Gredos: Ibex Above the Tree Line
Castilla y León, Spain
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Circo de Gredos
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400
XP
+100 Spain
= 500 total
1 day
Gredos: Ibex Above the Tree Line
400 + 100 XP
Gredos runs across Ávila, Cáceres, Madrid and Salamanca, topping out at the Almanzor at 2,592 metres, with the Circo de Gredos — a glacial cirque with a lagoon in the floor of it — in the central sector. The vegetation stacks in clear bands: holm oak to about 550 metres, Pyrenean oak from there to 1,800, broom scrub to 2,300 and bare summit grassland above that. The western ibex, Capra pyrenaica victoriae, has its largest population here across Ávila and Cáceres, and the animals on the high ground are entirely unbothered by walkers.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Walk in to the Circo de Gredos and the Laguna Grande in the floor of it
2
of 5
Work out the vegetation bands as you climb: holm oak, then Pyrenean oak, then broom, then bare grass
3
of 5
Get close to the western ibex, which will not move for you, and work out why the largest population of the subspecies is on this one range
4
of 5
Climb towards the Almanzor at 2,592 metres if the weather and your legs allow
5
of 5
Come back at dusk and listen to the rut in autumn, which carries a long way in a cirque
Walk in to the Circo de Gredos and the Laguna Grande in the floor of it
Work out the vegetation bands as you climb: holm oak, then Pyrenean oak, then broom, then bare grass
Get close to the western ibex, which will not move for you, and work out why the largest population of the subspecies is on this one range
Climb towards the Almanzor at 2,592 metres if the weather and your legs allow
Come back at dusk and listen to the rut in autumn, which carries a long way in a cirque
Before you go
A long, high mountain day above 2,000m with fast-changing weather and snow into early summer. The Laguna Grande approach is stony and hard on the ankles.
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About Castilla y León
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
400 XP
Spain country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
500 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in Spain.
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