Castile and León, walls, canyons and lakes a step from the plateau.

Castile and León is the largest region in Spain and one of the least populated. It occupies almost the whole of the northern plateau, enclosed by mountains: the Guadarrama and Gredos ranges to the south, the Cantabrian range to the north and the mountains of León and Sanabria to the west. For a traveller that translates into two kinds of trip. In the centre, stone cities and towns with walls, cathedrals and roast-meat restaurants. On the edges, nature: limestone canyons, granite sierras, glacial lakes and mining landscapes.

Which part should I choose?

• The south, next to Madrid: Segovia, Ávila and Pedraza. These are the shortest getaways from Madrid. Segovia has the Aqueduct, the cathedral and the Alcázar within a kilometre of streets, a little over an hour by car or half an hour by AVE. Ávila keeps its medieval wall complete, two and a half kilometres long, and you walk it along the top. Pedraza is a walled town with a single gate, a castle and roast-meat restaurants in the Plaza Mayor. All three can be seen in a day; with a night, better.
• Canyons and vultures: the Hoces del Duratón. In north-eastern Segovia, the river has cut a canyon with walls a hundred metres high. The Hoces del Duratón are walked as far as the hermitage of San Frutos or paddled by canoe, with Sepúlveda as a base. A full day from Madrid or Segovia.
• The west: Las Médulas and Sanabria. Far from Madrid, but close to Galicia, Asturias and northern Portugal. Las Médulas, the old Roman gold mine in El Bierzo, and the Lake of Sanabria, the glacial lake of Zamora, need at least a weekend.
• Wine: the Ribera del Duero. Around Peñafiel, with its castle above the valley, wineries and roast lamb.

How do I get there?

From Madrid, along the A-6 towards Segovia, Ávila and the north-west, and along the A-1 towards Sepúlveda and Burgos. Segovia is a little over an hour away; Ávila, 113 km and an hour and a half; Pedraza and the Hoces del Duratón, between an hour and a half and two hours. The AVE reaches Segovia in about 30 minutes and continues to Valladolid; Ávila has train and bus. For the countryside, the canyons and the small towns you need a car: rural public transport is scarce or runs only on demand.

Between Castilian cities the distances are short: Segovia and Ávila are an hour apart, Ávila and Salamanca about 75 minutes and Segovia and Pedraza 40.

When should I go?

Spring and autumn are the best times for almost everything. The plateau is high: in winter it is dry cold, with frosts and the odd snowfall, and the sierras are covered in snow; the cities are explored well wrapped up and with fewer people. In summer midday is hot, but mornings and evenings are cool, especially in Ávila and the sierra. On Mondays and Tuesdays many museums and monuments close, and in the small villages quite a few restaurants open only at weekends: check before setting off.

What is there to eat?

Wood-oven roasts, above all: suckling pig in Segovia, milk-fed lamb in Pedraza, Sepúlveda and the Ribera del Duero. Also judiones from La Granja, beans from El Barco and chuletón steak in Ávila, and Santa Teresa egg-yolk sweets for dessert. In the roast-meat restaurants the lamb and suckling pig are ordered when you book, with the number of diners.

Sunday outings and getaways

From Madrid, Segovia and Ávila are uncomplicated day trips, by car or train. Pedraza and the Hoces del Duratón work as a long Sunday by car or, better, as a weekend with a night in Sepúlveda. From Valladolid, Segovia and Pedraza are under two hours away; from Salamanca, Ávila is an hour and a quarter away.

Destinations

• Aguilar de Campoo and the Romanesque of Palencia
• Atapuerca
• Ávila
• Burgos
• Río Lobos Canyon
• Ciudad Rodrigo
• Covarrubias and Santo Domingo de Silos
• Hoces del Río Duratón and Sepúlveda
• La Alberca and the Sierra de Francia
• Lake of Sanabria and Puebla de Sanabria
• Laguna Negra and the Picos de Urbión
• Las Médulas
• Leitariegos and the Laciana Valley
• León
• Pedraza
• Peñafiel and the Ribera del Duero
• Salamanca
• Segovia
• Sierra de Gredos
• Zamora