Today we were planning to do the classic La Palma walk, ‘The Route of the Volcanos’, which is a 15 mile walk along the spine of the island passing many volcanos however the cloud base was quite low and there was a risk of rain. The snag with the walk is we would need a taxi to the start and once we were on the trail we would be committed to do the whole thing.
So we opted for the easy option, a circular walk up one 5,900ft volcano called Pico Birigoyo. It was easy because the car park is at over 4,000ft however the direct path had a danger sign on it so we needed a bit of a detour to get up to the rim. Once there we were above the clouds and the views were great. Coming down the guidebook said we would be ‘skittering down’ what he meant was the loose volcanic ash was like scree.
Once we reached the bottom we passed another sign saying the route we had taken was dangerous and therefore closed, we feel like real adventurers now.
The picture on the right is the two elderly adventurers on the summit and below is the view east, the mountain you can see poking out of the clouds is the highest in Spain, Mt Teide on Tenerife, which is about 50 miles away.
Tonight is our last night in the all inclusive hotel with seven swimming pools so Gill has just had what will probably be her last swim of the holiday. Whilst the food in the hotel is not great (it is rather like canteen food) everything is very clean, the staff are very attentive and it is handy being able to get a bite to eat or a drink at any time. When we get back from our walks mid afternoon we can help ourselves to food without any hassle (or cost).
Tomorrow we move to an Air BnB place further north, on route, if the weather is fine, we will drive up to the highest point on the island and have a walk along a ridge dotted with observatories.