Las Presillas (Rascafría)
Recommended on a weekday, and one of the best hot-day options out of Madrid. The water is genuinely cold.
River swimming in the mountains an hour from Madrid, with a 14th-century monastery next door.
At a Glance
- — You want warm water
The Lozoya comes down through the Sierra de Guadarrama and at Rascafría spreads into a series of pools and small waterfalls in a wooded valley known as Las Presillas. Water in the Sierra is snowmelt: cold, clear and shallow, which is the point in July. The Monastery of El Paular sits at the head of the valley and is worth an hour on its own. This is a popular local spot rather than a quiet one, so arrive before ten in summer, park where you are allowed to, and expect company on the grass.
How it got here
The Monastery of El Paular stands at the mouth of the valley as the primary physical anchor for the history of this stretch of the Lozoya. Founded in 1390 by King Juan I of Castile, it became the first Carthusian monastery in the kingdom. The monks diverted mountain streams to power mills and cultivate the fertile land, establishing a monastic economy that defined the local land use for centuries. Today the monastery remains a heavy presence in a valley once shaped by centuries of silence and agricultural labor, linking these meadows to the expansion of Castilian monastic power in the late Middle Ages.
Where it sits
The Sierra de Guadarrama creates a granite barrier that defines the climate of this high valley. Snowmelt feeds the Lozoya, keeping the water cold even when the heat of the Madrid plateau intensifies in midsummer. The pools occupy a flat, wooded stretch of the valley floor before the river narrows further up the mountain. In July, the proximity to the capital brings crowds to the riverbanks, filling the designated spaces early in the morning. Winter brings silence back to the valley, often accompanied by snow that closes the higher passes leading toward the Segovian border.
What to eat and drink
The cuisine of the Sierra de Madrid centers on the high pastures and the slaughter of the pig. Judiones de la Granja are large white beans simmered slowly with chorizo and morcilla, a blood sausage that provides the necessary fat for a mountain meal. Carcamusa, a stew of pork pieces with tomato and spicy peppers, is a standard dish across this provincial borderland. Drink deep red wine from the nearby Vinos de Madrid, or finish with an anisette to warm the chest against the evening chill that descends quickly once the sun drops behind the granite peaks.
Madrid: the whole region
Madrid is a province with one great city in it, and that city is worth three or four days on its own: three major museums within a few hundred metres of each other, a working market culture, a nightlife that starts late and does not stop,…
Minimum 3 days · better 5-6 days · deep 8-10 days
In Madrid
In Madrid
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