At the San Juan Reservoir, the extensive lakeshore and permitted swimming take center stage; the Monastery of Santa MarÃa la Real de Valdeiglesias and the Senda del Yelmo offer different highlights. This helps you distinguish between different interests when planning your trip: water and bathing spots, architectural history, and the hiking landscape of the Sierra Oeste.
San Juan Reservoir and bathing spots
The San Juan Reservoir has more than 50 kilometers of shoreline and 14 beaches. Swimming is permitted in the reservoir. These figures show that the water is more than just a single viewpoint to include in your travel plans: the shoreline shapes an extensive landscape, while the beaches define the swimming experience. In Pelayos de la Presa, El Muro is one of the most important recreational areas and is also officially designated as a bathing spot. The reservoir lies within the municipalities of San MartÃn de Valdeiglesias and Pelayos de la Presa and is protected by the ZEPA Encinares de los rÃos Alberche y Cofio and the LIC/ZEC Cuencas de los rÃos Alberche y Cofio.
Monastery and architectural history
The Monastery of Santa MarÃa la Real de Valdeiglesias in Pelayos de la Presa is the most significant surviving monastery founded by the Cistercian Order in the Comunidad de Madrid. The complex encompasses successive construction and alteration phases from its foundation in the 12th century through to the 18th century. The monastery church has three apses, a transept and a single-nave layout. An apse is an enclosed section at the end of a church; the transept crosses the nave, and a single-nave church has one main nave. This brings a long architectural history and a specifically described church interior together as two distinct architectural scales.
You can explore the monastery independently using the information panels and illustrations. Guided visits last about an hour and are accompanied by a guide throughout. This gives you two different ways to visit: finding your own way using the panels and illustrations, or taking a tour with a guide accompanying you throughout.
The parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción also dates from the 16th century. The rock paintings of La EnfermerÃa are located in rock shelters and were made using natural pigments from minerals and plants.
Senda del Yelmo and the landscape
The Senda del Yelmo in the Sierra Oeste combines a forest track, pine forests and natural viewpoints. A large part of the route runs alongside the San Juan Reservoir and offers sweeping views. Cerro del Yelmo is the highlight of the Senda: its granite dome offers panoramic views of the reservoir. The area around the Senda del Yelmo is designated as Special Protection Area for Birds ZEPA 56 and is home to species such as the Spanish imperial eagle, black stork and cinereous vulture.
It is helpful to distinguish between the route and its destination: the forest track, pine forest and viewpoints describe what the Senda connects; Cerro del Yelmo draws the view to the granite dome. A large part of the route follows the lakeshore, while the panoramic view from Cerro adds a clearly identified viewpoint. Thus, the route through different landscape features and a single distinctive viewpoint offer two different nature experiences.
More destinations
Discover more destinations: Torremocha De Jarama, Somosaguas, Navalcarnero, Fuenlabrada, Colmenarejo, Cadalso, Titulcia, Rozas De Puerto Real
For the main travel overview: Madrid.
