Walking on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Paddy Dillon

to do with the name of the islands, and hoopoes can also be spotted. The islands attract plenty of passage migrants, as well as escapees from aviaries. The coastal fringes are colonised by gulls, but it is best to take a boat trip to spot shearwaters or storm petrels, as they spend most of their time on open water. Boat trips are also the way to spot a variety of dolphins and whales.

      Once the Guanche people arrived and colonised the islands over 2000 years ago, the forests suffered as much from clearance as from grazing by voracious sheep and goats. Following the Conquest in the 15th century, the Spanish brought in other domestic animals; of these the cats had a particularly devastating impact on the native wildlife, practically wiping out giant Canarian lizards, which have only recently been rescued from the edge of extinction on El Hierro. The lizards seen on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are much smaller. Rabbits chew their way through the vegetation and appear regularly on Canarian menus. Ground squirrels are often seen on Fuerteventura, but aren’t found on the other islands.

      Ground squirrels can now be found on Fuerteventura but are not native to the Canaries

National Parks

      The Canary Islands include a handful of national parks and many other protected areas. There is no national park on Fuerteventura, but large parts of the island have been protected in other ways, such as Parque Rural (Rural Park), Parque Natural (Natural Park), Paisaje Protegido (Protected Land), Reserva Natural Especial (Special Nature Reserve), Monumento Natural (Natural Monument), and so on. Lanzarote has the Parque Nacional de Timanfaya, which is so strictly controlled that it is a forbidden to set foot on it! Prominent notices usually tell walkers when they are entering or leaving protected areas. There are visitor centres where more information can be studied, and where interesting literature is on sale.

The Fortunate Isles

      Castillo de las Coloradas, in the resort of Playa Blanca (Walk 4, Lanzarote)

      Myths and legends speak of ‘The Fortunate Isles’, or ‘Isles of the Blessed’, lying somewhere in the Atlantic, enjoying a wonderful climate and bearing all manner of fruit. The rebel Roman general Sertorius planned to retire there, while Plutarch referred to them many times. Pliny, though, warned ‘these islands, however, are greatly annoyed by the putrefying bodies of monsters, which are constantly thrown up by the sea.’ Maybe these scribes knew of the Canary Islands, or maybe they were drawing on older Phoenician or Carthaginian references. Some would even claim that the islands were the last remnants of Atlantis.

      The Gaunches, often described as a ‘stone age’ civilisation, settled on the Canary Islands well over 2000 years ago, and Cro-Magnon man was there as early as 3000BC. No-one knows where the Guanches came from, but it seems likely they arrived from North Africa in fleets of canoes. Although technologically primitive, their society was well-ordered, and they had a special regard for monumental rock-forms in the mountains.

      The Guanches fiercely resisted the well-armed Spaniards during the 14th century Conquest of the islands, but one by one each island fell. Tenerife capitulated last of all, with the mighty volcano of El Teide grumbling throughout. Many Guanches were slaughtered or enslaved, but some entered into treaties, converted to Christianity and inter-married. They lost their land and freedom, but their blood flows in the veins of native Canarios.

      The Canary Islands were visited by Christopher Columbus on his voyage of discovery in 1492. Subsequently they were used as stepping-stones to the Americas, with many Canarios emigrating. The islands were exposed and not always defended with military might; they were subject to pirate raids, endured disputes with the Portuguese, were attacked by the British and suffered wavering economic fortunes.

      There was constant rivalry between Tenerife and Gran Canaria, with the entire island group being governed from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria from 1808, before Santa Cruz de Tenerife became the capital in 1822. In 1927 the Canary Islands were divided into two provinces – Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

      The remarkable landmark of Torrecilla, and the jagged crater rim of Monte Corona (Walk 23, Lanzarote)

      In the early 20th century the military governor of the islands, General Franco, departed for North Africa to launch a military cou. This led to the creation of the Spanish Republic, marking the onset of the infamous Civil War and a long dictatorship. The islands remained free of the worst strife of the Civil War, but also became something of a backwater; it was largely as a result of Franco’s later policies that they were developed from the 1960s as a major destination for northern Europeans.

      Since 1982 the islands have been an autonomous region and there have been calls for complete independence from Spain. The islanders regard themselves as ‘Canarios’ first and ‘Spanish’ second, although they are also fiercely loyal to their own particular islands, towns and villages.

Getting there

      There are plenty of options for flying direct to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, scheduled and charter, from many British and European airports. The hardest part is checking all the ‘deals’ to find an airport, operator, schedules and prices that suit. Both international and domestic flights operate from the airports on both islands.

      Frequent, fast and cheap buses link the airports with the main towns and resorts, and the taxi fares are reasonable. Two ferry companies offer rapid and regular services between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura – Lineas Fred Olsen and Naviera Armas.

When to go

      Most people visit the Canary Islands in summer, but it is usually too hot for walking. Winter weather is often good, but on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura expect some cloud cover and a little rain at times, as well as near-constant strong winds. Spring weather is sunny and clear, while the vegetation is fresh and features an amazing wealth of flowers. Autumn weather is often good, but the vegetation often seems rather scorched after the summer.

Accommodation

      Most visitors to the Canary Islands opt for a package deal, so they are tied to a single accommodation base in a faceless resort. This is far from ideal and a base in the ‘wrong’ place can make it difficult to get to and from walking routes. Out of season, walkers would have no problem little problem turning up unannounced at hotels or pensións, or booking at the last minute on accommodation websites such as www.airbnb.com or www.booking.com.

      Wild camping is illegal, but a few campsites are available to permit-holders

      Opportunities to camp are limited, and while campsites are entirely free of charge, permits have to be applied for in advance and collected in person before travelling to a campsite. Wild camping is technically illegal but surprisingly popular.

      The contact details of all the local tourist information offices are given in the part introductions and in Appendix C.

Health and safety

      There are no nasty diseases on the Canary Islands, or at least nothing you couldn’t contract at home. Water on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura is mostly from desalination plants, with some rainfall impounded in reservoirs. Either way, it is clean and safe to drink, although some people don’t like the taste. Bottled water is available if you prefer, but buy it cheaply from supermarkets rather than at considerable expense from bars. There are no snakes and no stinging insects worse than honey-bees. Don’t annoy dogs and they won’t annoy you. Dogs that are likely to bite are nearly always tethered, so keep away.

      In case of a medical emergency, dial 112 for an ambulance. In case of a non-emergency, all islands have hospitals, health centres (Centro de Salud ) and chemists (Farmacia ). If treatment