Walking the Canary Islands

By Alan Gandy

The adventures of a grumpy middle aged expat...

In the spring of 2012 Alan Gandy walked the length of the 'Siete Islas', the seven islands that make up the Canary Islands archipelago, a distance of just over 400km. This book is the story of his journey, his thoughts, observations and experiences along the way.

This certainly isn't a tourist guide. Part travelogue, part observation, partly about people encountered along the way, part comment and the ramblings of a man who spent far to much time alone for a few weeks.

It's nothing if not honest!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alan Gandy
• Release date: Feb 8, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301647606

Alan Gandy

Alan R. Gandy has been obsessed with horror since childhood. He started out with a video camera given to him as a child by his Pops, a professional photographer, making horror shorts after school. As Alan grew older, so did his passion for horror. Alan began writing and drawing comics, then moved to children's books for adults and photographic horror novels.His books include "My Little Brother Is A Zombie, Book One", "Sister of the Walking Dead.: My Little Brother is a ZOMBIE, Book 2", “My ZOMBIE'S Keeper: My Little Brother is a ZOMBIE, Book 3”, "Voyeur Dead Reloaded", and "Omega Zombie". He also has a short story in “The Undead Nation Anthology” and did all the artwork for "The Zombie's Survival Guide, Thrive In The Zombie Apocalypse AFTER Your Turn".When Alan is not obsessing over one of his stories he likes to have zombie movie marathons with his three sons. Alan lives in Seattle, Washington, where he is currently writing a Science Fiction Horror Novel and working on the Voyeur Dead series of books. To get the latest updates on upcoming books and appearances by Alan Gandy go to: www.facebook.com/alanrgandy

Book preview

Walking the Canary Islands

The adventures of a grumpy middle aged expat…

By Alan Gandy

Published by Alan Gandy at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Alan Gandy

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - How and Why?

Chapter 2 – Preparations

Chapter 3 - Lanzarote, Orzola to Playa Blanca - 71.62km

Chapter 4 - Fuerteventura, Corralejo to Morro Jable – 118.36 km

Chapter 5 - Gran Canaria, Las Palmas to Maspalomas – 54.61 km

Chapter 6 - Tenerife, Santa Cruz to Los Cristianos – 71.57 km

Chapter 7 - La Gomera, San Sebastian to Valle Gran Rey – 35.33 km

Chapter 8 - La Palma, Fuencaliente to Barlovento – 39.35 km

Chapter 9 - El Hierro, Sabinosa to Villa - 16.01 km

Chapter 10 - Afterwards

As I may well never write anything resembling a book again I’d like to dedicate this to my grandfather, my dad, my boys – human (Sam, Joe and Ben) and canine (Guido, Pepper and Billy), the new addition to the family Kayden my first grandchild and of course Elle, the Mrs!

I’d also like to acknowledge the memory of Margaret Holt a lady who very sadly went missing whilst walking in Lanzarote on the 23rd December 2011. I hope one day her family find some peace.

All content ©2012 Alan Gandy

FOREWORD

In February of 2011 I set out to walk the length of the little island where we have lived since 2006. It’s something I had said a couple of years earlier I intended to do – in doing it I also managed to raise just over £1300 for two charities I support.

I got a huge satisfaction from completing the challenge I had set myself, and even more that I was able, in my own small way, to help others as a result.

As the months passed I couldn’t resist the temptation to set myself another goal for 2012. I initially thought of walking Fuerteventura - the next island along which is much longer than Lanzarote – I couldn’t tell you why, but I didn’t think that was enough. I wanted to do something ‘bigger’. So, I came to the conclusion that it would be a great idea to walk the seven main islands that make up the archipelago. They are Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, la Gomera, el Hiero, and La Palma. From a few basic maps, and Google Earth I estimated a walk of somewhere between 400 and 500 kilometres, it turned out to be 407.

To set the scene here’s my blog post written the day after I’d got home from the first walk

7th February 2011

So it’s the Monday after the weekend before and I’m feeling so much better than I expected I would after walking the 70 plus kilometres from Orzola to the lighthouse at Playa Blanca. The blisters are healing quickly and hardly a twinge from my legs and back.

As I’ve written before, the walk is something I’ve had in mind for some time. And I have to say, despite the blistered feet and inevitable aching legs I really, really enjoyed the experience. I wanted to take some time out, clear my head.

It was hard work to do – but incredibly rewarding. It’s given some perspective to life here, and highlighted to me some of the good (and bad) things. I’m not turning into a hippy or anything – so don’t worry I’ve not come out of it a changed man – it just adds some clarity.

Starting early and getting ready about 4am, I was carrying my stuff downstairs and nearly took a tumble missing a step on the corner where our staircase turns. I didn’t know if I should read it as a sign – was it a sign? Was it telling me I shouldn’t do this? Or was it that the very fact I had failed to tumble down the stairs a sign that I was meant to do it? Actually, as I’m not one for signs, I ignored it as such – the only thought that went through my head was Sh*t, that was lucky, how would it look to everyone if I’d cried off with a twisted ankle or broken leg before I even start!. I’m not going to go into immense detail as Elle took over the blog whilst I was away and mapped out and diarised my progress as I did the walk. But instead I’ll put down the things that stick in my mind from the event. My mind, to be fair – once I was into a rhythm (the key to long distance walking) was fairly blank! The other important trick to keeping going is the ability to switch off the almost inevitable pain of ‘foot friction’ which can happen however good your boots or preparation.

To set the scene, my Dad had timed his holiday so he could act as ‘support vehicle’ and there were plans to meet me at specific points – which soon became flexible as the days passed… to top up water, provide food, encouragement and being my Dad, some welcome (or unwelcome) advice. This walk would have been infinitely more difficult without his help… My Dad is fantastic, prepared to ‘muck in’ and more than happy to nap at the roadside to kill time between stops!

Day one didn’t start great when shortly after setting off on the hill out of Orzola, when I attracted the attention of two Alsatians (I love the breed and used to have one – but ill trained dogs can be unpredictable so I am very wary) at what is an aloe vera shop on the hill coming up from the village. They were clearly protective, and were not restrained (with apparently nobody there) and behind a wall that was not quite high enough to contain them. This resulted in me going off-road, clambering over volcanic rock around a small hill they couldn’t see me behind, to get past. If anyone has tried clambering over such rocks you’ll know that this cost me time and put more pressure on my leg muscles than I would have liked, far earlier than necessary.

After getting to Haria and having a coffee with my Dad, I faced the part of the walk that I knew was going to be the most taxing, coming up the hill to the top of the Famara cliffs. I knew I’d be off road for quite some time and I wouldn’t meet up with my Dad until Teguise. It was the most physically demanding part of the route but by far the most enjoyable. The worn path had me wondering how often people might use the route if I fell (having seen some walkers take a look at it and turn around) – or how the hell would they get the helicopter in! Okay, perhaps I’m exaggerating a little for effect, but compared to the road parts of the route it was pretty desolate. The views at the top made it all worthwhile…

Arriving at Teguise it was good to see my Dad again – and fantastic to have a cream cake and a coffee by way of a bit of a reward for several hours of pretty hard work as I tramped there alone from Haria.

I’d set myself the goal of Masdache for the first day, I wanted to get at least half of the walk done day one. I got there. I had planned to sleep rough in a bus shelter (or anywhere else I could find), meanwhile Elle had negotiated me somewhere to stay as she didn’t like the though of me stopping out. She’s such a girl sometimes!

I had the offer of a bed, hot meal and hot bath, via Elle, from our friends Lynne and Steve – how could I refuse! And how glad am I that I didn’t refuse! Lynne picked me up from the El Grifo winery, and transported me to their home, where I arrived to a hot bath, some foot lotion (I wouldn’t normally do anything so girly, but at this point was happy to dispense with my macho tendencies for any sort of relief), a hot meal, and a very comfortable bed! By this time I was stiffening up. I must have looked like an 80 year old hobbling around the house and requesting an early night!

I can’t thank them enough for their hospitality. I woke the next day feeling much better and a lot more mobile than I had expected! I was dropped off at the exact point I stopped the previous day and was back to it again! A couple of hours later my Dad appeared with a sandwich and a water refill and he continued to park ahead of me all the way back in case I needed anything… Each time I stopped – for a cigarette and a drink of water – it was getting harder and harder to get going. After sitting down on a wall at the Stratus bodega to take a call from Elle, and finding it very hard to get my muscles working again – I decided not to sit any more…!

Finally I ended up sitting down for a coffee with my Dad at Femes looking down on Playa Blanca. And hell did that hurt getting up there. I’m a pretty determined and (some say) competitive person (Elle would probably say verging on insanely so!). I’d never doubted my ability do this either physically or mentally – it was for no more than a nanosecond – but I do remember thinking to myself I can see Playa Blanca now – would it be bad form to claim I’ve done it at this point. I never would have done that – but I can’t deny the thought crossed my mind…

I’m so glad I didn’t succumb as the best was to come. The very best moment for me, and I have to admit to getting a bit emotional at this point, was the long slope down from the base of the hill into Playa Blanca. I could see MY town, I could see MY house, and from a few hundred metres further down the road I could see the lighthouse. It had crossed my mind at times during the previous couple of days that people will expect me to write about this and I can’t think of much else to say apart from – I walked a bit – I enjoyed it – and it hurt.

It was on this bit that it all came to me – what I’d seen, what I’d learned, what I’d done – and just how proud of myself (hope that doesn’t sound arrogant) that I’d got off my arse, stopped saying I was far too busy, and had managed to make a small amount of money for a couple of well deserving and fantastic charities.

Things the walk taught me about the island…

The island is a truly beautiful and unique place! Not that I didn’t know this, but every now and then we need to take some time out of our lives and work to appreciate the natural beauty that surrounds us.

The walking poles I’ve been laughing at for so long actually do help ease the load when walking over long distances. However, I have to say they do still look rather stupid – especially when carried by people wearing lederhosen or spandex using two of the things to assist them on a 500m trip down the high street to their favourite bar!

There’s far too much rubbish thrown from car windows – it really riled me to see it. You have time to think, whilst you’re walking along, about how there are some superb vantage spots to pick off some of the scumbags who do this with a sniper’s rifle. Perhaps sometimes my proposed methods may be a little extreme – so as a compromise solution I’d be very happy to see the Guardia handing out big fines for littering!

It struck me that there are many, many good people on this island who care about others – I’ve had an incredible amount of support and the donations made via JustGiving.com to the charities I wanted to support have lived up to what I had hoped for.

Conversely there are a small number far too wrapped up in one centimo reductions in the price of pot noodles at certain shops, or the well being of feral kittens to really give a damn about much that goes on around them! (As a side note – tourists and residents should stop encouraging the feral cats and instead support the likes of 9 Lives who are trying to minimize the problem by neutering and vaccinations).

People with dogs should have walls big enough to contain them. Also, it really infuriates me to see dogs chained, uncared for and with no water and no shade. I’d actually like to take some of these owners and chain them out to see how they like it!

The local farmers are incredibly friendly and almost all of them will say hello as you walk past…

Geckos can be scary creatures! Yes really! When walking along with a clear mind, nothing but the sound of the breeze, a gecko taking a dive in to a (thrown away) coke tin can be louder than you think!

What I learned personally…

I’d had the most incredible support from Elle and my Dad!

I worked away for a couple of weeks last month, and I’d spent these last couple of days away from Elle. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. No, it doesn’t – I couldn’t love her any more than I do. Time and distance has nothing to do with it…

My Dad, not that I didn’t know this, is one of the most incredible people I know. This whole experience has meant a lot to me. And the best part of it is that I got to share it with him!

I have some incredible and supportive friends both on the island and throughout the world….

The Stats

Distance: 71.3km

Moving average speed: 4.9km per hour

Time moving: 14 hours and 38 minutes

Time stopped: 4 hours and 32 minutes (drinking water and coffee, eating sandwiches, and smoking)

From: www.alangandy.com/back-to-work/

I don’t know who, if anyone will read this ‘book’, I wasn’t thinking of writing it until a friend suggested it via Facebook around the time I announced my intentions about the ‘Siete Islas’ in mid-October 2011. A number of others have suggested it since. It’s not that important to me that it gets read. It just appealed to me to document it perhaps for my three boys, or perhaps for my new grandson and any future grandchildren, I’m really not sure…

This isn’t meant to be anything deep or meaningful, just a record of my little ‘expedition’, and maybe some of my musings about life here, and life as an expat with a few stories of my own thrown in. IF anyone does read this, hopefully it provides a little bit of light entertainment.

A word of warning though, if you’re reading this because you’re a massive fan of one or more of the islands and want to hear only how beautiful they are, you might be disappointed. As much as there were a number of places along the way that made a hugely positive impression on me. This collection of words also reflects the realities of life here, and some of the problems created by the current financial climate. It’s not all a bed of roses, and I personally can’t be anything but honest about my opinions. We all see things through our own eyes – this just my point of view.

Chapter 1 - How and Why?

Back in the UK, life was so taken up with work, with kids, with social events, commitments and many other expectations placed upon our time. For a couple of years before we joined the exodus of British ex-pats fleeing the mayhem and the crippling taxation I’d felt that I didn’t own my own life, it was lived by the clock, and I rarely I got the opportunity to make a totally selfish decision about how my time was spent – there were always ‘considerations’. Living here does give you the opportunity to occasionally take a little time out…

Having accepted in my own head I was going to do a follow up to the