What to see in the Sierra de Gredos

If you wonder what to see in the Sierra de Gredos, we will tell you that it is one of the most attractive places in the center of Spain. It is distributed among the provinces of Toledo, Madrid, Ávila, Salamanca y Caceres and occupies an area of ​​approximately eighty-six thousand hectares to the west of the Central Sistem.

It was declared a regional park in 1999 and at its western end, there is also a nature reserve Hells Throat, a space cut by the river Jerte that constitutes the access to Extremadura from the province of Ávila. It forms an impressive landscape of streams, waterfalls and waterfalls, as well as natural pools. But, without further ado, we are going to explain what to see in the Sierra de Gredos.

Almanzor Peak

At 2592 meters high, this mountain is the highest in the Sierra de Gredos. Therefore, from its top you have wonderful views of the natural park. The hiking route that leads to the peak is the first recommendation we make regarding what to see in the Sierra de Gredos.

According to legend, it receives this name because almanzor, the leader of the Caliphate of Córdoba, was the first to reach the summit in the XNUMXth century. Leaving aside the curiosities, we will tell you that the ascent lasts about seven hours and that, in its final part, you will have to climb, but always you can stay a little lower.

In total, the route has 19 kilometers that include extraordinary landscapes such as the Gredos cirque, which we are going to talk about next. But, if you don't feel able to finish it in the day, you can also spend the night in the Elola's RefugeRight in the middle of the circus.

To start the tour, you need to get to the call Leading, which is the starting point of several routes in Gredos. It is accessed by the road that comes from Hawthorn Hole and it is a large car park.

On the ascent to the Almanzor peak you will see natural wonders, but even greater ones await you if you reach the top. From it, you have impressive views of the Sierras de Béjar and Barco, as well as the rosarito reservoir y He will see her.

The circus of Gredos

As we told you, you will reach him by following the route of the Almanzor Peak, although, logically, you can stay in the circus. This is, therefore, in the center of the northern slope of the Sierra de Gredos and is the largest glacier type in the entire Central system, with some thirty-three hectares of surface.

As you know, a glacial cirque is a huge depression that reproduces a anfiteatro and that is generated by the erosion of the sliding of the ice on the mountain walls. Gredos is the habitat of the mountain goat, of which specimens abound. As for the flora, dominates the broom, a shrub species.

The Big Lagoon

But, perhaps, the greatest attraction of this area is the Gredos Lagoon, which is located in the lower part of the circus, at a height of more than one thousand nine hundred meters. It is also of glacial origin and beautiful legends have been created around it. The most curious is the Serrana de la Vera. It says that a missing woman in the region of Vera de Plasencia wandered through the mountains until she reached the lagoon to submerge herself and live forever in it.

the five lagoons

As you might guess, the Laguna Grande is not the only one you can see in the Sierra de Gredos. Another beautiful hiking route is that of the five lagoons, which requires a little more effort, but leads you to discover those of Cimera, Galana, Mediana, Bajera and Brincalobitos, all of them at more than two thousand meters of altitude. By the way, in summer the most daring are encouraged to take a bath in any of these majestic natural pools.

This route is about twenty-two kilometers long and takes around twelve hours to complete. But you also have refuges to spend the night if you want to divide it into two days. In addition to the one we mentioned before, there is the one from the Barranca.

The Galin Gomez Lagoon

To finish our hiking routes through the Sierra de Gredos, we will tell you about the one that leads to the Barco or Galín Gómez lagoon. There are many others, but the ones we have explained to you are the most famous.

This route has an extension of almost twenty-five kilometers and leaves from the Port of Umbrias, almost fourteen hundred meters high. As you walk through it, you can see the round head pine forest and other great mountains of Gredos like the eagle ridge and Assegai. Likewise, other lagoons form a triangle with that of El Barco. Are those of the Knights and Nava. However, perhaps the best show is offered by the glacier circus around the first.

Towns to see in the Sierra de Gredos

But not everything is nature in this privileged area. You also have to see its villages in the Sierra de Gredos, which form a perfect synthesis with its landscapes. Really, all these locations have something to do. But, as it would be impossible for us to visit them all, we are going to show you some of the most beautiful.

Candeleda

We start with the southernmost municipality of the Sierra de Gredos. In fact, although it belongs to the province of Ávila, it borders on Extremadura. It is also one of the oldest towns, as evidenced by the fort of El Raso, of Vetton origin.

Next to this, in Candeleda we recommend that you visit the Chilla sanctuary, built in the XNUMXth century, although it houses a carving from the XNUMXth, and the church of Our Lady of the Assumption, a Gothic marvel from the early XNUMXth century.

Also interesting are its Jewish quarter and its Town Hall, an example of Madrid's Neo-Mudejar style. But more curious will be the Tin Toy Museum, located in the Casa de las Flores and which has more than two thousand pieces.

The Boat of Avila

This town does not stop having a curious name to be found in the Sierra de Gredos. However, it is said that it comes from the Iberian term bar, which means "summit". It has a privileged location on the banks of the River Tormes and as access to Jerte valley.

It has an important medieval past that is witness to its walls. In these, it stands out especially the hangman's gate, a Roman construction with a semicircular arch and two towers that was restored in the XNUMXth century.

It is not the only sample of the Middle Ages in El Barco. We also advise you to visit the romanesque bridge and castle of Valdecorneja, both from the XNUMXth century. Also, be sure to watch the Plaza Mayor with the Clock House and the building of the old jail, current headquarters of the Municipal Library.

As for the religious heritage of El Barco, you have the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady, mostly Gothic in style and whose construction began in the XNUMXth century, as well as the hermitages of San Pedro del Barco and Santísimo Cristo del Caño.

Arenas de San Pedro, one of the most beautiful villages to see in the Sierra de Gredos

It is the capital of the largest municipality in the Sierra de Gredos, with its 6344 inhabitants. Its origins are also very ancient, as evidenced by the Castañarejo cave deposits, Neolithic, and The Berrocal, Veton.

We recommend that you see in the town of Avila the Castle of Constable Dávalos or Don Álvaro de Luna, built between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in Gothic style. But also the Mosquera palace, built in the XNUMXth century for the infante Don Luis de Borbón, brother of King Carlos III, following the neoclassical canons.

Equally gothic is the church of Our Lady of the Assumption, built in the fifteenth century and which houses several carvings of enormous value. Among them, one of the Virgen del Pilar from the XNUMXth century. For his part, the Sanctuary of San Pedro de Alcantara, which is a national monument, has a royal chapel where this saint was buried and houses the Franciscan Museum of Sacred Art.

You should also see the medieval bridge of Aquelcabos, XNUMXth century; the old Arab and Jewish quarters, with their houses of popular architecture, and the churches of Our Lady of Beautiful Love and San Pedro Advíncula. But, returning for a moment to the nature of the Sierra de Gredos, about nine kilometers from Arenas, you have the eagle cave, with its spectacular room of ten thousand square meters full of stalagmites, stalactites and stone curtains.

In conclusion, it is much What to see in the Sierra de Gredos. Its natural wonders will leave you fascinated and its towns will surprise you with the large number of monuments they house. But, with regard to the latter, we do not want to forget either Stewing, with its samples of popular architecture, of Valley Caves, with its beautiful Gothic church of the Nativity of Our Lady, or of Mombeltran, with its imposing castle of the Dukes of Alburquerque and its emblazoned houses. Don't you think that the Sierra de Gredos deserves your visit?