Walking holidays on la Palma

You might have noticed that our walking boots are not get out and about very much these days.  And if they are, it is not exactly off the finca or the north of La Palma at least!

But just because circumstances mean that we aren't doing too much walking at the moment doesn't mean that other people aren't.  For example, did you know that there are many different companies who offer walking holidays on la Palma?
To begin with, there are La Palma based companies who offer daily walking trips on the island.  For example, you might choose a route such as the Volcano Route or the 'Wild' North.  All you need to do is book, turn up at the appointed meeting spot such as at Los Cancajos, Hotel Princess or Puerto Naos and a coach will take you to the start point of the walk and then collect you at the end.  You will of course be expected to walk from one end to the other but at least you have a multi-lingual guide to make sure you don't get lost and who will also point out natural flora and fauna and generally keep you amused.
Then there are the companies who offer a full holiday with each day's walking organised.  This is certainly an option if you enjoy not just walking but also walking with the same group.  And of course you don't need worry about having a car, where you are going to eat, where you are going to stay ...or who you are going to talk to.
And last but not least, the companies that offer self-guided walks on the various routes with lots of tips thrown in.  Usually, with this type of walking holiday, the accommodation is also arranged in advance and often the car hire too.   A couple of companies organise not just your accommodation but also luggage transfer as well.  The idea is that you walk between hotels, apartments, bed and breakfast accommodation and when you arrive at your destination for the night, you luggage is already there.

 And then of course a combination of all of the above such as the bespoke walking tours that we offer to individuals, couples or small groups with accommodation arranged and part guided, part self-guided walks on La Palma. 

Surely something for everyone!

The GR131 - Roque de Muchachos to Mirador de los Andenes

It has been such a busy 3 months on La Palma since Christmas with both the self-catering cottage and bed and breakfast accommodation well booked up.  Not only that but add a few guided walks and working the land on the finca here in Franceses, it's been all go.  Now though, with a few little gaps in the calendar, it really was time to head off and do something quite different.  What could be better than to leap off to the top of the mountain, the Roque de Muchachos for a bit of a hike along the GR131 in the snow?   So Thursday this week saw us jumping into the Land Rover in search of a few hours of snowy spring madness - and a walk.

The drive up there was fairly uneventful.  It only takes 50 minutes from the finca gradually ascending from 500m to 2426m, although I will say that after leaving the main road, the secondary road up to the observatory is one of the most tiwsty on the island with tight hairpin bends seemingly stacked on top of each other!  All very scenic though as the road wends its way up through the graceful slopes covered in tall pine trees.

We started the walk where the GR131 coming up from Tazacorte joins the main road at a point 0.7km below Roque de Muchachos.  The reason for this was that we had already walked that section between Tazacorte and here and now wanted to make a start on the only part of the GR131 that we haven't done. 
The trail started off with a short section on the road and then it was up a snowy track to the Roque de Muchachos, the Rock of the Lads, which are actually a little group of vertical rocks.  The paper notice advises caution on the snowy paths.

But we were quickly on our way past this point and anyway, most of the snow had already either melted or been pushed into heaps at the side.  The air was fresh and clear, the visibility more than excellent and it was all very exciting!    

Every moment seemed to bring something new to look at and twenty mintues from leaving the Roques, we saw some old dwellings just off the path.  Not quite sure how you could get down to them but certainly could be useful if the weather turned poor - but that's not today. 

 

The path is a serious of small ascents and descents and is made up of gravel in some places and small stones in other, so it is not the easiest of going.  But it wasn't this that was holding us up but the views.  They were just not stop amazing as we walked along the ridge of the mighty Caldera to Taburients and looked out over the Parque Nacional, the Caldera itself which is a width of 9km and 1,500 metres deep.  That's some hole in the ground!  

On the other side of this we could see the Cumbrecita, the Pico de Bajanado and then the GR131 Volcano route going down to the extreme south of the island. 

Continuing along, another sight we have never seen before from up here - the bottom of the Caldera, the Barranco de Angustias, the Ravine of Fear.  Just to the right of the photo is one of several rocky outcrops which suddenly just pop up like a brick wall.  Or is it that everything else around just popped down?

The observatories are a continued presence seemingly springing up at all sorts of points.  The observatories I should just mention if you didn't already know are the third most important in the whole world, after Chile and Hawaii.  They compete with nature to make the most stunning contrast against the pure blue sky and despite the incongruity of being high-tec man-made objects in this awesome natural landscape, they still manage to look beautiful. 

In some places though it is not a good idea to walk whilst looking around as the trail can be quite narrow.  And as I've said, it's a long way to the bottom.  
And here is the most famous wall on the island.  It is called El Pared de Roberto, Robert's wall, is completely natural and you actually walk through a large gap in it.   You won't be surprised to hear that there is a folklore story all about it.  Watch out for it on the www.fincafranceses.blogspot.com in the next week.  
In the photo below, David is testing the depth of the snow with the snow pole, I mean walking pole, which turned out to be an impressive 3 feet.   Luckily the actual path wasn't covered to such a depth.

After two hours we arrived at the Mirador de los Andenes.  Although this is a hugely impressive viewpoint and one that we have been to many times, it didn't seem quite as impressive any more.  Brilliant and fantastic, yes, but just not quite as good as the many views we had seen on the way.  However, on the other side of the road facing north where the land drops giddily away from the road and down into the pine forests below, the thick covering of snow made it look like a megga-scarey ski run.  I'm not going down there and that's final.

This was a good point to turn around and make our way back and, now with less photos to take, it was a general amble.  Not always easy though and still necessary to watch where we were walking, it is what the Rother Walking Guide on La Palma would describe as not 'for the nervous of disposition.'

On our return journey, we enjoyed trying to remember which observatory is which.  You can read all about them - and more on the wonderful island of La Palma - here. 

GR131 group walk

If anyone is interested (and up to it), there is a group walk of one section of the GR131 this Sunday, 7th November.  It is from the Roque de Muchachos to El Time and then carrying on down to the beach at Tazacorte, literally from the top of the island to sea level.

It will take around 8 hours as there will be a stop for breakfast and lunch (bring your own picnic - there are no shops on the way!).  It is fairly tough (medium high) and although there are a few short uphill stretches, most of it is down hill so if you have knee problems it might not be the best walk for you.

What to bring? You will need a whole range of weather gear with you from cold weather, wet weather, hot sun and even your bathers in case there is time for a dip at Tazacorte.  When we did this walk a few years back with the group, it really was pretty cold and most people, including us, were wearing a woolly hat and gloves, though of course these were peeled off as we descended.

The meeting point is the Plaza Bujaz, San Pedro at 7 am from where a coach will take you to the top, then later collect you at Tazacorte and then bring you back to the start point.  There is a charge for this to cover costs.
You will need to enrol by Friday at 2pm and can do this by ringing Pedro on 609 850 336.  You might also want to check out the walking club link

If you don't want to go to San Pedro, the walk is planned to start at 9am at the top (probably at a lay by below the Roque where the GR131 finally leaves the road) so if you have a way to retrieve your car, then you might want to meet there, but you will need to let Pedro know.
If you do make it - don't forget to send us the pictures and let us know how it went.  All the best!

Star walkers complete the GR130 route around La Palma

Our huge congratulations to Christine of Star Trex, Jen and Bill, who all completed the GR130 route right around La Palma on Saturday, 2nd October.

Jen, Bill, Christine and Dave

It is a fantastic and impressive achievement - approximately 155 km along forest trails and volcano fields, pretty country paths and coastal ways, cobbled streets and deserted wilderness, ridiculously steep country lanes and not forgetting the numerous deep and rugged ravines to be traversed - completed in just ten days, with two rest days included.  To add to the constantly changing conditions underfoot and the scenery surrounding them, they also had challenges from up above with rain on the first day, then hot sun virtually all of the rest of the route and some thankfully slightly cooler weather towards the end.
Back up was provided by Dave with whom they stayed in phone contact and if the team were not actually walking directly to or from their accommodation, Dave was there to drop them off or pick them up.  Bailey was the fifth member of the team who did nothing but wag his tail, run around looking happy, bark once and sleep.
Very well done team - you are all stars!
Really, it was a privilege to meet them all and be a small part of their great challenge. They stayed with us here in Franceses for four nights and I am glad they had time to enjoy some of the facilities including the 'party port.'  They certainly deserved a sit down!

If you think you would like to walk the GR130 route on La Palma, either self-guided or with Christine, just send me an email or if you would like to walk in Tenerife with Christine, do drop into her website.  Apart from being a qualified mountain leader plus having walked extensively in the UK and spent eight weeks trekking in the Himalayas, she is a great guide and an inspirational person.