Circo de Gredos
Encyclopedia
Cirque
Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
situated in the central part of the northern slope of the Sierra de Gredos
Sierra de Gredos
The Sierra de Gredos is a mountain range in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, located between Ávila, Cáceres, Madrid and Toledo. It has been declared a regional park. Its highest point is Pico Almanzor, at 2,592 metres....
(the main range in the Sistema Central
Sistema Central
The Sistema Central is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula.-Description:The Sistema Central is a primary feature of the Meseta Central, the inner Iberian plateau, splitting the meseta into two parts...
mountains in central Spain). It is one of the most important areas in the Parque Regional de la Sierra de Gredos.
It is the most significant glacial cirque of the Sierra de Gredos, and of the entire Sistema Central, approximately 33 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s (330,000 square meters) in area. At the East edge of the cirque is the summit Pico Almanzor
Pico Almanzor
Pico Almanzor is the highest mountain in central Spain. Situated in the Sierra de Gredos in the province of Ávila, Almanzor is high. It is made of granite. The mountain is also known as Pico de Almanzor and Moro Almanzor.-History:...
, the highest of the range at 2,592 meters. At the North-East edge, the bottom of the cirque, there is the Laguna Grande de Gredos at a height of 1,940 metres. Next to this lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
is the mountain refuge Elola, much frequented by mountaineers who intend to climb Pico Almanzor. The cirque is within the basin of the river Tormes
River Tormes
The Tormes is a Spanish river, that starts in the Prado Tormejón, the Mountain range of Gredos, Navarredonda de Gredos, province of Ávila. It crosses the provinces of Avila and Salamanca, ending at the Duero river, the municipal term of Villarino of Airs , at the zone denominated locally as...
, a tributary of the river Duero.
There is a route that leads to the cirque which is very busy with tourists and mountaineers, particularly in the summer. This path starts from parking that is known as the Plataforma de Gredos at 1,770 meters. The well defined route climbs South-West from here, and then across a grassy boggy moor to arrive at the Barrerones (2,210 metres). From here, the path descends south until reaching the Laguna Grande (or great lake) de Gredos, and the refuge Elola.
See also
- CirqueCirqueCirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
- Sierra de GredosSierra de GredosThe Sierra de Gredos is a mountain range in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, located between Ávila, Cáceres, Madrid and Toledo. It has been declared a regional park. Its highest point is Pico Almanzor, at 2,592 metres....