Walking the GR130 Camino Real - north east section

28 July, 2014
Walking the GR130 Camino Real - north east section
Many people that come on holiday to La Palma are walkers - although not by any means everybody! So please don't feel that you need to walk just to please people. But out of those that want to do some walking, not everybody is into the trekking and hiking type of walk, the no pain no gain ethos!

So what about a walk that is not too challenging but still embraces the very essence of a stunning coastal walk? I give you the 'GR130 Barlovento to Gallegos' walk! (Although I have to admit that there are a few ascents and descents thrown in). From scenery to surprises and user-friendly logistics, this section has it all.

The scenery really is stunning starting early on in the walk with the abundance of ancient dragon trees and finishing with multi-storey caves. 

Dragon trees of La Tosca

Caves near Gallegos

 Surprises include the old washing station,  a cliff top hamlet, wooded paths, flower-covered crosses, goats and, and, well, what else could anybody wish for on a walk?
So talking of logistics, where and how to begin and end.

Happily, the walk begins and ends on the bus route which is always a bonus and it doesn't matter too much which end you start at. Having said that, the half nearest to Gallegos is the harder part but it also has the most wow factor and I always think it's nice to keep that towards the end. Plus if you walk from Barlovento to Gallegos, the sun is on your back and not in your eyes. Something to consider!

Little village of Gallegos

But to get a flavour of what it's really like (apart from walking it) do please take a look at a great video of the walk, courtesy of past guests and masters of time-lapse videos on La Palma, Randy and Brenda - http://vimeo.com/7373983. Sit back and enjoy!