Chira Reservoir

The water lies at the bottom of a bowl of high volcanic mountains. From the dam the reservoir runs back into the valley behind it, and that is the view to photograph; the outlook down the other side of the wall is plainer.

Few tourists come this way, so the shore and the paths around it stay quiet. A guidepost marked Presa de Chira, with an information board beside it, carries the waymarked trails S-60 and SL-2, which makes the reservoir a starting point for walks into the surrounding hills.

The second draw is the engineering. Chira sits at the head of the Chira-Soria scheme, a 200 MW plant built below the dam to move water between Chira and Soria and store renewable power for the island, since water held behind a dam can be released when demand rises.

• The water level falls in dry spells, and after a run of dry months the reservoir can sit low between bare banks.
• There has been construction work at the dam, and it can be noisy.
• There are no toilets and no drinking water at the reservoir or nearby — bring water with you.
• Neither the parking nor the access is wheelchair-accessible.

You arrive by car on mountain roads, and the final descent towards the reservoir narrows in sections — allow time and drive it slowly. A parking area lies about 230 m away in a straight line, with a second about 2.7 km away.

On foot, look for the guidepost marked Presa de Chira with its information board; the waymarked trails S-60 and SL-2 are signed from there. The nearest bus stop, La Plata, is about 4.8 km away in a straight line, so coming by bus means a long walk in.

Best: after the winter rains, in the morning or late afternoon.

Avoid: the middle of a summer day.

A reservoir fed by rain fills after the wet months and drains through the dry ones, while the bare volcanic slopes around it give no shade at midday, and there is no water to be had nearby.