Revenga-Decanter of the Aqueduct

Segovia

Ferran Pérez

11/27/2021

Revenga-Decanter of the Aqueduct

We start the route in the town of Revenga, just 10 km from Segovia. And on our route we will pass through the remains where the water from the Segovia aqueduct was collected and purified. To do this, we started walking towards the Puente Alto Reservoir, formed by the end of the Acebeda river and which at the exit of the dam is already called Rio Frio. We go through the swamp in its entire length, leaving it on the right. At the end of it, we take the detour of the path of the aqueduct path, perfectly signposted with small Corten steel pillars along the way.

We go upstream of the Acebeda River along a beautiful path, which, at this time, autumn, is a gift of colors. We start under the vegetation of the holm oaks, we go through the ocher oak leaf and we finish in the pine forests of Valsaín. Along the way we will see some of the manholes of the old facility. And in a few kilometers, we arrive at the installation of the Segovia Aqueduct Weir. A precise place in the Sierra de Guadarrama and unknown by tourists who visit the aqueduct.
A weir is a barrier made in rivers in order to facilitate the diversion of part of the flow for irrigation and other uses. This barrier made it possible to divert, decant and channel the water towards the Aqueduct of Segovia. Although honestly, the Weir is erected where the Romans did 2,000 years ago, but what we see today, rebuilt in 1929, may not be the same as what the Romans built.

When walking along the path, we can see clearly differentiated all the parts that make up the weir; the catchment area, the weir and the decanter or sand trap that leads to the canalization to Segovia.

After contemplating and photographing it, we continue upstream until we come out onto a paved track with no traffic. It is the so-called Puente del Vado de los Aserraderos and we turn left to start the climb. When we reach the 1,155 meters above sea level, we turn left to take the track that leads us to Reventa, passing through the ruins of Casa de Cabeza de Gatos. And from there, we already went down to Revenga where we had started.

It is a beautiful route, suitable for all audiences and throughout the year.