Gredos: Spain’s well-kept secret

Fancy a walk?

Follow a Roman road, which cuts through granite rocks into a wide valley flanked by snowy mountains. Pause to dip your hand into a lake of icy water fed by the springtime melt gushing down the hillside. Keep climbing and the valley gives way to sheer rockfaces dusted with lime-green lichen. Scramble up a high rock for a dizzying view as the land drops before you in a tumble of jagged stone while mountains loom at your back, and a curly-horned goat regards you thoughtfully.

This is the Sierra de Gredos, a mountain range in central Spain about two hours west of Madrid. It’s a place of granite mountains, pine forests, and rushing rivers. Winding roads meander through meadows separated by stone walls and punctuated by clusters of poplars.

You’re in cowboy country, where village fiestas are marked by riding contests. Life is simple – tough in winter when the snow can cut villages off completely. The food is robust, straightforward and delicious; perfect for farmers, hikers and gluttons alike. Dishes of local beef, lamb and goat are served up alongside bean stews, fried bread and mashed potato flavoured with smoked paprika and topped with pork crackling.

How do you get there?

The best route is to fly to Madrid, pick up a car and take the road headed for Ávila. It’s a beautiful drive through the plains of Castilla, climbing higher and higher into a wild and rocky landscape. The air becomes fresher and sweeter with every mile and great boulders of granite tower over the road.

When to visit?

If you’re into wildflowers, you can’t do better than spring when the valleys and hillsides are ablaze with bright-yellow piorno and wild lavender. In summer, it’s heaven to swim in mountain rivers and dry off, lizard-like, on flat, warm rocks but it does get pretty crowded. Winter is doubtless wildly romantic if you’re happy to spend a lot of time in front of an open fire, but you might get snowed in and (more importantly) many restaurants close in the low season.

Where to go?

I’m focusing on the northern side of the mountain range which is rugged and alpine. But it’s worth checking out the southern side too – more on that later.

If you’re into hiking (or a scenic amble) there’s no shortage of mountain trails for you to spring up. The highest mountain in the region is the Pico de Amanzor with a summit of 2592 metres. But if you just fancy a good yomp before lunch, head to la Plataforma. A glorious drive through gentle meadows and rugged heathland deposits you at a carpark and the beginning of the Roman road. It will take about 1.5 hours to get to the mirador (viewpoint), where you can perch on a precarious rock and share your chocolate with a large-horned goat whilst enjoying a stonker of a view.

If you’re looking for somewhere to base yourself for a few days, Arenas de san Pedro is one of the region’s largest towns and has a good number of restaurants, shops (including one astonishingly good ice cream shop – try the pine nut flavour), hotels, and a castle. But in high season it gets packed and unpleasant. For something more rural, Hoyos del Espino is a good option. It’s a small village, which sits at the turning of the road leading to la Plataforma, marked by a prancing bronze goat. Here you’ll find a few great bars and restaurants. Give these a go:

El Plantio

This is the first bar you come to if you enter the village from the east. Don’t be fooled by the no-frills appearance. The food is great. Order lengua (tongue) and patatas machaconas (those paprika mashed potatoes) to get you started.

Drakar

This is the place if you’re wanting a Serious Lunch. Wonderful local meat and the delicious judías de El Barco, a hearty dish of white beans with chorizo – perfect if you’ve just climbed a mountain.

There’s no shortage of accommodation options in the area. There’s a Parador, lots of hotels and plenty of Casa Rurales (country apartments or cottages to call your own for a few days). But if I must single one place out, it has to be the hotel belonging to my husband’s family (naturally).

Posada Real La Casa de Arriba

I’m under no obligation to mention this place. And, believe me, if it was rubbish, I wouldn’t. But one glance at the Booking.com reviews will confirm everything I say.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This beautifully restored 17th Century mansion sits at the highest point of the village of  Navarredonda (a 10-minute drive from Hoyos) and commands staggering views of the mountains. A typical house of the region, it has thick stone walls, heavy beams and polished wooden floors. The sitting room has kept its original fireplace and you can still see the hooks in the ceiling, from where they used to hang jamón and chorizo to be smoked by the open fire. It’s family-run and a true labour of love, so it’s spotless and welcoming – with delicious homemade cake served up for breakfast.

Spring and summer evenings can be wiled away with a glass of wine as you watch the evening sky turn the mountains purple while swifts dart above the rooftops. What’s not to love about that.

South Gredos

If you’re up for a day-trip, it’s worth crossing the mountains to check out the south. Follow yet another Roman road into a deep valley and meander through the mountains. The other side is much lower and you’re pretty close to Extramadura, so expect a good hike in temperatures. Rock and heath give way to olive groves, palm trees, and forests blackened by summer fires.

Pop into Candeleda, a pretty little town with narrow streets of thick stone buildings. Small plazas are overhung with the traditional layered wooden balconies, usually festooned with flowers.

For lunch with a view, head to El Raso and the restaurant El Mirador de Gredos (the viewpoint of Gredos) which does just that. Order the migas (deep-fried breadcrumbs with paprika) and roasted leg of goat. To aid digestion, go for a wander. Along the road, you’ll find a reconstruction of a Celtic village nestled amongst green ferns, with stunning views over the valley below.

And there you have it. A part of Spain the Spanish would rather keep to themselves. But it’s there for the discovering if you care to look.

Happy hiking.