Fran Griffith did our Mountains & Valleys of the Gredos last October. The ride was not perhaps quite what she expected but surpassed expectations in many ways....Situated between the provinces of Avila, Caceres and Salamanca, the Sierra de Gredos is one of the wildest and least populated areas of Spain. It is a land of light and colour, of magnificent views and tiny villages, of ancient cattle tracks and Roman roads, of crystal clear rivers and shady forests.
The drive from Madrid Airport to Navarredonda de Gredos is about 2 hours. Guests normally arrive in Madrid mid-afternoon so they have time to explore the forests that surround the Parador de Gredos before dinner. Because I flew from Cardiff, I missed the normal transfer and had a private transfer by taxi to the hotel. The hotel was far better than I had expected... one of the first hotels of the Parador chain, this three star hotel is surrounded by pine groves, crystalline waters, rocks and diverse vegetation. El Alto del Risquillo, where the hotel is located, is one of the most popular viewpoints in the area so you have magnificent views of the Gredos massif, the Piedrahita and Bejar mountain ranges and the Tormes valley...
