Walking on La Gomera and El Hierro
Author | Paddy Dillon |
Publisher | Cicerone Press |
ISBN | ISBN-13: 978 1 85284 601 5 (First Edition)
ISBN-13: 978 1 85284 841 5 (Second Edition) Also available in eBook and Kindle formats |
Price | £14.95 |
View from the Lomo de Carretón on the GR 132 between Arure and Alojera.
Vallehermoso and the GR 131 are overshadowed by the huge Roque Cano.
The wispy ‘Sea of Clouds’ drifts over the highest mountains on El Hierro.
This is one of three guidebooks that replaces Walking in the Canary Islands - West. An update to the original guidebook was planned, then shelved, as the authorities in the Canary Islands embarked on an ambitious plan to signpost and waymark a splendid network of trails across the entire archipelago. After a series of visits to keep a check on the developing trail network, all the routes were walked, photographed and mapped for this new guidebook.
La Gomera and El Hierro are the two smallest Canary Islands, lying at the western end of the archipelago. In recent years they established a comprehensive network of signposted and waymarked trails, following on from work which had been done as long ago as 1999 on neighbouring La Palma. The network is almost entirely based on traditional paths and mule tracks. These trails link villages to each other, as well as climbing to the highest points on the islands. These islands thrive almost entirely on tourism and agriculture, without the need for brash resorts.
The trail network on La Gomera includes a circular long-distance route, the GR 132, running around the island and crossing a series of impressive, steep-sided, arid barrancos. This takes up to a week to cover. The GR 131 runs coast-to-coast over the highest parts of La Gomera, which are covered in dense laurisilva ‘cloud forest’, protected as a national park. The route can be covered in only two days, despite its apparent length. Several shorter signposted and waymarked routes form a splendid network, often linking with each other, as well as linking with the ‘GR’ routes, so that any and every walk can be extended and adapted.
The trail network on El Hierro includes another stretch of the long-distance GR 131, which extends all the way across all seven of the Canary Islands. The middle stretch, over the highest point on El Hierro, is based on the centuries-old pilgrimage route, the Camino de La Virgen. The pilgrim route is the subject of a very long day’s walk once every four years, which the ‘GR’ route can be covered in two days. Several shorter ‘PR’ routes link with this, as well as with each other, so that walks can be extended and adapted all over the island, which is a World Biosphere Reserve.
Many visitors heads for the larger Canary Islands, almost forgetting that these two small islands exist. Make a visit to these islands a priority, because they really are incredibly interesting and take time to explore properly. The information in the guidebook has been completely overhauled as the book is now available in its second edition.
GPX tracks are available for the walks in this book. They can be downloaded from the Cicerone website.
Walk Contents
La Gomera
Walk 1 | San Sebastián and Jaragán |
Walk 2 | Los Roques and La Laja |
Walk 3 | Degollada de Peraza and Contreras |
Walk 4 | Los Roques and Benchijigua |
Walk 5 | Pajarito to Playa de Santiago |
Walk 6 | Igualero to La Dama |
Walk 7 | Chipude and Barranco de Argaga |
Walk 8 | Chipude and La Matanza |
Walk 9 | La Laguna Grande and Alto de Garajonay |
Walk 10 | El Cercado and Valle Gran Rey |
Walk 11 | Las Hayas, Arure and Valle Gran Rey |
Walk 12 | Vallehermoso to Chorros de Epina |
Walk 13 | Vallehermoso and Cumbre de Chijeré |
Walk 14 | Vallehermoso and Los Loros |
Walk 15 | Hermigua and Aguló |
Walk 16 | Alto de Garajonay to Hermigua |
Walk 17 | Santa Catalina and La Caleta |
Walk 18 | GR 132 - San Sebastián to Playa de Santiago |
Walk 19 | GR 132 - Playa de Santiago to La Dama |
Walk 20 | GR 132 - La Dama to Arure |
Walk 21 | GR 132 - Arure to Playa de Vallehermoso |
Walk 22 | GR 132 - Arure to Vallehermoso |
Walk 23 | GR 132 - Playa de Vallehermoso to Hermigua |
Walk 24 | GR 132 - Vallehermoso to Santa Catalina |
Walk 25 | GR 132 - Santa Catalina to San Sebastián |
Walk 26 | GR 131 - Playa de Vallehermoso to Chipude |
Walk 27 | GR 131 - Chipude to San Sebastián |
El Hierro
Walk 28 | Valverde and La Caleta |
Walk 29 | Valverde and Puerto de La Estaca |
Walk 30 | Valverde, Echedo and El Mocanal |
Walk 31 | Valverde to La Peña |
Walk 32 | La Peña, San Andrés and El Mocanal |
Walk 33 | Puerto de La Estaca, La Cuesta and Tiñor |
Walk 34 | Mirador de Isora and Las Playas |
Walk 35 | El Pinar to Cala de Tacorón |
Walk 36 | El Pinar to La Restinga |
Walk 37 | Ermita de Los Reyes to El Pinar |
Walk 38 | El Pinar to Sabinosa |
Walk 39 | La Dehesa Circuit |
Walk 40 | Sabinosa to El Frontera |
Walk 41 | El Frontera and Los Llanillos |
Walk 42 | Guinea and San Andrés |
Walk 43 | Las Puntas and Guinea |
Walk 44 | GR 131 - Orchilla to Fuente de La Llania |
Walk 45 | GR 131 - Fuente de La Llania to Estaca/Tamaduste |