Sierra de Gredos

Gredos is the high granite block between Madrid and Extremadura, and the classic approach is the walk from the Plataforma car park into the Circo de Gredos, a glacial amphitheatre holding the Laguna Grande under the range's highest summit, Almanzor. It takes around two hours each way on a stone path, with a refuge at the lagoon. Spanish ibex are everywhere here and largely indifferent to people, which makes them easy to photograph and easy to mistake for tame. The northern side is bare granite and short grass; the southern slope drops into the warm Tietar valley with figs and olives. Snow closes the high ground from late autumn.

What you actually see

• The Circo de Gredos - the glacial cirque above the Plataforma car park.
• Laguna Grande - the lagoon at the foot of the cirque, with a refuge beside it.
• Spanish ibex - a large and unusually approachable population on the high ground.
• The southern slope - the warm Tietar valley with figs and olives below the granite.

When to go

June to October is the walking season; snow and ice turn the cirque into a winter mountaineering objective rather than a hike. The Plataforma car park fills early on summer weekends and is sometimes closed once full. Start at first light for the ibex and to be off the tops before afternoon storms build.

Honest expectations

The path to the lagoon is stone-paved, hard underfoot and busy in season, and the round trip takes four hours before any detours. Parking is limited, charged and often full by nine at weekends. Weather changes fast at 2,000 metres. Feeding the ibex is common and has turned some of them into a nuisance around the refuge.

Nearby

Avila's walled centre is an hour north; the Tietar valley and its river pools lie south.