A Welcome Change - A Damp Walk in Tenerife

Early morning cloud

A planned walk in the Anaga region was changed at the last minute because of a bad weather forecast so I headed off to the Mirador de Chirche to do a walk that I had previously done on a beautiful sunny day last year. Setting off as the sun struggled to pierce the gloomy dawn, I had to wear my waterproof to combat the cold drizzle but as I started to climb, my attention was drawn to the clouds swirling around the nearby hills. 

Early morning rain on the hills 

The initial part of the walk followed steep, lava strewn paths through the sodden spurges and houseleeks bordering the path but as I climbed higher, the rain stopped and the clouds broke up to allow short bursts of sunshine to dispel the gloom.    

Sun breaks through, Chirche

As I climbed, I stopped to admire a rainbow over towards the west of the island and as I  continued my climb, the drizzle stopped and the cloud lifted to reveal some excellent views into the nearby baŕrancos.

Rainbow appears in the west

Although the cloud never completely cleared during the walk, it lifted enough to provide me with some superb views and towards the end, the sun put in an appearance causing me to remove layers to stop me from overheating. 

In the Barranco de Tamuja

Walking in  the atmospheric conditions make a welcome change from walking in the usual clear blue skies and warm sunshine that I am used to.

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Hiking Tenerife's Wild Barrancos

The attractive Mirador de Chirche sits above the village of the same name and gives expansive views to the coast and inland to the mountains. The terrain in this area is characterised by very rugged volcanic lava fields and although there are few notable peaks, the countryside is riven with impressively deep and wild barrancos. Leaving the mirador car park required a fleece layer to keep out the cold as the early morning mist swirled around the hills and as I climbed through the lava-fields,  I was impressed by the huge amount of giant aeoniums growing in the harsh landscape as rays of sunshine shone through the mist illuminating the fine droplets and giving the whole scene a magical feel. Reaching the Galeria Tamuja, I admired the views into the Barranco Tamuja before returning to the main route and climbing to a junction with the TF-PR70 footpath. The remainder of my walk followed this path back to Chirche as I crossed the Barranco Tamuja and the Barranco del Cedro and pausing in the first of these, I enjoyed a break and sat absorbing the silence and admiring the wild and rugged scenery. Continuing, I crossed the barranco before arriving at the even more impressive Barranco del Cedro. After a steep descent and ascent, I arrived at a spectacular viewpoint looking down to the Galeria Tamuja that I had passed earlier in the walk, now far below me. Climbing out of the barranco, I reached a junction and turned downhill and followed the very steep, rocky path back to the Mirador.