• Free to swim, paid parking: cars pay €20 a day from June to September and €10 the rest of the year, and the lot opens 9am to 9pm
• Arrive early: there is no cap on swimmers, but the parking fills first thing on summer weekends
• Leave the extras at home: no dogs, music, ball games, tables and chairs, awnings, barbecues or glass

Three natural pools on the Lozoya River, a short way from the El Paular monastery, and the only stretch of river in Rascafría where swimming is allowed. Wide lawns line the water and the Sierra de Guadarrama rises behind. The water comes from mountain snowmelt and stays cold even in high summer, so ease small kids in slowly.