Exploring Sierra de Gredos

Last weekend I decided to explore the area of Sierra de Gredos, located west of Madrid. 




The Sierra de Gredos is a mountain range in central Spain that spans the provinces of Ávila, Salamanca, Cáceres, Madrid, and Toledo. It offers many routes that will take you to high mountain passes with stunning views.



(there is no off-road along my itinerary, I just stopped there to take photos - which was a mistake! As it turned out it was impossible to turn around to get back to the road: the track was too narrow and steep, and my bike to heavy... I had to continue on this dirt road for a while until I could find a sport large enough, turn the bike around and get back to the road :) )

The itinerary I share below includes a stop at la Laguna de Gredos where I did a short hike (4 hours return) to admire the Circo de Gredos, a glacial cirque situated in the central part of the northern slope of the Sierra de Gredos.  At the East edge of the cirque is the summit Pico Almanzor, the highest of the range at 2,592 meters- beautiful! Then I camped overnight at the Camping de Gredos for 10 euros (tent + motorcycle), before getting back on the road in the early morning of the next day.

Here are 2 short movies of my ride and my hike, and see the full itinerary with map right after:


A journey through Sierra de Gredos from Adrien Pujol on Vimeo.

More details about this hike in my dedicated post: Hiking to Circo de Gredos

El Circo de Gredos from Adrien Pujol on Vimeo.

Full itinerary + map: (click on the map to enlarge it)

Departing from Madrid, my route will take you through San Lorenzo de el Escorial, home of one of the most beautiful Spanish monastery and tomb of numerous Kings and Queens of the past. A must see! Right after San Lorenzo, you will pass by the legendary bar of la Cruz Verde, always full of bikers taking a break while riding in the area.

There are plenty of gas stations, hotels, bars and restaurants along the way. The roads are in very good conditions, only few sections are without markings.Therefore, no need to plan for anything in particular.