The Circo de Gredos is a glacial

cirque A (; from the Latin word ) is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by Glacier#Erosion, glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from , meaning a pot or cauldron) and ; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform a ...

in the central part of the north slope of the

Sierra de Gredos The Sierra de Gredos is a mountain range in central Spain that spans the provinces of Ávila, Spain, Ávila, Salamanca, Spain, Salamanca, Cáceres, Spain, Cáceres, Madrid, and Toledo, Spain, Toledo. It is part of the much larger Sistema Central o ...

(the main range in the

Sistema Central The Central System, Spanish language, Spanish and , is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula. The 2,592 m high Pico Almanzor is its highest summit. The Central System is located just north of the 40th parallel north, ...

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 The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

s (330,000 square meters) in area. At the west edge of the cirque is the summit

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 m ...

, the highest of the range at 2,592 meters. In the northeast, at the bottom of the cirque, is the

Laguna Grande de Gredos Laguna (Italian and Spanish word for lagoon), is a Spanish, Italian, and Polish surname. It may also refer to: People * Andrés Laguna (1499–1559), Spanish physician, pharmacologist, and botanist * Benjamín Máximo Laguna y Villanueva (1822– ...

at a height of 1,940 metres. Next to this lake is the mountain refuge Elola, much frequented by mountaineers who intend to climb Pico Almanzor. The cirque is in the basin of the

river Tormes The Tormes is a Spanish river that starts in Prado Tormejón, in the mountain range of Gredos, Navarredonda de Gredos, province of Ávila. It crosses the provinces of Avila and Salamanca, ending at the Duero River, at a place known locally as A ...

, a tributary of the

river Duero The Douro (, , , ; ; ) is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in the Spanish province of Soria, meanders briefly south, then flows generally west through the northern part of the Meseta ...

. It is part of the

Sierra de Gredos Regional Park Sierra de Gredos Regional Park (in spanish language, Spanish "''Parque Regional de la Sierra de Gredos''") is a protected natural area in Spain, covering 86,397 hectares. The estimated population within the socio-economic influence area is 21,182. ...

. 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.

References

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See also