Roman bridges, Moorish watchtowers, churches from the Middle Ages, squares dating from a distant time, forests, streams, trails, beaches on the El Atazar reservoir are some of the tourist attractions in El Berrueco, a charming village 65 kilometres from Madrid with a special appeal that can compete in beauty with its neighbouring (and more famous) villages of Patones and Buitrago de Lozoya.
El Berrueco was founded in the 11th century as a hamlet that depended on Uceda, a pretty town that is now located in Guadalajara province. Nevertheless, remains from its Roman past have been found in its area such as the bridge over the Jóbalo stream, and from the Moorish period such as the 9th century watchtower of La Atalaya.
Today you should go to the heart of the village, located in the popular Plaza de la Picota (Pillory Square), where traditionally offenders were tied up and exposed to public abuse. From there you will see all its attractions: Saint Thomas the Apostle Church, the Roman bridge and the wooden cattle crush.
- Sightseeing in El Berrueco
- El Atazar reservoir
- La Cabrera mountain range
- Where to eat in El Berrueco
- Itineraries in Madrid
Sightseeing in El Berrueco
El Berrueco (Madrid) has numerous tourist attractions that are well worth visiting. One of the most famous is the Moorish watchtower, which dates back to around the 9th century. It is a military surveillance structure and is located in the meadow area between El Berrueco and Torrelaguna, exactly on the M-133 road to El Atazar. The ground plan of this tower is cylindrical and it originally had three floors connected by staircases.
Another monument that you should visit in El Berrueco is Saint Thomas the Apostle Church, whose construction began in the 13th century on the site of a Moorish Revival temple or hermitage. From there you will see one of the best views of the mountain range. The church’s façade has a wooden portico and there is a granite pillory from the 17th century. Inside there are modern sculptures of Saint Anthony of Padua, the Infant Jesus, the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin of Fatima.
You should also check out the church’s transept and Calvary, the granite pillory (another of El Berrueco’s representative elements), the wooden cattle crush, and the Roman bridge located over the Jóbalo stream, some 500 metres from the road that connects El Berrueco to Sieteiglesias.
El Atazar reservoir
The El Atazar reservoir, named after the neighbouring village with the same name, is the largest and mightiest in the Madrid region. It is an amazing tourist destination all year round. Its waters come from the Jóbalo and Lozoya streams and, from one of its viewpoints, you can enjoy incredible views of the entire Sierra Norte range.
Around this reservoir, whose dam was built in 1972, there are several hiking and cycling routes surrounded by stunning nature, among which the Genaro Trail (GR-300) stands out for its uniqueness. It is a 70-kilometre route, of medium-high difficulty, which covers a large part of the municipalities in the Sierra Norte range. The trail is divided into seven stages.
La Cabrera mountain range
La Cabrera is the name of a granite mountain range of morphological interest that lies in the vicinity of El Berrueco and surrounds other neighbouring municipalities in the Sierra Norte: Lozoyuela, Las Navas, Sieteiglesias, Bustarviejo, Cabanillas de la Sierra, La Cabrera, Navalafuente, Valdemanco and Venturada.
They are villages with a tradition of livestock farming, a lot of history and beautiful rural landscapes of meadows and fenced pastures, located among paths, tracks and cattle routes, next to the old road to France.
The area around La Cabrera is considered a Cultural Heritage Site, among other things because of the Visigoth settlement of Cancho Gordo, the Carpetani presence in Cerro de la Cabeza, the early Christian necropolis of Tumba del Moro and the medieval Convent of Saint Anthony founded by Alfonso VI. All of this is among fabulous holm oaks, poplars, willows, rockroses, myrtle trees and a great variety of birds.
Where to eat in El Berrueco
You must not leave El Berrueco (Madrid) without eating an excellent lamb stew, or veal from the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) of Carne de la Sierra de Guadarrama. If you want to enjoy a good meal, you should go to the following restaurants in El Berrueco: El Picachuelo, El Campero del Berrueco or El Molino. You can also visit other establishments in the area such as El Lavadero de Patones (Patones de Arriba), El Rey de Patones (Patones de Arriba) and Cachivache (La Cabrera). In addition to these restaurants where you can have a superb meal in El Berrueco, there are many more places nearby where you can enjoy delicious food.
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