# Sunday in Gredos: the Laguna Grande and Lunch in Hoyos del Espino

A five-hour route from the Plataforma to the Laguna Grande, at the foot of the Gredos cirque, and a late lunch of revolconas and Ávila meat in Hoyos del Espino.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sierra-de-gredos/itineraries/gredos-laguna-grande-and-lunch-in-hoyos-del-espino · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 07:30 · Salida: 1 h by car (from Madrid via the A-6, Ávila and the N-502, about 180 km)
- 09:30 · From the Plataforma to the Laguna Grande de Gredos (Platform – Laguna Grande – Platform · 5 h · 13.6 km)
  - 30 min by car, 10,9 km
- 15:00 · La Galana (La Galana · revolconas (paprika potato mash) and Ávila beef · €€ · à la carte until 17:30) · La Galana, €€
- 17:00 · Vuelta (You reach Madrid around 19:15)

The Laguna Grande is the Gredos route that everyone wants to do once: a cobbled path from the Plataforma to a pass at 2,178 metres and, suddenly, the glacial lake at the foot of Almanzor. It is five hours there and back, so the Sunday is organised around it: an early start, the route in the morning and a late lunch on the way down. From Ávila it is an hour, and from Madrid about two.

## The Day, Hour by Hour

7:30 · Departure. From Madrid, along the A-6 and AP-51 to Ávila, the N-110 and N-502 towards Arenas, and the AV-941 to Hoyos del Espino; there, the road to the Plataforma. About 180 km, two hours. At weekends access is regulated from kilometre 7, with a barrier and ticket booth: arriving before nine is the difference between parking or not.

9:30 · The route. From the Plataforma a stone causeway climbs to the Cavadores fountain (3 km, an hour and a half) and the Los Barrerones one (4.4 km). At the pass, at 2,178 m, the cirque appears with the Laguna Grande below, at 1,947 m, and the Elola refuge on the shore. You have done 6.8 km and about two and a half hours. Eat something beside the water, look at the ibexes and return the same way. In total, 13.6 km and 741 m of ascent.

15:00 · Lunch at La Galana. On the way down, at the entrance to Hoyos del Espino, on the Plataforma road itself. In winter it is open from Friday to Sunday and serves the traditional menu from 13:30 to 17:30, so arriving late is no problem. Afterwards, if you are still hungry, stone-oven pizzas.

17:00 · Return. You reach Madrid around a quarter past seven; Ávila, shortly after six.

## What to Order

Revolconas potatoes, with La Vera paprika and torreznos, which is what the body asks for after the route, and an Ávila beef chuletón to share. For dessert, cheesecake.

## With Children and Dogs

The route is for children who already walk five hours in the mountains: from about 10 years and used to it. The path is stone and is no good for pushchairs or heavy backpacks. For younger children, swap the Laguna Grande for a two-hour horse ride with Gredos a Caballo, from age 8 or 9. A dog can go, but it is demanding for it because of the stone and the distance, and on the path there is livestock and the mules that go up to the refuge.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
From Madrid, via Ávila, about 180 km and two hours. From Ávila, about 65 km, an hour. From Salamanca, via El Barco de Ávila, around an hour and three quarters. The Plataforma car park is at the end of the road from Hoyos del Espino; in season and at weekends, access is regulated.

## Consejos

### Set off before eight
Access to the Plataforma is regulated and the car park fills up.

### Bring layers
At the Los Barrerones pass it is windy and cold even if it is warm below. Always a waterproof.

### Water and food
There are fountains on the path, but carry water and food for the whole day: there is nowhere to buy on the route.

## Cuándo no ir

From November to April without winter equipment. That Sunday, better the south face: Cuevas del Águila and Arenas de San Pedro.

## Aviso

### In fog, turn back.
The stone path gets lost in fog at Los Barrerones. And from November to April, with snow or ice, it is not a walking route.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take to reach the Laguna Grande?
About two and a half hours from the Plataforma, and the same back.

### Is it hard?
Moderate: 13.6 km, 741 m of cumulative ascent and a stone path with ramps.

### Do you have to pay to park?
In summer and at weekends access is regulated with a ticket booth at kilometre 7.

### Where do you eat on the way down?
La Galana, in Hoyos del Espino, serves lunch until 17:30 from Friday to Sunday in winter.

### Can I take a dog?
Yes, but it is demanding for the dog; bring water and food for it.