A snapshot of my walks on Tenerife

Mirador Pico del Ingles to Valleseco

Fear follows me on this walk.   It is misty and wet and clambering over the damp rocks is like walking on ice.  I fall, landing heavily on my right knee, but no bones are broken. Even so I'm frightened I'll fall again so I take my time and get slower and slower.   I am concentrating on getting down in one piece and before it gets dark and I don't have time to appreciate the beauty of the place - it feels like a forgotten valley.  I pick up my pace when I hear dogs barking close by and soon we arrive at Valleseco.  Luck is on our side - there is a bus waiting to take us back to Santa Cruz.

The Teide National Park

Walk 3 – Roques de Garcia (1h 30m)

Here the air is clear, the light sharp and when the wind drops the silence is complete.   The Roque de Garcia is a popular walk as it's not particularly long or arduous, but there are moments when I am on my own, an insignificant speck in this vast landscape.  I notice the air is thinner though and the short ascents take longer.  As I stop to rest a lone kestrel soars high above.

Walk 13 – Samara

I am buffeted by the wind as I plod head down up to the summit of Samara.  My feet sink into the loose scree.   I stand at the top and watch clouds drifting in far below.   In the distance the island of La Gomera can be seen like a shadow through the cloud.  Looking back towards Mt Teide the contrast of the luminous green of the trees against the arid landscape make me reach for my camera. 

Walk 2 – Arenas Negras (3h)

Up here the air is thin and snow still clings in places refusing to relinquish its wintry grip.   The soil is a sandy colour and easy underfoot.  An elusive chaffinch keeps us company for a while.  All is still.  The path twists through squat bushes of yellow and white broom.   Mt Teide is a towering and somewhat sinister presence, keeping us in its sights for most of the walk, making it impossible to get lost.  As the path gains height we can see the remains of the old collapsed crater and the landscape takes on a lunar appearance.

Walk 14 – Alto de Guamaso (1h 30m)

The path wends its way around the hill urging you to follow.  At this altitude it is easier to breath.  Below the clouds caress the pine forested hillside.  All too soon the walk is over.