Name: 8 Day The Gredos Wild Ibex Cycling Tour in Spain
Brand: Ants on Track
Price: 895 EUR
Availability: InStock

Spain Cycling Tour

This tour at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula will take you through bucolic mountain landscapes of spectacular beauty.

Key information

Trip type: Self-guided
Lodging: Point to Point
Starts in: Ávila
Ends in: Salamanca
Total Distance: 206.7 Miles / 335.9 Kilometers
Type of bike: Road bike (not included)
E-bike: 150 EUR per person

Highlights

6 riding days
Ride along cities, towns, and villages
7 nights accommodation
Daily breakfast
Luggage transfer between hotels
Roadbooks, maps, and GPS tracks

Skill level

Intermediate

6 days with instruction

Accommodation

You will spend the nights in the Parador of Ávila, Gredos, and Salamanca. In the rest of the places, you will be accommodated in wonderful rural hotels.

Parador de Ávila

The Parador de Ávila is located in the former Palacio de Piedras Albas, a 16th-century palace located in the historic center of the city and with views of its monumental walls. Its interior is intimate and welcoming, the rooms are spacious, perfect for resting, and the dining room with views of the garden and the wall through a glass-enclosed patio makes the Parador a majestic place, in keeping with many of the buildings you will find in the city, a World Cultural Heritage Site.

The Parador is surrounded by gardens, where you can visit the archaeological collection, which includes sarcophagi, baptismal fonts, and a wild boar from the fifth century BC. In the restaurant you can enjoy traditional Castilian dishes such as beans from El Barco, pucheretes teresianos, a sirloin steak, roast suckling pig, or the delicious yolks from Santa Teresa. In addition, the Parador holds a Gastronomic Days of the Beans from El Barco once a year.

In Ávila, you will love getting lost in the streets of its historic center, walking along the walkway of the wall, and visiting the first Gothic cathedral in Spain, where you can admire the impressive altarpiece by Pedro Berruguete. The Sierra de Gredos National Park, an hour away, is another good option to enjoy nature. The historic nature of the building makes pedestrian access somewhat difficult.

If you have any mobility problems, please contact Parador who will inform you about the best way to access it. Paradores rooms perfectly combine design and modern services. In each of them, you can enjoy the comfort and elegance of the design and furniture and the best views in destinations to which you will want to return again and again.

Parador de Gredos

Between crystal clear waters, rugged rocks, and green pine forests, the history of Paradores begins here. Inaugurated by Alfonso XIII, the Parador de Gredos became the first establishment of the Network on October 9, 1928. Built from elements transferred from the stately home of Villacastín, its sturdy architecture of stone and slate hides a comfortable interior inspired by Castile, in which the rustic finish of the wood creates spaces that are both noble and welcoming, and turns its terraces into spectacular viewpoints of the Sierra de Gredos.

Built in 1928 to house the king's hunting parties, the Parador de Gredos is a reflection of the Network's commitment since its inception to erect hotels in unique natural enclaves, outside the reach of private initiative. This Parador also appears in history books as the place where the founding fathers met in early 1978 to draft the Magna Carta.

From that moment the Hall of Silence was preserved, renamed the Hall of the Speakers, where they drafted the first text of the Spanish Constitution. The rooms at Paradores perfectly combine design and modern services. In each of them, you can enjoy comfort, elegance of design and furniture, and the best views in destinations you will want to return to again and again.

Hotel Izán Puerta de Gredos

Located in El Barco de Ávila, in the vicinity of the Sierra de Gredos. The Izán Puerta de Gredos hotel is located in an old wool dryer, set at the end of the 18th century, declared an asset of historical interest. In its more than 60,000 square meters, you can fully enjoy nature.

Hotel El Jardín del Laurel

This old butcher's house, typical of Candelario, has seven beautiful and spacious rooms with private bathrooms. The house preserves its original structure and consists of four floors plus the basement that leads out to the garden. The rooms are located on the upper floors, accessible using centuries-old wooden stairs, which is why this hotel is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Hotel Doña Teresa

Exquisite stays in La Alberca, the heart of the Sierra de Francia and the first Spanish municipality to be declared a Historic-Artistic Site. Located 100 meters from the Plaza Mayor, with views of the Sierra and even the Sanctuary of the Peña de Francia, with its back to the Valley of the Batuecas. The hotel is also a work of art as a whole: headboards and cabinetry furniture, hand-embroidered bedspreads, paintings by Salamanca artists, traditional local crafts, and a functional atmosphere with great detail.

Hotel Villa María

Located in the heart of the Sierra de Béjar (Salamanca), the Hotel Rural Villa María is located in a historic building from the beginning of the 20th century. It consists of nine double rooms with private bathrooms, one of them adapted for people with reduced mobility. The Villa María rural hotel opened its doors in 2005 in the town of Fuentes de Béjar.

Its careful decoration and renovation have allowed it to preserve the essence of the building, built at the beginning of the 20th century to be the home of a local textile businessman. Nine rooms with private bathrooms are equipped with television, telephone, and internet. They have a room adapted for people with reduced mobility. Pets are not allowed in the hotel.

Hotel Sercotel Puerta de la Catedral

The Sercotel Puerta de la Catedral offers clients the most complete services of a four-star hotel in Salamanca so that your stay in the city is comfortable and carefree. For this, you have a buffet breakfast and garage (extra charge).

Program

Daily itinerary

Day 1: Ávila

The town of Ávila is known for its medieval walls. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 1985. It is also one of the towns with the highest number of Romanesque and Gothic churches. You will love the ambiance at Plaza del Mercado Grande, a charming space to enjoy coffee and take in the daily routine of locals.

Day 2: Ávila - Parador de Gredos

Distance: 65.6 kilometers / 40.7 miles

Built between 1926 and 1928, under the rule of King Alfonso XIII, it would eventually become the first hotel in the Paradores network. Many years later, its walls welcomed the first meeting to draw the master lines of the current Spanish Constitution. The building is located in a spectacular setting at walking distance of the central massif of Gredos.

Day 3: Parador de Gredos - Barco de Ávila

Distance: 61.3 kilometers / 38 miles

Barco de Ávila dominates the banks of the river Tormes. History says that the first people to settle on its promontories were the Vettones, a Celtic people who established their castro (town) where the actual castle is set. The names of some of the towns around Barco also tell you of its Muslim past, names such as Navamorisca, Navalmoro, or Navamures.

Day 4: Barco de Ávila - Candelario

Distance: 38.3 kilometers / 23 miles

This mountain village - listed in 1975 as of cultural interest - deserves a gentle stroll through its beauteous streets. Renowned for its well-preserved architecture with woody balconies, surprising ‘batipuertas’ - a sort of half-doors protecting the main entrance - and running water channeled through the streets, Candelario brings to your walks the scent of past times.

Day 5: Candelario - La Alberca

Distance: 60.6 kilometers / 37 miles

Located in the Sierra de Francia, La Alberca is surrounded by magnificent woods of chestnut trees and oaks. It was once inhabited by converted Jews - people who had to give public proof of their true conversion to Christianity. That is why in many of its doorposts, you can still read religious inscriptions. From medieval times, under the rule of Alfonso IX, the region was repopulated with French people and that is why the name Sierra de Francia. Here, you find again a well-preserved traditional architecture that takes you back to the past.

Day 6: La Alberca - Fuentes de Béjar

Distance: 50.4 kilometers / 31 miles

Its name tells you about the abundance of water in this small town which belongs to the province of Salamanca. The place is also known for the skill of its stonemasons, who made themselves a name by extracting and beautifully carving the stone of granite, so plentiful in the area. The most important buildings in town are a good sample of their craft.

Day 7: Fuentes de Béjar - Salamanca

Distance: 59.7 kilometers / 37 miles

Salamanca is synonymous with university life, monumental buildings, and fiesta. Its ambiance is equal to none in Spain and it is also an insuperable place if you want to enjoy a glass of wine with tapas. This great Castilian town on the banks of the river Tormes takes pride in its two cathedrals, one of them in Romanic the other in Gothic styles, its countless historical buildings, many of which are home to its university departments and, arguably the most beautiful main square in Spain.

Day 8

Departure.

About the tour

You will start in Ávila, the highest capital of a province in Spain to arrive after five days of pedaling in Salamanca, the city that houses the oldest active university in Spain. Both cities offer countless delicious, picturesque, and tasty corners. You will be spoiled by their exquisite gastronomy abundant in quality local products and prestigious wines from the region. The route will bring you closer to the central massif of the Sierra de Gredos whose highest peak, Almanzor, will look at you from its 2,592 meters of altitude.

Quite easily, you can even contemplate some of the wild goats grazing on the inclined slopes of these mountains. Someone on the staff will be waiting for you at the reception of the hotel to hand over to you the bikes on the morning of your first cycling day at 9:30 a.m. If you prefer to settle at a different time, just let them know and they will try to help. The bike mechanic will adjust the bikes and solve all your possible doubts or queries. They will provide you with GPS Tracks and detailed information to upload the tracks to your mobile phone or GPS device.

You can also hire a GPS device per group for 35 EUR. They will be taking care of you during your tour. They have an emergency phone number where you can get in touch with them in case of any trouble. They will do their best to help you with any difficulty you may have. In Spain, helmets are mandatory when cycling through interurban roads. They recommend you always to wear a helmet while riding and must ask you to use it whenever it is legally compulsory.

They recommend to bring your own helmet, but in case you do not want to carry it around, you could borrow one from them at no extra cost. In that case, they will provide you with a helmet, a rear pannier, a map holder per person, a pump, a lock, a multi-tool, spare inner tubes, tire levers, and patches for every two people included with the rental bikes.

Distance: 345.9 kilometers / 214.9 miles
Level: Moderate

Bikes

They offer both trekking bikes and electric touring bikes. Cyclists are responsible for Expedición 23 de abril, S.L. bicycles during their trip and any damage to or loss thereof. Cyclists are also responsible for minor repairs such as punctures. Expedición 23 de abril, S.L. will supply bikes in good condition and of the right size for each cyclist.

Food

You will be served daily breakfast included in the price.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Regular (typically includes meat and fish)

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

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