The Teno Rural park in the west of the island is probably best known as the location of the village of Masca, where tourists flock in their thousands to explore the remote, idyllically situated village and walkers to stretch their legs in the barranco down to the sea. Yesterday morning, as I drove through, I was early enough to have the place to myself as I headed further up the valley to the village of Carrizal Alto. Leaving the car and the main road, I descended the narrow road from the slumbering, upper village to Carrizal Bajo, as I admired the surrounding mountains and impossibly steep cliffs that sheltered the villages from the strong wind that blew isolated puffs of cloud across the tops of the mountains. On the outskirts of the lower village, I left the road to begin a mountain walk that will rank among the best I have ever done. Soon, I was climbing steeply from the Barranco Carrizal as gusts of wind tugged at my clothing and the views became ever more expansive. Cresting the top of the first ridge, I stood agape admiring the sea of peaks and ridges spread out around me as far as I could see, clinging to the rocks to avoid being blown from my lofty perch.
