Between Madrid and Guadalajara is Mars or, at least, a landscape that could well serve as a location for the shooting of a movie set on the so-called red planet. Is about the Cárcavas del Pontón de la Oliva, in the Sierra de Ayllón. Although due to its reddish earth formations one would never say that it is in Castilla-La Mancha because it has also been similar to the Colorado Canyon.
Work of the erosion of the wind and the rains in a clay type terrain during the course of the centuries are the strange openings or sinkholes in the ground that characterize this landscape of gullies, more popularly known in this locality as “the valley of death”.
With a perimeter of 800 meters and a drop of sixty meters, they are visible from the La Oliva Pontoon Dam. This is considered the oldest system of canalizations and dams of the Canal de Isabel II (the one that supplies the city of Madrid).
It has been in disuse for a long time but it is a spectacular hydraulic work, framed by a beautiful natural environment, which was built in the mid-nineteenth century.
There is no single way to get to the Cárcavas but different hiking trails with different degrees of difficulty. Although they all start from enclaves in the surrounding area that are highly recommended, such as the towns of Patones de Abajo, Patones de Arriba or La Cabrera and the La Oliva Pontoon Dam.
Although in the gullies as such there is no parking area, in this last location there is. From Madrid you can get there by taking the A1 to Venturada and from there a detour to Torrelaguna that leads to the dam car park.
Cover photo | Flickr
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