Valdemaqueda combines hikes through pine forests with a varied architectural and local history, including a historic bridge, churches, and a railway viaduct. If you are looking for accommodation, you can plan your stay around whether hiking or the town’s buildings are your main focus.
Hiking between pine forests and viewpoints
The Puente Mocha hike is an 8-kilometre circular route of moderate difficulty. It starts at El Canto de La Gallina campsite and returns through the centre of Valdemaqueda. Prados de Hoyo is a 6-kilometre, moderately difficult linear guided hike with 250 metres of cumulative elevation gain. Check current trail conditions before setting out. When comparing the routes, consider not only the distance but also whether they are circular or linear and the elevation gain.
The Prados de Hoyo hike passes through Valdemaqueda’s pine forests and offers insight into resin extraction, a forestry activity in the Sierra Oeste. The municipality’s natural landscapes also include pine forests on the hills of Santa Catalina and Atalaya. The routes therefore showcase not only the trails themselves, but also the forest and a regional forestry activity.
Another route leads to Risco del Gelechal. There is a natural viewpoint where you can watch the Spanish imperial eagle and the goshawk in flight; the route then heads back towards Valdemaqueda. The entire municipality lies within a protected area that forms part of the Natura 2000 network. The area is important for the conservation of the Spanish imperial eagle, the golden eagle, the peregrine falcon, the black kite, and the black stork.
Bridges, churches, and architectural history
Puente Mocha is 55 metres long and crosses the Río Cofio on the route linking Valdemaqueda and Villaescusa. Its four semicircular arches rise directly from the ground. As well as its riverside setting, the structure has specific architectural features to look out for as you explore local history.
The parish church of San Lorenzo Martir was built in the 16th century as a rectangular, single-nave structure and was later restored. Its features include a Gothic apse and a Renaissance portal. The portal was separated from the modern masonry as an archaeological reference. The church brings together different architectural elements, while its description also places its structure and subsequent restoration in context.
At the Ermita de Ntra. Señora de los Remedios, some of the building elements date from the 17th century and are in the Baroque style. The interior has a single nave, and an image of the Virgen de los Remedios has also been preserved. Another trace of the past is the former Palacio de Medinaceli, a castle-palace of the House of Medinaceli. Only the portal and coat of arms remain from the former building, both dating from before 1870.
The Viaducto de Zarzalón is also part of the town’s architectural history. This stone railway arch structure on the Madrid–Ávila line dates from 1863 and is under full protection. It is almost 90 metres long and reaches a maximum height of 29 metres at its centre. These measurements give a concrete sense of the structure’s scale without losing sight of its function as part of the railway line.
Local history also includes a glass factory established in Valdemaqueda in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was responsible for making the stained-glass windows in the ambulatory of Segovia Cathedral. A cultural walking tour passes three public fountains and reaches Fuente de la Fragua, the oldest public fountain in Valdemaqueda. The route thus connects several fountains in the town with a structure notable for its place in local history.
You can plan your overnight stay around the experiences that matter most to your trip.
Discover more destinations: Chinchon, Villaviciosa De Odón, Belmonte De Tajo, Casarrubuelos, Galapagar, Guadarrama, Loeches, Guadalix de la Sierra.
For the broader travel overview: Madrid.
