SKL's Walking Blog

Gran Canaria – 1

Tamadaba to Puerto de las Nieves – 27th March 2025

It’s not unusual for my flights to go awry in various ways. This time though we made it with ten minutes to spare the queue woman would not let Esme approach the checkin. Result, we were too late to get our luggage on board, missed the flight but had anice trip to Dublin on the train and got out the next day. I built in a day of rest at the end of this first week so will be able to rescheule every day.

Esme has just dropped me off after a marathon trip up and down the windiest roads. I’ve got some reservations about today but we’ll see.
Very green this side and a very pleasant half hour or so through the forest with the bird song. In the far distance the ocean on the west.
This forest was burnt in 2019 but has recovered, though the trunks bear the scars.
Amazing, wind scoured chewed up rock.
My first look at the height to descend.
Down in the valley, one of the villages we drove through to get here.
I’m down the first cliff path and a bastard it was too.
The harbour and teh finish but a long way down.
Soneone didn’t make it. I can see how.
Down the next bit of cliff.
There’s not much flat on this island.
Those black ridges are walls of cleared stone from when they used to grow wheat on the slopes.
It would all be brought by hand to this Thresting Floor. We’re still a Kilometer up.
I have to traverse across this slope and then paddle along the far ridge line. Still going down too steeply and the surface is very fine gravel which give you no grip.
The fucking traverse. It start at that dark bit in the middle of the left slope then runs along a narrow path between the whitish stone cliffs then steeply down to me here. Fell three times on that gravel, fucked my wrist and scared the shit out myself.
The harbour and my knees are about done.
Clouds and rain up on the mountain now.
Another threshing circle.
The mountainous west coast.
Nearly there. Christ, my knees are weak and my legs are trembling. I’m worried that each step down a rocky part will see my knee go again and me end up on my face this time.
The mountain. The forest was back from the peak and the traverse was along the fan shaped cliffs on its left flank.

The views were spectacular but I didn’t enjoy them at the time. That stage is much too dangerous, not because of the high narrow paths with the big drops at your elbow but because of the surface. You can not keep your feet on the down slopes in places and that is far from good that high up.
I’ve managed to scare myself and doubt the pain from my falls will disipate any time soon. But we’ll see what tomorrow brings.