2016 Hike Lanzarote Haria to Mirador del Risco de Famara

1100hrs Wednesday 7/12/16 we drove from Arrecife Marina to the picturesque town of Teguise 

 

Teguise

 

where we visited the Aloe Museum

 

 where we learned amongst other things, about the Cochineal Insect which feeds on the cacti and is crushed to produce a crimsom substance used for food colouring and dyes.

 

The female Cochineal insect attaches itself to the cactus and sucks out the juices from cactus. The nymphs she produces cover themselves with a white substance living with their mother on the cactus until they are mature. They are harvested for dye production by simply scraping them off the cactus.

 

Then we drove towards Haria, stopping at the restuarant car park of the Mirador los Helechos

 

From the Mirador los Helechos one has superb views of the NE coast of Lanzarote with the coastal towns of Arrieta and Punta Mujeres clearly visible

 

One also has a very good view of Haria

 

We parked close to the center of Haria and walked to the Mirador on top of the cliffs  with superb views of the  NWest coast

 

To the north, the island of Graciosa was clearly visible

 

We then followed the track which skirted southwards around Montana Ganada

 

Eventually climbing back up to the clifftop through a picnic area to the Mirador de Risco de Famara, again with superb views of the coast below

 

 

 

 

The below Viewranger app map shows the track we actually walked from/ to Haria plus the car route to the Mirador los Helechos

 

2016 Hike Lanzarote Caldera Blanca Rother's nr 19

Tuesday 6/12/16 drove with our Orlando rental car via Mancha Blanca down a rough track to the carpark at the start of our hike to and clockwise around the rim of the Caldera Blanca - Rother's Walking Guide nr19.

 

Our track is recorded in the below Viewranger map 

 

We started walking at 1105hrs. The first part of the route was over a very rough track through the lava flows - quite uncomfortble on the feet.

 

Our first view into the crater after the steep climb to its rim

 

Our position when we took the above photo is shown by the red circle on the below Viewranger map

 

 

Since arriving on the island, we have been surprised at how green parts of the island are - we remember Lanzarote as being a very brown barren island.

 

 

The highest point of the rim - Montana Blanca, around 461 meters

 

Below one can see how the lava flowed around volcanoes from previous eruptions

 

After scrambling up a steep section of the rim, we were met by these mountain goats.

The official walking route descends before reaching this part of the ridge. We decided we preferred to complete the circumnavigation of the rim

 

The below Viewranger map shows our position where the above photo was taken. The stippled track to the left is the official route

 

 

The track on the rim of the caldera is a bit like a knife edge here - probably why the official route avoids it by descending and contouring around the outer base of the caldera - however, it is the most exciting part of the route!

 

View across the Caldera to Montana Blanca

 

After dscending from the rim, our track rejoined the track we had used initially to take us back through the lava flows to the car. 1555hrs we were back at the carpark - a very enjoyable hike.

 

2016 Hike La Palma Volcan Teneguia and San Antonio, Rother nr 46

0930 hrs 28th September 2016 drove with Tom and Annie from the Santa Cruz marina to Lo Canarios at the southern tip of La Palma. 

This map is from the ViewRanger App

 

Parked on the road leading to the Centro de Visitantes Volcan San Antonio 

 

 

and walked south down the black volcanic ash track towards the Faro de Fuencaliente - Hike nr 46 Rothers Walking Guide.

 

 

 

 

Our first objective, the Teneguia Volcano which was formed by an eruption on 26th October 1971 and continued till 18 November

 

 The Teneguia Volcano

 

Climbing the Teneguia Volcano 

 

The summit of  the Teneguia Volcano - 439 m

 

The flatish land along the coast here is a coastal shelf formed by the lava flow from the 1971 eruption - it is now used to grow Bananas

 

The saltpans and Punta de Fuencaliente Lighthouse were amazingly not affected by the 1971 lava flows.

 

Looking northwards at the San Antonio Volcano which erupted in 1677

 

After climbing the Teneguia Volcano we returned to the car via the San Antonio Volcano. 

This involved climbing a very steep volcanic ash slope

 

Almost at the top

 

Looking into the pine forested San Antonio crater from the crater rim

 

Continuing clockwise around the crater rim

 

Looking back at Volcano Teneguia

 

Continuing around the rim

 

 

Looking over the crater to Los Canarios

 

 

After returning to the car we stopped at this Bodega to sample the famous Malmsey desert wine - this is the largest area for the Malmsey vines on La Palma - growing on the volcanic ash from the 1677 San Antonio eruption. The vines on La Palma were planted in the 15th century by the first European settlers.    Phylloxera devastated two thirds of the mainland vineyards in the 19th century. The relative isolation of the Canary Islands protected them from this disaster thus conserving all the strains that had become acclimatised to the islands

 

We then drove to the Faro de Fuencaliente - there are two - the old disused one predates the 1971 eruption

 

Close to the lighthouse is a large area of saltpans where sea salt is still being comercially produced

 

There is a 30 minute selfguided tour of the saltpans where several information boards

 

Looking north towards the volcanos

 

 

Passed this neat little shrine? in the lava on the way back to the north