WALKING IN THE SIERRA DE GREDOS, SPAIN

The Sierra de Gredos is an area of wild, dramatic natural beauty in central Spain, less than 2 hours’ drive from Madrid.  This turned out to be an excellent location for our walking holiday in September 2006.

Our group of 17 spent the first two nights in Madrid, which gave us a chance to enjoy a day’s sightseeing before picking up our hire cars and heading up to the Gredos mountains and Hoyos del Espino, our village base.  We stopped on the way to look around El Escorial, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with its enormous palace and vaults where the Kings of Spain are buried.

On arriving at Hoyos, we soon settled into our lovely house, welcomed by a roaring log fire and a glass or two of the local wine.  The house was very comfortable, spacious and well equipped for 12, with all home comforts and all amenities close at hand in the village.  Those of us staying in a nearby hotel looked forward to joining everyone at Casa Tio Juan for our very lively breakfasts and evenings relaxing by the fire.  We did have the advantage of a wonderful view over the mountains, enjoyed by all when we sat on the terrace of the bar next door enjoying our well-earned ‘after walk’ refreshment.  Our water bottles were filled daily from the fountain opposite the house, fresh mountain spring water, and our bread and pastries were bought from the bakers opposite, cooked in traditional wood-burning ovens.  On the evenings that we decided not to cook in the house, we enjoyed some lovely meals in the local restaurants, all a few minutes’ walk away so we only had to stagger back a short distance.

An easy walk from the village, on our first day to ease us in gently, took us along the valley, following the river.  The weather became hotter during the week and we were able to start our walks at various points along the river, walking back to the village.  These were perfect walks to do on hot days and we discovered lovely areas for relaxing and swimming, the brave ones, that is, as the water, although crystal clear, was very cold.

Barbara and Adam, the owners of Casa Tio Juan, walked with us on two days and shared with us their local knowledge.  On the first day, we climbed to around 2,400 m and the views were spectacular.  This range of mountains boasts a wide range of fauna and flora with some species being unique to the area, with over 100 varieties of birds including all of Spain’s major birds of prey.  We were joined for lunch that day by a young and curious Ibex.  Our second day walking with Barbara and Adam took us across the plains and followed cattle droves and old Roman roads, again with breathtaking views.  For those of us not wanting to walk every day there were wonderful places to visit – Salamanca, Segovia with its amazing Roman aqueduct, Avila, Toledo and the towns of Extremadura, steeped in history of the Conquistadors. 

We had enjoyed discovering ‘the real Spain’ when we lived and worked in Madrid and it was a pleasure sharing our experiences with the Group, and arranging a holiday  that was a little different, in a beautiful and unspoilt area of Spain.  Details of the house and area can be found by visiting www.vivagredos.com.  We would be happy to give further information – Tel: 01278 455180.

Jenny & Tony Fawle

Sedgemoor Group