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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A Night out in Tenerife - A Wild Camping Trip

Video of an overnight hiking trip in the west of Tenerife 

A Walk to the Vulture Pine and the Cliffs of the Dead

Stone Oven near Las Vegas

This walk started in the tiny hamlet of Las Vegas that nestles in the slopes below the imposing summits of Guajara and Pasajiron high in the National Park. 

Download the Caldera walk

 

The route of my recent walk in the Las Cañadas caldera can be downloaded from the Wikiloc app or from this link. The GPX file can also be downloaded from the link. 

Walking in the Caldera, Tenerife

 

A collection of video clips taken on a recent walk in the spectacular Teide National Park in Tenerife

Climbing Baracàn from Puerto de Erjos, Tenerife

Video of a recent walk to the summit of Baracàn in the Teno 

Descent into Heaven - Walking to Afur

 

An early morning start from Mirador Pico del Ingles in the Anaga Mountains was short on views as mist drifted across the mountains obscuring the stunning vistas from the viewpoint. The objective for the day was the tiny village of Afur, nestling in the bottom of the awe-inspiring Barranco de Afur. The walk involved a descent and ascent of a thousand meters and initially the beautiful laurisilva forest more than made up for the lack of expansive views in the early part of the walk. Later, as the mist cleared and the trees thinned out, superb views emerged revealing awesome mountain scenes in every direction. Continuing the very steep descent, Afur eventually came into view below and as I reached the outskirts, I crossed the Afur River and stood for a while watching the unusual sight of ducks waddling alongside the river, which is one of the only constantly flowing streams on the island. Pausing for a break in the village, I sat trying to imagine living in such an isolated yet stunning location, where everything is a long drive away along narrow, winding mountain roads.  Having rested after the descent, the long return ascent began, but the incredible scenery as I huffed and puffed uphill was more than ample reward for the effort involved. 

Montaña del Cedro and the Barranco de Tàgara

 

Montaña del Cedro 

The sun was just rising over the mountains of Las Cañadas as I climbed out of the caldera towards the summit of Montaña del Cedro from the Narices del Teide mirador. Having reached the summit, the views were simply spectacular with a 360 degree view that included Teide and Pico Viejo, Las Cañadas with the lava fields of the Las Narices eruption in 1798, the three western islands, the Teno Mountains  as well as Playa de Las Americas and the west coast. After a break on the top, I headed very steeply downhill and into the Barranco de Tàgara. The path in the barranco was a real 'Indiana Jones' job, with many large fallen pines blocking the trail, as well as fallen boulders and overgrown foliage. The climb out was a little better, but not much, as the path was again overgrown and strewn with boulders and the top of the path had been destroyed by a landslide. Once out of the barranco, the walk, although steep at times, was much easier with clear paths to follow. Despite the difficulties, the stunning scenery made this one of the most memorable walks I have done recently. 

Refugio Casa de Chasogo

Sun rising over Pico Viejo

Yesterday morning, I set off early as the sun was rising over Pico  Viejo to climb to the Refugio Casa de Chasogo from the TF38. The first half of the walk was a long cliimb through open countryside with good views to Pico Viejo and the pine-clad slopes of Montaña Chasogo, which sits behind the refugio. After passing the refugio, the character of the walk changed as the route entered the beautiful Corona Forestal pine forest, the green of the trees combining beautifully with the harsh volcanic lava fields. Overall, the walk was 13.75 kilometres with 740 metres of ascent/descent.

Rediscovering the 'lost' village of Las Fuentes, Tenerife

House in Las Fuentes with Montaña Tejina

The 'lost' village of Las Fuentes sits at the foot of Montaña Tejina in the south-west of Tenerife and for many years was only accessible on foot or by driving along a precarious, winding dirt track into the hills. It is one of the oldest settlements in the municipality of Guia de Isora, with a past linked to agriculture and the presence of small springs, from where the village gets it's name. Along with traditional rural buildings, other infrastructure can be found such as threshing floors, brick kilns, bread ovens, reservoirs and caves that were used for storage.