Getting up to Gredos and the Plataforma with a driver from Ávila

Sierra de Gredos from Ávila

The Plataforma de Gredos, above Hoyos del Espino on the northern side of the range, is the starting point of the walk to the Laguna Grande. On summer and autumn weekends its car park fills early, and from the Tiétar valley the mountains have to be driven around to get there.

How to get there

Ávila

Gredos makes Ávila province work almost as two: getting from the Tiétar valley to the capital means crossing the mountains over the Pico pass or another Gredos crossing, on mountain roads. The most common internal trips are from the villages to the hospital and station in Ávila, and in the south, between valley villages where buses run only a few times a day.

When demand peaks

• Summer in Gredos and the Tiétar (June to September and long weekends): The Tiétar valley and the northern side of Gredos fill with summer residents and hikers from Madrid. Friday afternoons and Sundays concentrate the comings and goings with luggage.
• Snow on the passes (December to March): Snow and ice affect the Pico pass, the Gredos crossings and the Alto del León, and Ávila, at over a thousand metres, has very cold mornings. In winter, trips across the mountains need more margin.