The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Vegas

The beautiful Fuente del Arca (Ark Fountain) is one of the historic springs of the Tajuña Valley. It lies along the Cordel de las Merinas, a notable drove road used during the transhumance era, and for centuries it was one of the main sources of drinking water for the town of Ambite. The basin itself is a small water garden, nestled in a pleasant setting of poplars, fig trees, willows, elms, and plants associated with springs, such as the maidenhair fern, a fern unique to the region.

Chinchón is one of the most picturesque and distinctive towns in the Community of Madrid. Located about 45 kilometers from the capital, it stands out for its Castilian atmosphere and its history linked to the aristocracy and cinema.

Several pleasant breakfast bars, a good option for bikers or cyclists, and the old iron bridge over the Jarama is beautiful...

Aljezar comes from the Arabic word "al jez", which means gypsum hill, gypsum quarry or territory where gypsum mineral is abundant. In botany, the complex and select ecosystem concentrated in the gypsum hills or gypsum cliffs that appear associated with the slopes and moors of the Miocene near the river plains is known as gypsum scrub or aljezar. The slopes of the Jarama are lands with little evolved soils, little capacity to retain water and steep slopes exposed to erosion. The landscapes of the Regional Park of the Southeast are characterized by showing a rich and varied geological diversity in short distances, converting the environment of the protected area into a suggestive selection of dynamic and changing natural scenarios.

The vegetation that adorns the steep earthy slopes of the Jarama valley is an exhibition of ingenious botanical adaptations to survive in the aljezares characteristic of the vegas of the southeast of Madrid. The esparto grass plants form large clumps of long, smooth leaves with a very dense and closed stem that conserves moisture inside. The austere jabuna has a woody appearance, the stems are very thin and do not exhibit striking colours that require a high consumption of energy, except during the flowering period. Another common plant in the cuts is the ontina or artemisia, used in popular medicine as an anti-diabetic, vermifuge and tonic, it develops thorns and discreet colours to avoid excessive transpiration. One of the most striking plants is the mignonette, which produces long and twisted stems. There are also thymes, rosemary scales and Syrian rue, which defend themselves from the xerophilous environment with a reduced leaf surface and scaly leaves.

The Romans were at a strategic crossroads. The main axis of the old pastoral and commercial routes in the southeast of Madrid was the Cordel de la Galiana, a route designed centuries ago by the Romans to connect the pastures of the plateaus of the Central System with the Mediterranean, probably used by Hannibal to return to Cartagena after the Salamanca campaign in 217 BC. The terraced distribution of the streets on the slope of a hill, formerly known as Cerro de Venus and currently Cerrón, has the appearance of an ancient medieval village, there are even remains in the town of a fortress linked to the Templars. The only remains of the old town of Titulcia that are preserved are part of the parish church and several balconied facades in the Plaza Mayor, the rest were destroyed in the Civil War. The current whitewashed and shiny houses were rebuilt in later years and offer a fairly uniform and modern appearance. In the 19th century the place was called Bayona de Tajuña, derived from the Basque word ibay ona (place next to a good river), from the times of repopulation by people from the north, but it was changed to Titulcia by royal decree of Ferdinand VII, in 1815, who spent the summer in Aranjuez and did not want to hear the name of the city where he had been imprisoned for six years, the French Bayonne.

A small town near Madrid that is worth visiting to stroll through its streets and enjoy its typical cuisine. Its main attraction is its Plaza Mayor, an example of the architecture of Castilian porticoed squares - with 234 balconies - and where most of the restaurants are concentrated. But it is worth strolling through its streets, going up to see the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, where we can see Goya's painting "The Assumption of the Virgin". In addition, in front of the church there is a viewing point from which there are excellent views of the Plaza Mayor and the entire town. There is also the Clock Tower and the Lope de Vega Theatre, all just a few metres away. Other places of interest are the Parador de Chinchón, a former Augustinian convent; the Castle of the Counts of Chinchón, the Casa de la Cadena, the hermitages of San Antón and San Roque.

The Arca spring is a historic spring in Ambite, located in the Arca ravine next to the Cordel de las Merinas. The structure of the fountain has been restored and with the benches and the shade of the trees it creates a welcoming space.