Lozoya River Basin-Lower Valley

Lozoyuela-Navas-Sieteiglesias[+]

The name means Seven Churches, and it consists of three small population centres that decided to join together to form a town in 1973. Standing very close to each other, they are surrounded by the Sierra Mata Águila Mountains, the Sierra de la Cabrera Mountains and, to the east, the terrain that goes down to the nearby El Atazar reservoir.

History tells us that Loyozuela was established by inhabitants of Lozoya, not far away, who refused to pay certain taxes and tributes. Sieteiglesias, as the name shows, seems to refer to the six shrines and a church in the town. Navas was a small hamlet dependent on the Buitrago estate.

Most important among the civil and religious buildings of the three centres is San Pedro de Sieteiglesias church, dating from the 17th century and standing on an enormous, round outcrop of rock. Near the church, there is one of the most well-preserved mediaeval cemeteries in the whole province, dating from the 11th century. The tombs for over fifty of the townsfolk are hollows drilled into the hard rock. Some of them still keep the shape of the bodies that used to be buried there.

As you walk through Lozoyuela, you will arrive at the main square and the 17th-century shrine of the Virgin de la Soledad. Around the shrine is a mixture of modern and very traditional houses, which still usually have a small stable attached. At one end of the town is another of Lozoyuela's religious buildings, San Nicolás Bari church. It was built in the 17th century in the Baroque style, and before it is a beautiful garden where you can see a font from the Middle Ages.

Las Navas is smaller and consists of a group of modest farmhouses set in pastures, against a backdrop of mountains. Starting from the three villages are several hiking tracks, such as the Antigua Estación and the Cura. You can obtain information on these in the town.

Puentes Viejas

Continue along the road to Puentes Viejas, a town which, like the last one, is composed of four population centres. Manjirón and Cinco Villas, to the south-west of Puentes Viejas reservoir, and Paredes de Buitrago and Serrada de la Fuente, to the north-west. As you go through these, you can visit two reservoirs nearby, Puentes Viejas and El Villar.

Several streams of bright, crystalline water course through these exceptional natural surroundings. The Jóbalo, La Hoz, Malillo, La Muela and La Fuente run into the Lozoya River. In Manjirón, you can visit Santiago Apóstol Church, as well as traditional mountain-style buildings. Mirabel, a mediaeval watchtower can be seen nearby. Cinco Villas is a smaller centre with a group of old buildings and the little Santa Ana church.

Although the houses and churches are interesting, it is certainly the reservoirs that have made Puentes Viejas into an attraction for hikers and fans of non-motorised water sports. El Villar reservoir was the first dam built by the Isabella II Canal to retain the waters of the Lozoya River. Inaugurated in 1873, the design is spectacular, as to withstand the pressure of the water, it is constructed as a curved vault, and situated in a natural ravine cut out by the river.

You can visit the other reservoir of Puentes Viejas by following the road to the north-east, where you will also see the other two villages, Paredes de Buitrago and Serrada de la Fuente. The Puentes Viejas reservoir is also constructed with the curved vault system to withstand the water pressure. Finished in 1939, it is more recent than the others and has a total of 46 kilometres of shoreline.

Berzosa del Lozoya

The next stop on the route is just a few kilometres away. Berzosa de Lozoya is a small hamlet which has always lived from livestock farming, mainly sheep and goats.

At present, thanks to an initiative from the town council, groups of craftsmen of various types have been set up in the town.

Berzosa is set in magnificent natural surroundings full of oak and pine woods, as well as streams and underground water courses. This makes it a very suitable place to enjoy a few relaxing days in the mountains.

There are many attractions in the village, from various water sports –the El Villar reservoir is nearby- to a fine range of cuisine, one of the best in the area. You can also visit the centre of the village to see the town hall and Asunción church, which has recently been restored after being damaged in the Civil War.

Four kilometres away from Berzosa del Lozoya is the Casasola pine wood, where hikers can find accommodation. If you like sports of a more adventurous kind, you can go paragliding from Peña Hill.

Robledillo de la Jara

The route continues along the road to Robledillo de la Jara, at the foot of the Mujer Muerta Hills and over 1,042 metres above sea level. Robledillo de la Jara is very close to the El Villar and El Atazar reservoirs, with the former having flooded part of its lands.

Although it has a small population, Robledillo offers its inhabitants and visitors a varied cultural programme throughout the year, due to the efforts made by the town council and Cultural Association of Jara de Robledillo.

You can visit the 16th-century San Pedro church, and a Museum Inn, which recreates the habitat of agricultural workers in the 19th century.

The Museum can provide you with details of future cultural events in the village.

However, as with all the villages you are visiting, Robledillo has natural surroundings that are on a par with any you have seen along the way. A mountain range and several narrow valleys filled with streams run through Robledillo Several hiking routes start from the village. By sometimes walking along stretches of farming tracks, you can look for birds of prey that live in the mountains -golden eagles, griffon vultures or falcons can be seen among the crags.

After having replaced your energy with some of the delicious mountain cooking, start of for Cervera de Buitrago.

Cervera de Buitrago

Cervera de Buitrago used to be a cattle farming town, but today makes its living from rural tourism and the water sports that can be done at the nearby El Atazar reservoir.

The town itself is small, but over the last few years, several new houses have been built for second homes. They faithfully reproduce the mountain-style architecture of the whole region.

You can visit Santa María de los Remedios church, dating from the 16th century, which has been altered but still preserves the original apse.

If you have time and want to see the natural surroundings of Cervera, there are several country house lodges, as well as activities such as cycle touring, quads, hiking, windsurfing or lose yourself by canoeing to almost inaccessible places.

El Berrueco

After such excitement, El Berrueco is the next stop on the route. This town is well-known for berroqueña stone, which is very hard and durable, and has been used for many buildings in the province. Its importance is such, that a Stone Museum has been created, with pieces exhibited throughout the town.

The main square of El Berrueco still keeps the pillory, a stone slab where the heads of criminals were displayed for public disapproval. It is the only pillory still in existence in the Madrid Region. It is in such good condition that it has not needed restoring, which says something for the durability of the local stone.

In the upper part of the village, you can also see the 15th-century Santo Tomás Apóstol church, from where there are splendid views of the El Atazar reservoir and Sierra de La Cabrera Mountains. Several paths lead from the town to the surrounding area. One of these goes to the Torrepedrera watchtower, a Moorish lookout that formed part of the Marca Media, the border and defence line between the Moorish and Castilian kingdoms.

El Atazar

The route ends in the town of El Atazar, which gives its name to the large reservoir on which most of the places visited stand. It was founded by shepherds from Sepúlveda after the Moors were expelled in the 12th century. In a spot of unrivalled beauty, there are magnificent views over the reservoir and the surrounding mountains.

Good traditional buildings are still preserved, with houses nestling in the slopes that protect the village, which has earned the title of Rural Community of Interest. It also has Santa Catalina church, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, but which was plundered of all its relics during the Civil War.

Apart from its beauty, El Atazar is a specially good place for those who wish to do non-motorised water sports, in the Water Leisure Area two kilometres out of the town, on the shores of the reservoir.

This route has taken you through villages standing on the shores of three reservoirs, where water and nature live in complete harmony with the men and women who, for centuries, have inhabited the mountains of Madrid.