Walking on La Gomera and El Hierro. Paddy Dillon

occasional paint marks: yellow for routes on La Gomera, parallel yellow and white stripes for PR routes on El Hierro, and red and white stripes for the GR routes on both islands. These confirm that walkers are still on course, and usually appear at junctions. Left and right turns are indicated with right-angled flashes, but if the paint marks form an ‘X’, this indicates that a wrong turn has been made.

Maps

      The Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN), www.cnig.es, publishes maps of the Canary Islands at scales of 1:50,000 and 1:25,000. These are part of the Mapa Topográfico Nacional (MTN) series. To avoid disappointment, please check the style and quality of these maps before making a purchase, since they generally do not show the details that walkers require.

      For La Gomera the best map of the island and its network of signposted trails is published by Editorial Alpina, www.editorialalpina.com, at a scale of 1:25,000. This is far and away the most detailed and up-to-date map available.

      On El Hierro the tourist information offices provide a free map of the trail network, which can be used with a topographical map. The 1:30,000 Kompass map of El Hierro is reasonably good.

      Maps can be ordered in advance from British suppliers such as: Stanfords (7 Mercer Walk, London, WC2H 9FA, tel [phone], www.stanfords.co.uk), The Map Shop (15 High Street, Upton-upon-Severn WR8 0HJ, tel [phone], www.themapshop.co.uk) or Cordee (www.cordee.co.uk).

      The route maps in this guide are all at 1:50,000 scale with north to the top.

Emergencies

      The pan-European emergency telephone number 112 is used to call for assistance throughout the Canary Islands, linking with the police, fire or ambulance service, for a response on land or at sea. The Guardia Civil telephone number is 062, and it is likely that they would be involved in a response involving mountain rescue, as they generally patrol rural areas.

Using this guide

      Two islands are covered in this guidebook – La Gomera and El Hierro – each with their own introduction. The walks are spread roughly clockwise around the islands, and where they lie side-by-side, links between routes are often possible. On both islands, after several day walks have been described, there are also long-distance walks. Both islands feature coast-to-coast trails, while La Gomera also features a circular trail taking up to a week to complete. Any day-long stretch can naturally also be followed as a walk in its own right, using bus services to join and leave it.

      On arrival at either island, visit the tourist information office as soon as possible. Ask for an up-to-date bus timetable and as much information about walking opportunities as they can provide. Remember to pick up leaflets about local attractions for full contact details, opening times and admission charges.

      LA GOMERA

      The resistant volcanic stump of Roque de Agando towers over the Benchijigua valley (Walk 4)

      INTRODUCTION

      Looking down on the Ermita de San Juan, with El Teide on Tenerife far beyond (Walk 17)

      La Gomera is a small circular island that supports a wealth of walking opportunities. It takes time to explore and this guidebook alone contains a month’s walking. The main settlements are located near the sea, but the roads linking them have to cross the high, forested parts of the island. There is no coastal road because dozens of steep-sided, rocky barrancos would have to be negotiated. Walkers, on the other hand, can enjoy trekking in and out of these canyon-like barrancos, crossing the high ridges between.

      Over 440km (273 miles) of walking on La Gomera are described in this book, divided into 27 days. There are 17 one-day walks, signposted as rutas (routes), and a further 10 days signposted as GR (gran recorrido) routes, which can be linked together as long-distance walks. Very few of these routes stand in isolation, and most of them link with one, two or more adjacent routes, so there are options to alter and adapt them, and some routes feature significant variants and extensions.

      Readers will notice that the GR131 is described across La Gomera and El Hierro, offering coast-to-coast routes. In fact, there is much more to this trail, which stretches across all seven Canary Islands. Furthermore, the trail is part of the pan-European E7 route. On a more local scale, the GR132 offers a circular long-distance walk around La Gomera, taking anything up to a week to complete.

Getting there

      By Air

      Flights from Tenerife Norte to La Gomera are operated by Binter Canarias, tel [phone], www.bintercanarias.com. There are no flights from Tenerife Sur. Buses meet incoming flights offering links with Playa de Santiago, San Sebastián and Valle Gran Rey. Taxis are also available at the airport.

      By Ferry

      Two ferry companies operate between Los Cristianos on Tenerife, and San Sebastián on La Gomera. Lineas Fred Olsen, tel [phone], www.fredolsen.es, is quick and expensive. Naviera Armas, tel [phone], www.navieraarmas.com, is slower and cheaper, and also serves El Hierro. Ferries berth almost in the centre of San Sebastián, within walking distance of all facilities and the bus station. Ferries also link San Sebastián with Playa de Santiago and Valle Gran Rey.

Getting around

      By Bus

      La Gomera has a good network of bus services operated by GuaguaGomera, tel [phone], www.guaguagomera.com. Obtain an up-to-date timetable for the whole island as soon as possible, from bus stations or tourist information offices. Tickets are for single journeys and fares are paid on boarding the bus. Buses are referred to as ‘guaguas’, although bus stops, or paradas, may be marked as ‘bus’. All the towns and most villages have buses. Most visitors do not realise that the little mountain village of Chipude has the best level of services and destinations. The capital, San Sebastián, on the other hand, does not have particularly good links with some parts of the island.

      By Taxi

      Long taxi rides are expensive, but short journeys are worth considering. Taxi ranks are located at San Sebastián, tel [phone], Playa de Santiago/Alajeró, tel [phone], Valle Gran Rey, tel [phone], Vallehermoso, tel [phone], Agulo, tel [phone] and Hermigua, tel [phone]. Fares are fixed by the municipalities and can be inspected on demand, although negotiation might be possible.

      Planning your Transport

      To make the most of walking opportunities, and limit long and awkward travelling, it is best to choose two or three accommodation bases with good bus connections. Using a car is not always a good idea, especially when following linear routes.

      Linear routes described in this book always start at the ‘awkward’ end, usually high in the mountains, where you might need to use a taxi, and finish where you can catch a bus. The introduction to each walk has a note about the availability of public transport. If no bus is mentioned serving the start or finish, then the use of a taxi will be required.

      The route maps in this guide are all at 1:50,000 scale with north to the top.

Accommodation

      Accommodation is abundant around La Gomera, and much of it can be booked online through