In July 2009, a large fire hit the municipality of Cuevas del Valle, a town in the south face of the Sierra de Gredos within the Five Villas region of Avila. The consequences of that catastrophe are especially palpable on the Path of La Rubia , which does not hesitate to present itself under the slogan "like a phoenix" on the explanatory sign that welcomes hikers, since the area “struggles to rise from its ashes”.
we are ready to walk in one direction , that is, without having to undo the path once completed. To do this (unless we find a broom car that gets closer to us) we will need two cars with which to climb to the Puerto del Pico (the height that separates the north and south faces of Gredos in the middle of the N-502).
La Rubia is reborn from its ashes.
We leave one there, and with the other we go to the Collado de La Centenera , a mountain pass that rises shortly before reaching to the town of El Arenal (It will take about 15 minutes on a winding road full of curves).
There, the aforementioned sign will indicate the starting point. We will go all the time along the path marked as PR-AV-15, fairly well signposted (When in doubt, always look for the wooden stakes or stone milestones that indicate the correct path). It is a medium level route, about three hours long , with a route of 7.38 kilometers and a drop of 415 meters up and 487 meters down.
There are two reasons for choosing this address. Firstly, because we will take off the climb at the beginning, later arriving at a wide flat area before descending. Second, to give us a tribute in the restaurant that awaits us at the end.
We walk the path in one direction.
There is hardly any shade, so it is imperative to cast hat and sun cream (and get up early, if we do it in summer). We will also see several points along the way where we can refill our canteens, but it is untreated water (when in doubt, it is better to take our own).
The route begins with a zigzag ascent along a forest track surrounded by resin pines, where we will soon see the town of El Arenal (below, to our left) and the summits of Gredos (above, front). A wild high mountain landscape that will captivate us as soon as we stop seeing any sign of the hand of man.
In a matter of 40 minutes we will arrive to the Shelter of the Bells (free access for any mountaineer who wants to spend the night inside in the heat of their fireplace), with the Pico de La Mira to the west and a small green meadow at our feet. To the left is a path that goes up to Puerto del Arenal. there they are too Las Peñitas de Arenas, climbing area (except from February 1 to July 31, season in which it is prohibited).
The path of La Rubia will captivate us.
We, however, pull to the right, where we will soon see the Centenera Pine , a unique tree that managed to survive the fire as shown by its charred trunk. We have little left to stop ascending and place ourselves on the flat part of the road.
We are in the middle of the slope, in one of the hills hardest hit by the fire , with bare slopes eroded by subsequent rains. We will see numerous dry trees, and large granite rocks devoid of vegetation whose gray contrasts with the greenery of the valley.
However, we will also see Scots pines that managed to survive next to the fresh valleys, where we will have to save the water with a jump and where we can recharge the canteen (if our stomach is not sensitive to untreated water, such as that of the Fuente de la Rubía).
Despite its past, spectacular views await us.
To our right, impressive panoramic of the Cinco Villas ravine , where at times the towns of San Esteban del Valle, Santa Cruz del Valle and Mombeltrán will appear before our eyes. In front, the impressive summits of the torozo.
Upon reaching the meadow of La Rubía, we will see his namesake shepherd's hut restored to be used as a shelter, and adorned at its entrance with an endearing nativity scene. We will have little left to start the rocky descent towards Puerto del Pico, the final stretch. There we will see the town of Cuevas del Valle to the right, and the zigzagging Roman road that goes up to the port.
After finishing the descent we will be in the great meadow of Puerto del Pico , with the remains of an ancient Roman inn to the left. In the middle, a pile of stones stacked with anti-democratic spray paint indicates the place where, until recently, the uprising the controversial Monument to the fallen of the region , built in honor of those who died on the coup side during the Civil War.
The Sierra de Gredos awaits us.
Many were the voices that, in honor of the Historical Memory Law, had been calling for its demolition for some time. On December 28, it fell naturally , due to its advanced dilapidated state (according to the official version). But the fact that it was precisely the day of the Holy Innocents has triggered all kinds of conspiracy theories.
We celebrate our little adventure in The Muleteer's Stop , the cozy restaurant that opens next to the car park every day except Wednesday (if it's the weekend, it's a good idea to book in advance).
There we can enjoy dishes as exquisite as grilled boletus, migas, revolconas potatoes or Ávila's famous steak , with the panoramic view of the mountains through its large windows. The perfect place to gather strength before returning to the first car and going to Collado de La Centenera to recover the second.