The Arenales Aqueduct, built between 1753 and 1757, is part of the Campos Branch of the Castile Canal and addresses the need to maintain the canal’s continuity over natural watercourses. Located in the municipality of Becerril de Campos (Palencia), at kilometer 98.310, its function is to allow the Valdeveinte stream to pass under the canal, ensuring effective flow control and the stability of the hydraulic infrastructure.
The structure is resolved by means of a single arch whose vault, initially low-profiled, gradually increases in cross-section at the opening until it transforms into a segmental arch, a solution that improves structural performance and water drainage. The arch has an approximate span of 2.20 meters and a variable height between 2.45 and 3.75 meters. The entire structure reaches a length of approximately 7.20 meters, a width of nearly 30 meters, and a total height of 5.05 meters. It is built entirely of limestone ashlar and is completed with stone parapets. The stream channel continues, framed by stonework, to an adjacent footbridge with a semicircular arch, reinforcing the unified appearance of the structure, which is in a good state of preservation.
Set within a wide and serene landscape, the Arenales Aqueduct invites visitors to pause and understand how these discreet but carefully designed structures made possible the continuous operation of the Canal de Castilla and its harmonious adaptation to the territory.
