The Linares reservoir is located in the municipality of Maderuelo, Segovia province (Castile and León community, Spain), at the foot of the Ayllón mountain range, belonging to the Duero river basin, the Riaza and Aguisejo rivers (a tributary of the previous one), in the Ayllón region.
The reservoir, inaugurated in 1951, covered the town of Linares del Arroyo, whose remains, especially the bell tower of the church of San Juan Bautista, are visible when the level of the dammed water is low.
Characteristics
Gravity dam, capacity 58 hm³, occupies an area of 473 ha, dammed water (average 9 years): 20 hm³
Tourism
The Linares reservoir is part of the Hoces del Río Riaza Natural Park.
The presence of limestone cliffs with many ledges and holes of all sizes allows a rich community of cliff-dwelling birds to nest. Meanwhile, every year, the Linares del Aroyo reservoir becomes the main area in the province for water birds to spend the winter.
In the area of Hoces del Río Riaza, you can visit a series of small villages that still preserve their rural heritage and purest traditions. At Montejo de la Vega de la Serrezuela is the Hoces del Río Riaza Natural Park Centre, which is the reception centre for visitors to the park. In this area you can also enjoy high-quality cuisine, such as roast suckling lamb and Ribera del Duero red wines.
This natural area has received the European Sustainable Tourism Charter granted by the EUROPARC Federation, an organisation that brings European protected natural areas together and which has developed the methodology for accrediting and granting the charter to protected areas that have proved their commitment to applying the principles of sustainable tourism.
How to get to?
From Segovia 1 hr 16 min (101 km) via N-110
From Valladolid 1 hr 46 min (124 km) via A-11
From Madrid 1 hr 46 min (149 km) via A-1
GPS coordinates: 41°30’33″N 3°32’7″W
