monastery on it. It quickly became a closed hunting ground enclosed by a stone wall, including lands purchased in 1562 from Pedro Gómez de Porres and some bordering plots. Within it, three distinct areas were created: El Plantel (which today forms the neighbourhood of the same name) with holm oaks, chestnuts, oaks and hazelnuts; the Huerta de los Frailes for fruit and vegetable crops; and the Castañar. This area is part of the declaration of the Monasterio as a Bien de Interés Cultural and was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 1984.
Entrance to the Bosque de La Herrería through the historic columns, access to this National Heritage protected space with several signposted itineraries among pedunculate oaks and ash trees.