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Gran Canaria is known locally as a “mini continent”. This is because it offers a wide range of climates and environments, all of which can be enjoyed on the same day. Walks for people on holiday vary from gentle walks along surfaced roads near the resorts to challenging mountain walks that are probably best planned ahead of the holiday. Three hours drive away from the sun and heat of the beaches at Playa del Ingles and Maspalomas can be found heavy rain in the high forest of the Canary pine trees. The scorching beaches of the south of the island are matched by pastures in the north. The highest point on the island at 1,949 metres (6,394 feet) altitude is Pico de las Nieves. It is not unusual to find snow there in winter months. Even at Easter time, woolly jumpers and a kagool or warm and rainproof anorak are the best clothing for being outside in the high mountains.
Radiating out from the centre of the island of Grand Canary are about a dozen major valleys, called barrancos in the Spanish of the island.. Each barranco has its own distinctive climate and landscape. Separating the barrancos are the high mountain ridges often called lomos. The roads tend to follow the valley floors, or follow the coastline, although there are some roads over the mountainsides. In recent years, the quality of some of the less accessible roads has been improved with the help of EU grants. That still leaves large areas of undeveloped mountainside for the serious walker. Each barranco has its own particular types of walking opportunity.
Various books are available describing holiday activity, including walking. Amongst these is “Landscapes of Gran Canaria” by Noel Rochford. Publ: Sunflower, ISBN 0-948513-03-9 Some care needs to be taken about using mountain routes which he suggests. For instance his walk 19 which he describes as “for very experienced walkers only” crosses his walk 4 in a couple of places (Artenara and San Pedro). Whilst we were on walk 4 (difficult enough) we met an experienced and very well equipped mountain walker in Artenara who was taking walk 19. When we met him in San Pedro some 4 hours later, his comment was that his walk had been extremely frightening, with a very difficult descent. He said that he would not recommend it to anyone! The warnings and advice given by the author of this book should be taken very seriously. He generally recommends mountain boots, rain gear, warm clothing, sunhat and an ample supply of water for all his walks.
It is best to take suitable clothing to the island, although there are shops in Las Palmas city for this type of equipment. One such shop is on Paseo del Chil near the football stadium. The department store Corte Ingles on Avenida Mesa y Lopez is also worth trying. These parts of the city are some distance from the bus station where the buses arrive from such places in the south of the island as Playa del Ingles and Puerto Rico.
Corte Ingles has an excellent section of local books in its books department. One of the best books on mountain walks by a local author is “Rutas de Montaña, 50 itinerios por Gran Canaria” by Javier MartĂnez GarcĂa. ISBN 84-605-2754-9 (in Spanish) The Spanish edition of that book will be available locally. There is also a recent translation into English “Mountain Walks in Gran Canaria” by Javier MartĂnez GarcĂa. That would be worth purchasing before the start of the holiday.
The maps and itineraries given in the books are generally adequate. There is a series of 1:50 000 scale military maps which give added reassurance to the walker. These are sometimes available in the sports shops. The best of the other maps suitable for the walker is the 1:100 000 scale Hildebrand’s Urlaubskarte This gives sufficient detail for planning and following the walks, although it does not give full local detail Some of the best walks of five or six hours duration have a finishing point a long way from the start. It is best to plan such walks with the aid of a bus timetable. The bus services on the island of Gran Canaria are excellent. A “bono” for 2000 pesatas could be a useful purchase for bus travel. The bus services tend to radiate from Las Palmas city, with different bus lines servicing the north and south of the island, though a new bus line is coming in to provide services direct from the Playa del Ingles area to the north-west towns.
Gran Canaria is entirely volcanic. There are some recent fossils on raised beaches as high as a couple of hundred metres above present sea level. The geology is all recent. That affects the mountain walks. Hillsides may slip away during heavy rains. Tracks may be washed away in parts, or may be subject to the normal landslides of the essentially volcanic landscape. It is worth considering purchasing one of the books that describes the geology of the island.
Many of the walks are on the old “camino real” tracks. These are often paved with cobbles to a high standard. One such is an interesting walk from Valsequillo to San Mateo. The descent into San Mateo can be a bit of a problem with new developments causing diversions.
The major valley to the west of the island is called in turn, starting from the centre, Barranco del Juncal, Barranco de Siberio and Barranco de la Aldea. There is some spectacular walking in these regions. Some of the walks are straightforward. Some are very advanced, and for experts only.
A particular feature of Gran Canaria are the massive igneous plugs that have been left behind by the erosion of the volcanoes that once covered them. Roque Nublo is the most well known of these, there are a number of easy walks in the area of Roque Nublo. Roque Bentaiga, which is a favourite of many of the islanders, provides some good scenery. More inaccessible is Roque Siberio which is shown on the cover of Javier’s book.
Near Puerto Rico is ArguineguĂn, a hire car can be driven up the minor road in Barranco de ArguineguĂn as far as the village of Soria, from where there are spectacular walks up to Presa de Soria and Presa de las Cuevas de las Niñas.
From the holiday resort of Maspalomas there is a pleasant and easy walk up the Barranco de Ayagaures to the reservoir at the top. Noel Rochford’s walk 14 ends by coming down this way. He does note that plenty of water is required. Being in the south of the island, there will be more sun, more heat, less shade and more thirst whilst walking. There are some aquaduct channels through tunnels in the mountains in this area, do not try to use as short cuts, even though they will be dry for most of the year.
Eating the fruit of the prickly pear cactus is a skill learnt from the islanders, who call them tuna fruit. Do not try to pick these fruit. The cactus hairs from these are incredibly difficult to remove from the skin. It is best to avoid touching the fruit. But do enjoy looking at the white mass of the cochineal bugs, which are harvested, on these cactuses. Whilst the unfortunate water sports enthusiasts pick black sea urchin spines from their feet, unfortunate walkers will be working with fine tweezers looking for the almost invisible fine-barbed hairs they have picked up from the prickly pear cactus.
Much less dangerous fruit that can be picked on walks include almond, chestnut and fig. I have been warned to avoid eating fresh picked fig in the heat of the day.
Sorry to labour the point, but the authors of the books are assuming that people attempting the walks they describe will be fit and experienced mountain walkers. It is generally not a place to begin mountain walking. All the guidance notes about preparation for the walks should be headed. On the whole the times given for the walks are the shortest times in which those walks can be carried out. Leave extra time for meal breaks and photography and rests!
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