Laguna del Marquesado

A village named after its lake

Laguna del Marquesado lies in Serranía Alta (upper Serranía), about 20 km from Cañete along the CM-2106. «Marquesado» (marquisate) comes from the lordship that organised these villages after resettlement. It is a cold area: cool in summer and very cold in winter. People lived from livestock, woodland and poor farming, with communal woods and shared grazing.

A lake enclosed by tufa

The Laguna del Marquesado formed when the lime-laden Soto stream built up a tufa barrier that blocked its channel and dammed the water. Its maximum depth is 5.5 metres, and downstream the stream drops over small waterfalls. It has been a nature reserve since 2004, covering 373 hectares. Beds of stoneworts and Sparganium natans grow in the water; riparian woodland lines the banks. Around it are vegetable gardens and terraces with walls of the same tufa.

In 1847, the village had two flour mills. The income from one of them, together with other municipal properties, covered the Town Council’s budget: 1,500 reales.

Routes

• The reserve’s interpretive trail: 5.5 km from the village entrance, where there is an information panel. It crosses the Laguna river on a footbridge and circles the lake.
• SL-CU 15 (local trail): 5 km. It follows the Soto stream, crosses it twice and climbs through pines, Portuguese oaks and maples to a viewpoint over the lake.

Plan your visit

Leave the car in the village and follow the trail on foot. You can visit all year round.

Before you travel

The lake is a nature reserve: view it from the trails, without stepping onto the banks or touching the plants. In winter, bring plenty of warm clothing.

Combine with

Huerta del Marquesado is 2 km away in a straight line, Zafrilla 4.8 km and Tejadillos 5 km.