Just one more post to do from our final day. We decided to head up north again and I was anxious for another walk. Finding a short walk that TJF would be happy with (never easy) was proving a challenge until I spotted a walk in my guide-book that started with a long walk up a road and a footnote that said it had been recently improved. If we could drive up the road we could have a short walk up another couple of old volcanic craters without breaking sweat. Plan
We found the road at the back of the village of Maguez and indeed it was now metalled and easy enough to drive. We parked up at 520m to leave us a monumental 71m to climb to the top.
We were heading up the twin volcanoes of La Quemada and Los Helechos. This is the crater of La Quemada
And this is Los Helechos with Montana Corona in the background
They are perched high above the cliffs of Famara with superb views over the coast and the island of La Graciosa
It was a splendid easy stroll to the top (not easy enough for TJF to be honest)
A view over the crater of Los Helechos and Montana Corona behind
Looking south along the spine of the island. In the middle ground you can see the road we drove up zigzagging across the hillside
Family shot on the top
Montana Corona – one of the 600m peaks and one for the next trip
More superb views across the high valley of Guinate to la Graciosa
A short drive away and we were able to walk to edge of the cliffs. It’s a sensational spot. the cliffs plummeting 400m down to the sea
The photos just don’t do justice to how exposed it was. It made me feel giddy looking down
Lots of interesting looking walks along the cliffs and farmland up here. Looking forward to a return visit
We went back to one of our favourite restaurants of the trip in Orzola for lunch. We had hoped to spend the afternoon on the beach for a final swim but it turned a bit overcast and cool for that. Instead we took a look around one the other big resorts of the island. Costa Teguise. Its a huge place and as one of the older resorts it does look a bit tired and dated. It much more “Brits abroad” than Playa Blanca and needs some money spent to bring it back up to scratch although we didn’t see it in the sunny weather. It has a nice beach though and we took a wander about before heading home
Me and TBF found time for one last wander up Montana Roja in Playa Blanca (featured in an earlier post)
Not a bad finish to a superb couple of weeks away from the Xmas madness
A chance to see the sunrise on the last morning before we headed off to the airport and back home to winter
Lanzarote is a superb place and if you make a small amount of effort there are untold, unspoilt corners to discover. In reality its nothing like the holiday brochures and for the outdoor types like us a wonderful, almost perfect place for a winter break. From one extreme to the other in the next post
Thinking of booking next year already then?
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I’d go somewhere sunny every Xmas if I could. Next year will be a bit awkward as TJF doesn’t break up until the 21st Dec and I have no idea whether TJS would join us as he’ll be at University by then. Still lots more Canary Islands to bag as well
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“TJS’ll be at University by then”. I know that this is hardly a surprise, but whilst I’ve thought about him applying, I don’t think the going away and being at Uni had really sunk in. To think: he may fall in with a bad crowd and spend next New Year in a Scottish Youth Hostel with them, perhaps climbing the Ben without an axe because somebody’s taken all of the axes down the valley to bivvy in a grubby bothy. Or perhaps he’ll decide that he can descend an iced up Winter Corrie. Maybe he’ll still be messing about with that same ‘bad crowd’ more than 30 years hence. Or probably he’ll make all of his own daft mistakes/good decisions and we’ll only know about them if he chooses to tell us.
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We might have been bad once but now we’re just sad. Hopefully he won’t greet his new friends holding a pint of strong ale in each hand or end a new celebration cuddling the toilet bowl in sub zero temps in his pants….
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I carefully avoided the more sordid stories!
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That looks an amazing trip. I’ve known a few walkers over the years who have visited the Canary Islands and they all rave about how good they are.
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I wasn’t sure what to expect from Lanzarote. I thought it might be a bit bland and dusty but it was packed with interesting stuff and some superb views although we were very lucky to have such clear sunny weather. We liked Tenerife for walking as well which has much more variety. Lots of other islands to explore 🙂
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Thanks for introducing me to a place I’d never heard of. Looks like you had a great holiday!
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Pleased to act as a tour guide, my fees a reasonable 😀
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A lovely final day. Do hope the weather isn’t too miserable, now that you are back.
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We had one cracking cold winters day after we got back but it’s been miserable and wet ever since. Writing up the posts has been of some small comfort 😀
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Amazing scenery, quite a stark landscape but beautiful in its own way. Your superb photos are excellent.
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Thanks Dawn – this last day was a bit greyer than the others but still a great walk and a great trip, glad you enjoyed the photos, hope I’ve not been too smug
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