We had already walked from Santo Domingo to Las Tricias some time ago – was it last year or the year before ... who knows ... and had already walked from El Roque to Tijarafe earlier this year, so this was a bit of filling in of a missed section of the GR130.
Our original intention was to walk from El Roque, then through Puntagorda and return to Las Tricas since on another previous walk, we had lost the GR130 route in Puntagorda so we wanted to tackle it the other way. However, the bus we hoped to catch in Las Tricias to take us to El Roque had other ideas and failed to stop for us – what happened to the request stop idea where you just put your hand up and the bus driver stops? Not so in Las Tricias! Maybe it was because it was the 'big' bus and not the 'micro' or the fact that we were not stood in the best place for a large bus to stop. Though best places for large buses are in short supply around here!
Anyway, it was time for plan B – we would walk the other way instead.
Las Tricias is without doubt a place full of charm but on our last visit, it was impossible to park as cars were strewn everywhere as their occupants pulled boots on, got maps out and strode off along the various paths. Happily, today was not the weekend and other walkers were mercifully few.
Pleased to be walking sooner than we had expected, we headed up the path along the GR130. Almost immediately, the camera was out – what a lovely drago!
Oh, and a fantastic huge cactus just by it, and chickens .... and lovely houses lining a cobbled road. It was going to be very slow going at this rate.
Soon the houses gave way to a woodland path and we slowly wound our way down into the barranco.
At the bottom of the barranco, we encountered the usual cairn (little stack of stones) or 'stone man' as the Dutch call them. But we didn't need any help from this stoney little guy and his role was confined to more of the meet and greet variety.
Still by our new friend, we stopped to admire how a tree was growing with its roots apparently plastered on the outside of the cliff face in the ravine – and look at the view upward; this is where we would be climbing back up again and it looked a long way off!
Maybe it was because we weren't yet tired, or the fact that we took the camera out many times, or that we talked and ambled our way up, or that it wasn't terrifically hot but we neared the top with remarkable ease.
Here we discovered with interest that this section had the benefit of new wooden rails. We remember trying to walk down here a few years ago when it was so slippery and steep with loose stones that we actually changed our mind and headed off in the opposite direction. The new railings are not quite as necessary if you are heading up the Puntagorda side of the barranco, but sliding down is another matter. Now it is much safer.
At the top, we passed the shrine and popped up on the main road. Here we admired the map board at the side of the road and then crossed over the road onto the forestry track. Now we were walking on red dust! That's the great thing about the GR130, it is ever changing and can hardly ever be accused of being boring.
The route took us straight past the 'Centro de Naturaleza La Rosa' campsite. You can look them up on the web if you are interested in camping – it's all very much on an eco basis (including the toilets.) Maybe one day we will camp there ...
After passing some more interesting houses with little orchards stuffed full of orange and lemon trees, we reached the main road again and crossed over into Puntagorda. Now we needed to be especially alert not to get lost. When we came to the nursery with rows of carnation pinks (or similar) growing, we wondered if we should perhaps take a left, after all there was nothing to say if we should go left here or continue on down the path. So we tried it only to discover that the two paths met again after a very short time. Easier though to continue on down past the carnations.
Now we had to make another decision. At the next junction we found a red dot on the low stone wall – the red dot being one of the many previous ways of marking the GR130 route. Now, as I pointed out, the red dot was technically on the side road so that should be the road we take. But on closer inspection, we discovered a faded red and white X painted on the opposite wall a little further down. OK then – onward, not on the side road!
At the end of the road, we at last discovered where we had gone wrong before We had in fact gone straight on but now saw that there was an obvious 'go left' painted on the road. Maybe we can blame the man who helpfully told us that the road down to the right was sin salida, without exit, and that we should go straight ahead. Motto: be aware of helpful strangers (it wasn't his fault really, we had missed the 'go left' symbol before!)
Now the route apparently took us through someone's garden, complete with a cute little rock-bordered path, beautiful roses, wooden post with the GR130 sign and all. How accommodating of them!
Full of confidence that we had navigated our way through the many paths and little roads that make up a rambling Puntagorda, we came to a side road again and took little persuasion to dive up a pretty path at the side of a house opposite. But with no sign of confirmation, we became dubious once more that this was the way. And five minutes later and entangled in a bean teepee, we deduced this was not the way. A return to the road then and heading upwards we once more saw the trusty red and white stripe painted on a side wall, albiet rather faded and far from the junction.
In what seemed like two minutes later we had arrived in El Roque where we admired the little closed shop which helpfully had the opening times in Spanish, German and English (open 08.00 to 14.00 and 17.00 to 20.00, closed on Saturdays from 14.00).
Now, with no bus imminently due, all we had to do was to ring for the local Puntagorda taxi to take us back to the start point (922493178).
That was fun!
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