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British Mensa Travel Special Interest Group |
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Walk on the Spanish Side Organised walking holidays are tending to become expensive for a number of reasons. Firstly if the group is small the cost includes paying for a leader and, if the group is bigger, for a second person. Secondly scheduled airlines from London or Manchester are the preferred choice and thirdly there are head office costs (advertising, brochure production and building and staff costs). However, with the proliferation of low cost airlines from regional airports, it is possible to put together a group holiday for much less money. Mid-Warwickshire branch of the ramblers association paid a visit to Tenerife at the beginning of December. The members live in the Kenilworth, Warwick, Leamington area to the south of Birmingham airport. To cater for a group of eleven what was needed was: someone who knew the island; a block booking with a package holiday company for a hotel near the bus station in Puerto de la Cruz, a minibus to Birmingham airport and some books on walking on the island - notably the Sunflower books - Guide to Tenerife which includes details of hikes, car trips and general information on the island. The only additional costs were car hire (we decided to hire three small cars for part of the week to enable us to do linear walks in remoter parts of the island), lunches and drinks at the hotel (surprisingly reasonably priced). Tenerife is part of Spain, but not part of the European Union. There is less tax on items such as petrol and diesel and I gained the impression that living costs were generally lower than mainland Spain. Although lying just north of the tropic of Cancer, the islands are supposed to enjoy a pleasant, moderate climate year round. However, the summer had seen a 40 degree plus heat wave and we arrived just after a plague of locusts had departed (they had apparently arrived from Cyprus). We saw a lot of cloudy skies and some rain (perhaps that is why hotel prices in early December are the cheapest). However, most of our time was spent in the northern half of the island and it was quite clear from the vegetation that the southern half of the island is much more arid. Flights from Birmingham take just over four hours. The Canary Island group is volcanic, which has resulted in El Teide at 3718 metres being the highest spot in Spain. A coastal motorway rings most of the island so the 65 mile trip from the airport to Puerto is an easy affair with views across the sea to Grand Canaria - after Tenerife the second largest, but the most populous, of the seven inhabited Canary Islands. The island has a unified bus system, so it is possible to buy a €15 ticket at the bus station and use it until its value is extinguished. All buses have a canceling machine, so you just state your destination and insert your ticket in the machine, which then adjusts the credit remaining on the magnetic strip. Public transport reaches almost all of the island, but the remote northern villages on the Anaga massif do not have a high frequency of bus service and, from Puerto, it is necessary to change at La Laguna. However, this is the most breathtaking part of the coast and hence a car may be worth the extra expense. Until the early 1980s, many of the villages here were only accessible either by mule track or by sea. Today well-engineered roads cross the central spine from where side roads drop steeply to coastal villages. Indeed, one road begins its descent from the El Bailadero pass, heading south and then swings into a tunnel, under the mountain, before heading to the north coast at Taganana. The local tourist board produces leaflets showing walking routes. Some of these are dramatic, one dropping as much as 850 metres to sea level from the car park a few miles east of El Bailadero to the north coast. Some of these paths are difficult particularly after rain. Tree roots cross the path and, at lower levels, uneven stones of old mule tracks indicate a need to look at the path as well as the scenery. Walking boots and a walking pole would be necessary. From this area as from almost everywhere else on the island, provided the sky is clear, is seen the pointed peak El Teide, frequently snow covered. The centre of the island is a high altitude volcanic plateau from which rises the Pico del Teide. There is a bus service from Puerto to the cable car station which carries visitors almost to the top. However, we concentrated our efforts on hikes through the volcanic desert and a drive across the western lava beds. At around 2000 metres, the air temperature on a cloudy day can be low enough to need warm clothes. More manageable hikes can be taken from Puerto. Walk eastwards along the coastal path from the old town above the new road into the harbour area and you eventually find yourself passing banana plantations, some under large polythene tunnels. The path runs along narrow surfaced roads and eventually down a path to a viewpoint over the sea. There are no bus services here so you would need to retrace your steps. Walking from Puerto westwards, look for recently constructed paths through what was once a sugar cane estate. This takes you above old, abandoned and decaying mill workings looking dramatic against a background of breaking waves. If you continue along the cliffs, you will eventually meet a surfaced track which will take you inland to the coast road from where there are frequent buses back to Puerto. First published in VISA issue 61 (June 2005) |