26/07/2012

Outdoor and Walking Festival

La Palma is often described as a paradise for the walking enthusiast and it can hardly be denied with over 1000km of marked walking routes. In fact the whole island is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
However, as you might imagine, it hasn't always been like this in that routes which were once well-used donkey tracks and paths criss-crossing the island had become overgrown and all but hidden. The past few years though have seen a tremendous amount of work on the walking trails of La Palma and there is now even an Outdoor and Walking Festival which is held annually in August.
Now in its fourth year, the event is really hotting up with more walks on offer and other attractions too. This year, the event is held on the 10th, 11th and 12th August and as before the central action will be in the Plaza de EspaƱa in Santa Cruz de La Palma (temporarily named the Plaza del Senderista).
There you will find stalls selling walking related products (maps of La Palma, the GR131 and GR130 walking guide, Senderos de La Palma walking T-shirts, walking clothing and accessories, etc.). The walking clubs on the island will also be represented plus there will be La Palma wine and local cheese on offer and a children's section with rope slides.  At 9pm on the Saturday, there will be a concert with live music so all in all, it will be a fun event and definitely worth going along to.
If you would like to join in on any of the guided walks though, then you will need to put your name down in advance which can be done online via the website below.
There are eight long routes which include the North of the Island, the Volcano Route, the Caldera de Taburiente, the Rum Route (mmm, that's a new one which sounds rather interesting) and the Route of the Stars.
Then there are also eight short routes which include the Laurisilva Route, the Observatories and then in the evening, Walking under the Stars - simply a must for anyone with even a passing interest in astronomy and a great opportunity to enjoy the clear skies of La Palma.
 There are also two routes for those who are less mobile - the Laurisilva Route and the Llano de Las Brujas route.
And then finally a walking excursion between 'Lava and Wine.' I told you La Palma was fun!
You can check out the website here: http://www.walkingfestivallapalma.es/
If you are interested in trail running for the 2013 Transvulcania (ultramarathon at 83km or the half marathon at 26.8km), you can enrol here: http://transvulcania13.com/index.php/en/
And don't forget, for more La Palma news, you can sign up to our newsletter here: http://www.holiday-lapalma.com/newslettersignup.html