When we arrived in La Gomera on January 5, it was about 10pm and we’d been up since 3:45am. We’d caught a cab in London to take us to the train station. Then the express train took us to Gatwick Airport where we caught a 4-hour non-stop BA flight to Tenerife, the most popular of the Canary Islands. We took a bus from the airport into Tenerife’s main town where we had a fabulous lunch. Then we caught the ferry, which took about an hour to get from Tenerife to little La Gomera, the second smallest Canary Island. Then we caught our second cab for the day for the 40-minute drive from La Gomera’s main town called San Sebastian to the small village of Valleheroso (beautiful valley), our final destination. Incredibly all of our connections connected.
It was dark by the time we arrived. I
snapped this shot from the door of our apartment looking across our “street”
down over the main town below before we headed out for dinner and a glass – or
two – of wine.
This was the view that greeted us the next morning when we woke up. Our “street,” La Palmar doesn’t accommodate cars so we have to walk up from the village for about 3 minutes. All would be silent except for the chorus of dogs that echoes across the valley. Not that I’m complaining given the troops of motorcycles that blunder at home through little Belfountain.
The Canary Islands form an archipelago
about 200k west of the Sahara Desert. The climate is spring-like year round
never getting warmer than about 28 degrees or cooler than about 13 or 14. They
are part of Spain. While tourists crowd the beaches on Tenerife, only a few
hikers come to La Gomera since the few beaches that exist aren’t sensational.
Arriving mostly from Germany and England, La Gomera’s tourists are clad in
quick-drying trousers and shirts, and sport hiking poles and boots so we pretty
much fit right in except for my accent. Our Gomerian neighbour told us we’re
the first Canadians he’s every met. Then he gave a bottle of his very good
homemade wine.
We booked our apartment through Airbnb and it’s been absolutely wonderful. Not very expensive (about 25 euros/night), it’s really well laid out with two-bedrooms, a bathroom, well-equipped kitchen, dining and living room. Nonetheless, on a sunny day, the front step is my favourite spot. Our upstairs neighbour Ellia left half a dozen avocados on our front step one afternoon. They grow everywhere and in all different sizes.
Roque El Cano is that big spaceship-like rock behind Alex. It dominates the view from Vallehermoso and is the result of erosion in these volcanic islands. It’s enormous. The gash running below it is one of the many roads that crisscross the island.
The highway below, all built with European Union money, is part of an incredible network that goes all the way around the island. Since La Gomera is only about 25 kilometres wide, about half the width of Caledon, you’d think that wouldn’t require much highway. But radiating out from the high point in the centre of La Gomera, there are 50 slices that open into narrow valleys, many of which go all the way down to the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, the highways turn and turn and double back before turning and doubling back again and again. There are few guardrails and the drop off from the edge of the road is precipitous.
The tree I’m staring at is just below that big rocketship rock. We did this hike early on one, unfortunately, of only two clear-blue-sky days in the last month. It’s been unusually cold here with daytime highs around 15 and nighttime lows about 13. Great hiking temperatures but the sun has been shy. The flowers love the weather and the palm, orange and banana trees don’t seem put out. The locals complain of the cold and some days we have to leave the window closed! In truth, we have to bundle up to keep warm, but there is no snow, no ice and I hardly ever have to wear mitts.
This photo is from one of the hikes we’ll have to do again since the views are supposed to be incredible. There was sunshine when we began but ended it up looking like the picture above by the time we’d climbed up. The rain started not long after I took this shot.
It was a beautiful walk nonetheless, but believe it or not, there is the whole Atlantic Ocean out there with nothing between us and North America. There are two hiking routes that go all the way around the island. This one has red and white markers. The other has green and white. Then there are secondary trails galore.
Before the fog obscured everything, we had a
lovely view down to the sea.
On another hike, this one 5 hours and about
16 kilometres long, we caught this view, with the peak of Tenerife in the distance.
As we walked down from the view of
Tenerife, we looked out over this fabulous field of palm trees. There are
gorgeous palm trees everywhere and one La Gomera’s prize products is Miel de
Palma or Palm Honey. It tastes more honey-like than our maple syrup, but is
made in a similar manner.
There’s lots more to tell, so I’ll continue
later.
