Hill Walking in the Canary Islands

Derek Collins

I visited the Canary Islands for two months in April and May of this year. Five islands were visited and all except Lanzarote offer splendid hillwalking.

Climate. We were there at the end of the wettest and coldest winter for 30 years. The low level temperature was around 24 °C down to perhaps 10 °C higher up. Mist was fairly common between about 1000 ft. and 4000 ft. but above about 7000 ft. was unknown. Rain fell, but rarely, on La Gornera and La Palma and was unknown elsewhere. Conditions were perfect!

La Gomera. Veiy much on the German circuit. Rather like a higher and more vegetated Lake District with well marked paths often through woodland and beautiful Alpine meadows. Most visitors think La Gomera rather special and intend to return. It does rain on this island!

La Palma. Some old guy, Homer I think, believed the Elysian Fields were situated here. He could well have been right. This is the most varied of the islands and most visited by hillwalkers living hi the Canaries. At the southern end it offers a short day in Skye like country except the rock is still warm from the eruption 25 years ago. A little further north are glorious rocky slopes sparsely covered with Canary Pines. We discovered here that the lizards enjoy bread and jam. From here the island has a hhTy spine, very steep and Alpine in appearance There are randonee type walks but not well developed. In the middle of the island is the Caldera, a semi-circle of cliffs. It is a nature reserve with routes through and round it. It is difficult to describe – usually with swirling cloud, stupendous cliffs, eerily quiet but on the rirn, brilliant sunshine. I believe there is a full week of walking here. North again are gorges and even occasional streams.

My daughter visited in December and it poured down for 5 days.

Tenerife. Mt. Teide, a volcano, is the highest point in Spain but only those with personality problems would wish to struggle to the top. In any case the Spanish authorities do not encourage it. However around Teide is Los Canados, umpteen square kilometres of outsize clinker. Many will have seen pictures and read about the moonscape, it is all understated! There is a rim of shapely peaks which can be ascended by walking and scrambling as well as through routes. The sun shines all the time.

To the north lies the Anaga Peninsula a hilly wooded region with a good number of waymarked paths.

Gran Canada, hi the north and centre are many routes often tricky to follow and entirely without drink, there is little running water anywhere in the islands and on Gran Canaiia few houses or bars in the hills. The ground is rocky and slopes are long and steep but the views are stupendous. I came across pitons and abandoned ranners here on overhanging rock.

To the west the routes are almost explorations through difficult country of gorges or barrancos and steep shapely peaks of rotten rock.

There are enorrnous possibilities on Gran Canaria and indeed all 4 of these islands but there seems to be little in the way of guide books in English and there are no rescue seivices. Often the ground is awkward and if mistakes are made they could be costly. For all that they offer wonderful possibilities and there are trips by such as the Ramblers Association and I do have some guide book infoiTnation. These notes are merely to establish if there is any interest, I am very happy to chat about it and to explore the possibility of a meet in the area. The sand is mainly black, the sky blue, the beer and steak good, the people noisy, accommodation easy to find, bus services good, roads tenifying, lots of buds – could not identify most – who wants to bother with sweating up hills anyway.