III Travesía a Nado de las Hoces del Duratón, Memorial Alberto Vitón

Saint Fructus sought the absolute solitude of the Duratón River gorges in the 8th century, carving out a life of asceticism within the limestone silence that still defines this landscape. Today, the III Travesía Hoces del Duratón invites swimmers to trace a path through the very canyons where the saint once wandered. Starting from the 'Robledal' area in San Miguel de Bernuy, the course forces a confrontation with the sheer scale of these limestone walls, which rise up to 100 metres above the water, framing the swimmer in a corridor of ancient stone. The environment demands respect: the water temperatures here are notoriously challenging, making the use of a wetsuit mandatory to manage the cold, especially near the start where the current remains influenced by the river's deep, shaded path.

Nature and heritage in the water

As you navigate the 1500m or 3800m distances, look toward the jagged canyon rims to spot the massive silhouettes of griffon vultures. These birds, alongside peregrine falcons and Egyptian vultures, maintain a constant watch over the river, circling the thermals that rise from the canyon depths. The route for the longer distance pushes toward the entrance of the Vencías de Fuentidueña reservoir, a transition point that shifts the river's character from a narrow, rushing flow to a more contained, open basin. The historical weight of the area is tangible; the river flows past the proximity of the Cueva de los Siete Altares, a site of profound archaeological mystery that remains etched into the rock face nearby, and the remnants of the 15th-century Palacio de los Gonzalez de Sepulveda in the abandoned village of San Miguel de Neguera. While winter swimmers must contend with the dense, persistent fog caused by thermal inversion in the valley, the May date for the race typically offers clearer conditions to experience the scale of these protected waters. The event, now in its third edition and held as a memorial to Alberto Vitón, serves as a rigorous, point-to-point test of endurance, requiring swimmers to navigate both the physical cold and the overwhelming verticality of the canyon landscape.