Until the past 1990s when El Mundo published a report on this spot, the

Cárcavas of Valdepeñas de la Sierra

had gone unnoticed, except for the goatherds and the residents of Alpedrete de la Sierra.

Since then, the place began to register visits from tourists and curious people.

Today, the walk that leads to them is included in the programs of all Madrid excursion agencies.

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Located on the border of Guadalajara and Madrid

, marked by the Lozoya River, and less than two kilometers from the Pontón de la Oliva dam, the gully tunnel is

a first-rate natural monument

that can be found, reddish and ridged, in half of the gentle hills.

Photo: Shutterstock.

Gullies are

depressions in the ground

produced by rainfall.

Singular erosion, they originate in sloping clayey soils devoid of vegetation.

This is the case with these open ones in the middle of a clear hillside.

A SPECTACULAR LOOK

Without a vegetal layer that settles the terrain, the runoff and fluvial avenues act as they please and, aided by the force of gravity, carry the material from the soil down the slope.

The final result is a set of ravines, which

in our gullies exceed 50 meters in height, and which come together in its final part, giving the depression the appearance of a pan with a tortured bottom.

Between the ravines, edges and structures of harder or packed materials persist, which originate

a set of sharp ridges

, which often end in stylized earthen towers.

Ravines and spires make up a fantastic setting worthy of

Star Wars

.

So much so, that in other parts of the world where they appear,

these sharp structures are known as witches' towers or devil's needles.

Photo: Shutterstock.

The foot of the historic Pontón de la Oliva dam is the starting point

to reach the gullies.

It is accessed by the M-102 from Torrelaguna, in the north of the Madrid region.

From the reservoir wall you have to continue on foot.

First along the track that leads to Alpedrete, in a first section with a certain inclination.

THE GR-10 PATH

It is abandoned when it takes a sharp curve to the left.

At this point, continue in the same direction along a path that crosses an olive grove.

Red-white marks appear on the stones on the ground.

They indicate the GR-10 long-distance path, which enters the region from this place.

A hundred meters further on, go down a less marked path to the bed of the Lastra stream, below on the right.

On the other side, the path becomes defined and begins to climb a long hill.

The road presents another fork.

The one on the right runs along the bed of another stream and leads to the bottom of the gullies.

It is not recommended to follow it

, as it only leads to one of the narrow alleys -the two walls touch when you stretch out your arms- where the views are worse than from the top.

With the added risk of being exposed to stone falls from above.

The most marked path ascends the hill

, presenting some steps where the ground is more stark.

It is a somewhat boring one kilometer climb, in which only the promise of the spectacle that will be seen from above entertains.

At the top, you have to look at the edge of the hole with precautions, given the unstable terrain.

Below stretches the strange geography of alleys, cliffs, towers and sharp edges, where the elements have entertained themselves for centuries.

The return is by the same path that brought us here.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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