Sunflower Books: Landscapes of Southern TENERIFE & GOMERA: WALKS AND CAR TOURS

Southern Tenerife and La Gomera, 4th edition (2004), updated 8/06/06

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Updates for walks and car tours (drives) in the south of Tenerife and on Gomera given below supplement those provided in the guidebook. It is vital that this Update is read in conjunction with the text of the book, but note that the Update applies only to the edition stated and not to any earlier editions. (If you have an older edition of this book and want to "upgrade" to the latest edition at half price, click here.)

Information has been forwarded to us by users of the book, and Sunflower Books offers the data in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any misleading or inaccurate content in the Update. Unless indicated otherwise, what appears here has not been verified by the author or publisher, so please allow due caution when new or amended routes are suggested. Each piece of information is dated; bear in mind that some of the older observations may have since been overtaken by events or further changes. If, during your holiday, you are using the current edition of the guide and are able to provide any additional updating to add to this page, we will be pleased to hear from you. Please send information, preferably in hard copy, by post, to Sunflower Books, PO Box 115, Exeter EX2 6YU (or if you prefer, by e-mail, to mail@sunflowerbooks.co.uk).

NEW INTER-ISLAND HYDROFOIL
There is a new 'Garajonay Express' hydro-foil which offers a fast and reasonably-priced daily service - not only between the islands, but between the three ports on Gomera. Sailing time: Valle Gran Rey to Playa de Santiago 20min; Playa de Santiatgo to San Sebastián 15min; San Sebastian to Los Cristianos 45min. Current timetable (2/03):
Departs Valle Gran Rey 07.00, 11.00, 16.00; departs Playa de Santiago 07.30, 11.30, 16.30; departs San Sebastián 08.00, 11.55, 17.00. Departs Los Cristianos 09.05, 13.45, 18.10 - calling at San Sebastián, Playa de Santiago and Valle Gran Rey.

SOUTHERN TENERIFE

Walk 2: At the start you follow the TF51 uphill for three minutes (not 10). After the 15min-point you turn right just after house no 78 (not 28). After 1h15min the path continues to the right, around the slopes of Conde. Several minutes along, a dyke cuts across in front of you. Continue straight ahead; a steep winding ascent follows. [the path has been rerouted; you no longer have to climb alongside the dyke and then veer left]. (User, 2/03)

Walk 3: Bus 473 (Timetable 9) also serves Adeje, but the buses no longer go up through the town to the church. Both the 416 and the 473 turn round at the bottom of the town and a local bus (445) now does a town circuit every 20 minutes. This is not worth waiting for At the end of the walk, ignore the reference to waiting for the bus on the right-hand side of the road - the drop-off and pick-up point is now on a one-way street. (User, 2/03) + The path in the Barranco del Infierno was rebuilt in 2003. It is now open daily from 08.30 to 17.30 and there is an entrance fee of 3 euros (but free entrance on Sundays). No more than 80 people are allowed to walk in the barranco at the same time. (Sunflower) + Best to book this walk one day in advance. We arrived at 10.15 and were unable to enter the barranco until 12.00. Booking telephone is 922 78 28 85 - English spoken. (User, 4/04)

Walk 4: See notes for Walk 3 above about buses.

Walk 5: As described, but the fire-watch at 1h40min may now be semi-automatic, as there was no one there last week. (User, 2/03) + We've done this walk twice. Both times just as described, and delightful. But Bus 342 leaves Boca Tauce at 16.05, NOT 16.25. This is important when there is only one alternative! (User, 2/04)

Walk 7: The route is now obvious all the way - this is now a popular walk. (User, 2/03) + There is now a small maze of paths at the start; you no longer have to back-track from the viewpoint. Once past the pats the way becomes clear, with the occasional splash of red paint. (User, 2/05)

GOMERA
New hydrofoil: See above. You can now get round Gomera's ports by hydrofoil.

General: the footpath system on the island has considerably expanded, with comprehensive signage and many new routes. From information from a walker who visited the island last year, much of this has happened since then. For instance there is a GR that goes round much of the island. Some maps include at least some - eg Goldstadt Wanderkarte. (User, 12/04) + The new waymarking is helpful BUT care needs to be taken, as it does not always correspond with the 'Landscapes' route. Do NOT just happily follow signs with complacency - you may find they disappear. Pay attention to the walk notes, which work very well in general, and the frequent landmarks given are most reassuring. (User, 2.05) + I have just returned from a most enjoyable walking holiday on Gomera and was able to cover most of the walks in your book. I would like to say how useful and informative I found the guide to be; the route descriptions were clear and easy to follow, underpinned by the detailed maps. I have made a few comments about Walks 11, 13, 14 and 25; see below. (User, 5/05) + Just been on Gomera this weekend and confirm that yes, most of the routes have now been marked with the international waymarking and signs. (Tour leader, 10/05)

Buses
Note some major changes: Bus lines 2 and 3 have been swapped: Línea 2 is now the San Sebastián to Playa de Santiago route, and Línea 3 the Vallehermoso route. Departure times have altered considerably, with earlier departures (due to ferry/ hydrofoil arrivals) and at least one extra bus on each line. Pick up a current timetable as soon as you arrive! + There is a new bus station in Alajeró. (Canary Islands newspaper, 1/04) + During my visit in April the public bus services had been reduced to just two a day from each of the three main centres to San Sebastian (with nothing on Sun/holidays). However, by basing oneself at one of these centres (Vallehermoso, Playa de Santiago or Valle Gran Rey), with careful planning, a few early starts, and making use of the efficient new Garajonay Express, one should still be able to do all the walks in your book. (User, 5/05)

Walk 11: We did this walk in March. At the bottom of page 72 it says "pass to the right of the first two [abandoned buildings] and turn left between the second and third." We wre stopped from doing this by the owners of the third property [the renovated house], who said there was no right of way along the path between the buildings. We did this walk a few years ago, at which time we had no problem gaining access to the viewpoint. (User, 3/05) [Editor's note: the current edition of the book makes it clear that the third house was renovated, so presumably the owners can close the right of way to this viewpoint - a pity, but at least it does not affect the rest of the walk.] + page 72, para 4: 'Setting off again, take the road ... Continue to the end of the road (2h45min) should read: 'Setting off again, take the road. Ignore a road to the right after 50m/yds (just past the Bar-Restaurant Taguluche). Continue to the end of the road (2h45min). (User, 5/05)

Walk 12 and Short walk 12: Access: Take a Line 1 bus to the Las Hayas turn-off (a user misinterpreted 'take the Arure bus to the turn-off' and went on to Arure. + I would be interested to read any comments on walk 12 in La Gomera. We were unable to find the cobbled path down to Los Granados. After Las Hayas we got as far as a small unoccupied building which was presumably something to do with the radio masts nearby, and there was a sign in German warning about the beehives which were just down below. That was as far as we got and we had to turn round and walk back to Arure to get the bus to Valle Gran Rey. The following day we went to Los Granados to take the path up so we could walk it and find out where it started at the top, but again we could not find it. We saw a route sign that pointed the way to Las Hayas and followed it around the Los Granados road, looking for the path up until we came to another route sign for Las Hayas near the bus stop on the other side of Los Granados that pointed us back the way we had just come. The path should have been somewhere between those signs and indicated by a yellow route marking but unfortunately we could not find it. We walked back to the first Las Hayas sign, then back again to the other side of Los Granados, but there was no footpath anywhere between the two signs. (e-mail, 6/06) [Sunflower: We will not be able to check this walk until the autumn, so if anyone can comment before then, it would be appreciated.]

Walk 13: page 79, para 5: 'Curling up and over a rocky ridge, you come to a fork: go straight down (to the right)' should read: 'Curling up and over a rocky ridge, you come to a fork: go straight down (to the left)'. (User, 5.05)

Walk 14: page 81, para 2: 'Now walking along the very edge of the valley wall, a spectacular view is revealed down to the right' should read: 'Now walking along the very edge of the valley wall, a spectacular view is revealed down to the left'. (User, 5/05)

Walk 17: At Imada (1h) the steps just below the community centre have been diverted to the left, with a new handrail. Take the steps bearing right just below the building, to continue downhill. · From the viewpoint (1h40min) it is very important to keep down to the left, as Noel says; the obvious path to the right is dangerous, and the path to the left cannot be seen until you look for it. The text should read: Do not take the obvious level path to the right with the line of stones across it, but keep down to the left. · The gate (after 2h15min) seems to have gone. Just beyond this, at a junction, you ascend to the right. Since the left fork below the derelict building is now overgrown, it is best to just keep straight on. (User, 2/03)

Walk 20: Note that if you take a Line 2 bus to access this walk, you can get off at the start, rather than walk 15 minutes along the road. (User, 2/03)

Walk 25, Alternative: About 8-9 minutes beyond the Visitors' Centre, be sure to ignore a branch off to the left (just as the track begins to descend); your turn-off left comes up a few minutes later, where the track decends noticeably. (User, 2/03) + Main walk, page 123, para 4: 'At the end of the road, barely 15 minutes down, take a few steps down onto a narrow overgrown path descending to the right' should read: 'At the end of the road, barely 15 minutes down, take a few steps down onto a narrow overgrown path descending to the left'. (User, 5.05)

Islanders whistle for homework. Educators in the Canary Islands are to resurrect an ancient system of whistling traditionally used to communicate across canyons by teaching it in schools. The code, which uses peeps and whirring sounds to represent words, will be a compulsory course for children on Gomera the regional government says. The system, thought to have originated in the mountains of North Africa, is useful in Gomera which has ravines that make travel difficult. The language started to die out in the 1940s and 50s, but has been taught informally since then.' (Newspaper cutting sent in by one of Sunflower's authors, who adds: "I'll bet it's just Noel whistling for courage on one of his extreme vertigo sections").

Restaurant La Montañeta, Las Hayas. Be warned that not everyone is as happy with the food here as Noel, and even he admits that the service is slow. We have had a few complaints about it over the years, the latest being that the place was freezing cold - this might not have mattered had some hot food been forthcoming in a reasonable time.