Walking Gomera

La Gomera is a small Canary island at the moment only reached by ferry or internal flight. Though barely 15 miles across, it rises to over 4,000 feet at the peak of Garajonay and is so mountainous that exploring fully could take months. The Garajonay National Park is a sub-tropical rain forest, frequently in low cloud and rain. The north of the island is similarly cloudy, but the south enjoys much sunshine all year, and in summer, despite its proximity to the Tropic of Cancer, is usually pleasantly warm rather than sweltering.

The properties we deal with are mostly situated  at the top end of Valle Gran Rey, one of the more majestic valleys to the Southwest. Tourist development on the coast, which boasts the best of the island's black sandy beaches, has ensured a good selection of bars and restaurants, but up the valley little has changed. People and animals live comfortably side by side and the principle activities are tilling the fertile terraces, collecting fodder for goats or just sitting on walls and chatting.

The properties are owned by local people who are still very much involved in the traditional way of life. They speak no English - not that this necessarily restricts conversation as they are immensely friendly and welcoming. To minimise any language difficulties we have enlisted the help of Josefina, who has lived and worked in England. She is on hand to make introductions and offer help or advice where needed - she makes particularly fine cheese!

There are shops and bars within fairly easy walking. The extensive network of donkey tracks linking the various settlements and remote cultivated terraces has remained largely intact over the generations. Many paths are still used regularly, both by walkers and by locals going about their business, although it is not uncommon to walk for hours without seeing a soul. The paths wind and twist upwards, and it is frequently impossible to begin to guess the directions they will take, but the breathtaking scenery distracts attention from the height being gained.

In addition, those interested in bird watching, butterflies or botany will be forever pausing to investigate new delights. Most people will find at least a week's worth of spectacular walks from the door, but a car allows the option to explore further. For those needing a day off, the whale and dolphin watching trips are accompanied by experts and equal any to be found in the Northern  hemisphere. Year-round temperatures average between 18 and 25 degrees, and there are no mosquitoes.

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