La Palma and La Gomera, February 2018

La Palma, Canary Islands. February 2018

Tuesday 13th February 2018

After breakfast together, I make a start at 09.30 then cycle La Cumbriceta on road LP3. This is a long winding road through a well forested area. It was cloudy today but this was perfect for cycling. Jurgen told me I could avoid the old tunnel through to El Paso by taking to the track to the left at the tunnel entrance. This would bring me to the road top at El Pilar between El Paso and El Llanito but decided against it and passed through the short tunnel instead. There’s a narrow pavement on the right hand side on the way up so if cars passed me – and only three did – I stopped and leaned the bike to the right to let them pass. Jurgen mentioned that there would be few people on the road today after the festivities of Los Indianos yesterday. Through the tunnel and the road from tunnel exit to the junction for La Cumbrecita is down for approx 2km. There’s a national park visitor centre next to the road junction. I had a look in there on the way back. From here it’s 8km to the end of the road at the crater rim of Caldera de Taburiente, BIG number 499, and my first BIG climb this year. The road is gradual at first for approx 2km but becomes steeper at the entrance to the national park – Parque Nacional Caldera de Taburiente. From here it’s tree lined all the way up and steeper towards the end as the rim is reached. I arrived at 12.30, taking three hours from the hotel. I asked some people to take my photo as I posed then took the track off to the left behind the small cobbled car park rode down here for a short way to see down into the crater then returned. At the actual top there is only space for a few cars next to the rangers hut. To the right there is a walkway behind the rangers hut however it goes down steeply and is uneven so didn’t want to chance it with the hired bike down there. On the way down, and before reaching the information centre on the main road, I took a left for Ermeto Pino de la Virgen – the hermitage of the virgin in the pines. This is a small church on a steep rise 1.1km from the road junction. The road ends at the church and continues as a track uphill through pine trees. A notice board nearby indicates that this was once a route across the ridge of the island from the south to Santa Cruz. I turned back from here to the road junction then left for the main road and had a look inside the visitor centre. From there it was 2km uphill heading back for the tunnel then off to the right for El Pilar and right again just before the tunnel exit. For motorists it’s not possible to drive through here as it’s a one way road – the way I came through it. I took a right here for the immediate climb for El Pilar, a steep 7km rise through the woods to arrive at a clearing at Llano del Jable where there are fantastic views across El Paso and Llanos to Tazacorte. I could make out the large wall of the pier clearly. It’s only a short distance up further to El Pilar in the woods. Here the GR131 track, across the backbone of the island, crosses. It was now 16.15 and cool. I put on the extra clothing for the long descent to San Isidro, a farming community complete with a statue of cow and calf on a small country roundabout. I reached the main road LP3 and found my way down to the hotel past ‘our’ bus stop and along to the roundabout between Santa Cruz and Los Cancajos then downhill back to the hotel at 17.30. I took a shower just as Ruth came back from a short walk behind the hotel on the coastal path.

Wednesday 14th February 2018

Starting off early for my longest climb on La Palma it takes 6 hours to reach Las Muchachos. Ruth also goes to the mountain on a TUI coach trip that takes in a good part of the island as well as visiting the observatories. I set off at 08.00 biking through Santa Cruz heading north along the coast. The road soon rises over a headland outside of the town then after that slightly inland where the junction for the road LP4 branches off to the left. I start the climb at 09.15. It’s a steep road up after leaving the houses behind. There are plenty of hairpins and most of the way is up along a tree shaded road. A motorist heading towards me stopped to tell me that the road ahead was closed and he suspected the road was blocked. I thanked him and carried on, telling him I would take the risk. Eventually when the turn to the left for Pico de la Nieve (Peak of the Snow) the road ahead to Roque Muchachos was barricaded off. Some of it was only cordoned off with warning tape though, so I raised this and passed under. This was at the 26km marker from Santa Cruz and a further 12km from the observatories. Shortly afterwards I approached the snowline and soon caught sight of the observatories ahead. At 30km there was snow either side of the road and some ice on the road surface. The road passes alongside the mountain at this point and away from the sun so I could feel the cold here. It really is a contrast to the warmth along the coast. At 3okm the road goes over the side of the mountain and descends 2km to the 32km marker. From that point it’s a further 7km to reach the green height marker at the top of Roque de los Muchachos BIG 498. The road here to the left ascends past several radio telescopes. Men were working on them at the time. From the road the silver plate construction glistens in the bright sunlight. The road is indicated as private but there were cars going up and down so thought it would be OK to continue. I took few photos but then my camera developed a fault. The zoom extension wouldn’t operate. Ruth said later why hadn’t I used my mobile to take photos. I was so concerned about the camera that I didn’t think of that. Well I’ll just have to revisit in the future to get some good photos. Returning back down the mountain at 18.00 and passed along the road under the mountain again – it was so cold! The area was like a huge icing cake. In the shadow of the mountain winter had returned. On the other side I stopped at Los Andenes to take in the view down into the crater. This is the only viewing area along here for a view of the crater. Being aware of the time now it was definitely the hour to get a move on as it would be dark in two hours and didn’t want to be caught up the mountain on a long descent to Santa Cruz. I took a wrong turning near the foot of the mountain and skirted high ground along road LP401 then LP101 to Las Neives then descended into Santa Cruz at the point where the replica of Santa Maria boat is situated, just as it was getting dark. From here through the town and back to Los Cancajos, arriving back at 20.00. I enjoyed my dinner that evening!

Friday 16th February 2018

At the unearthly hour of 03.00 I cycle from the hotel for the 04.00 ferry from Santa Cruz to San Sebastian La Gomera for the final climb, arriving at 06.15. This is the last place that Christopher Columbus called at to load up with provisions before venturing out to Cuba where he landed and named the place San Salvador. The return ticket on Armas Ferries cost 50€, so much easier than in the time of Columbus but then he didn’t have the euros. I had some breakfast a bar in San Sebastian before setting off. Cycling around the town along its long streets of terraced squat housing was eerily quiet but then most sensible people, unlike me, were still asleep.  It was just getting light but waited until  08.00 before the sun was up then cycled the road for 22km to a roundabout and walkers sign for Garajonay, 3.5km. At first it was a long straight section out of San Sebastian then ten hairpins followed by a long section to Magro, some houses here but nowhere to buy a drink. Some more bends and I arrive at Mirador (viewpoint) Degollada de Peraza at 951 metres and at last somewhere to buy a drink from a lonely pub on the left a short way from the road fork for Playa Santiago to the left and Valle Gran Rey over Garajonay BIG 500. I was finding out it was a long climb to reach the top of the road. I had planned to cycle both sides but realised it wasn’t possible in the time I had before the return ferry to La Palma. It would have been possible for 10km or so but there was no possibility of reaching Valle Gran Rey I was content to enjoy the scenery at leisure on the way to Garajonay. After a stop for coffee and cake I was on my way again. Just after the road junction the scenery becomes more interesting at Ermeto las Neives where the road crosses a ridge with a drop on both sides of the road. From there a downhill section to the huge rock – Roque de Agando. This was worth a stop for the views north. From there it was up again to the road junction for Hermigua then the road enters a wooded area of laurel forest, the forest of Laurisilva, for the final kilometres to a roundabout where a road heads off south for Alajero. I made the mistake of seeing a green walkers sign here indicating Garajonay 3.5km. I started off up here, met an English couple who told me it was rideable but what I didn’t know was that the gravel route would take me all the way around the mountain before a final right turn onto a paved path that led in no time to the top. It was maddening seeing the radio masts above me in the trees and realising I was traversing the whole hillside around them. The Parque Nacional de Garajonay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site declared in 1986. I met another English couple up here at the circular stone turret at the very top. I asked them to take my photo and checked with them that I could return to the road along the paved path. Sure enough it was only 1.5km down here where the path meets the road at Contadero, opposite a car park and at the 24km marker. I reached the top at 12.00 and started off slowly back down at 13.00, taking photos along the way. In the distance Tiede Mountain on Tenerife rises across the glistening water. Later in San Sebastian as the sun was going down it takes on a reddish hue as the sun setting moves over its slopes. Tiede, today though, was not only snow-capped but much of the mountainside too. I had time to spare so went for a meal at an outside cafe – burger and chips then along to the playa near the harbour and sunbathed here for a while. The waves were wild. I was told it was a sign of bad weather arriving. It couldn’t be as bad as back home in UK. Later waited for the boat but it came in 20 minutes late. It was dark now. I rode up and down the harbour waiting impatiently to get back to La Palma and the hotel. Other cyclists rode back and to along the harbour wall but they weren’t waiting for the ferry. I was finally checked on and cycled up the ramp on to the boat where the bike was strung to a post off the main car deck. In Santa Cruz I cycled along the front with good lights then up the steep rise to the roundabout then down the narrow road into Los Cancajos and back to the hotel at 23.00. The return ferry was due to leave at 19.45 from San Sebastian. It actually left at 20.05 but wasn’t much later than the scheduled time of arrival in Santa Cruz at 22.30