Cooking on top of a volcanic vent at the restaurant in the Parque Nacional de Timanfaya on Lanzarote

      Every town and most of the villages throughout the Canary Islands have bars. Most bars also double as cafés or restaurants, often serving tapas, which are often in glass cabinets, so you can point to the ones you want to eat. Shops are often available, selling local and imported foodstuffs. Always make the effort to sample local fare, which can be interesting and very tasty. The availability of refreshments is mentioned on every walking trail, but bear in mind that opening hours are variable. Some shops take a very long lunch break, and not all businesses are open every day of the week. Some shops are closed all weekend, or at least half of Saturday and all of Sunday.

Language

      Castilian Spanish is spoken throughout the Canary Islands, although in most resorts and large hotels there are English and German speakers. Those who travel to remote rural parts will need at least a few basic phrases of Spanish. Anyone with any proficiency in Spanish will quickly realise that the Canarios have their own accent and colloquialisms; for instance, the letter ‘s’ often vanishes from the middle or end of words, to be replaced by a gentle ‘h’, or even a completely soundless gap. Listen very carefully to distinguish between ‘La Palma ’ (the island) and ‘Las Palmas ’ (the city). The latter becomes ‘Lah Palmah ’. A bus is referred to as an autobus in Spain, but as a guagua throughout the Canary Islands. Some natives may sieze the opportunity to practice their English with you, while others may be puzzled by your accent. No matter how bad you think you sound, you will not be the worst they’ve heard!

      A basic glossary of useful topographical words for walkers is provided in Appendix B.

Money

      The Euro is the currency of the Canary Islands. Large denomination Euro notes are difficult to use for small purchases, so avoid the €500 and €200 notes altogether, and avoid the €100 notes if you can. The rest are fine: €50, €20, €10 and €5. Coins come in €2 and €1. Small denomination coins come in values of 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c, 2c and 1c. Banks and ATMs are mentioned where they occur, if cash is needed. Many accommodation providers accept major credit and debit cards, as will large supermarkets, but small bars, shops and cafés deal only in cash.

Communications

      All the towns and some of the villages have post offices (Correos ) and public telephones. Opening times for large post offices are usually 0830–1430 Monday to Friday, 0930–1300 Saturday, closed on Sunday. Small post offices have more limited opening times. Mobile phone coverage is usually good in towns and villages, but can be completely absent elsewhere, depending on the nature of the terrain. High mountains and deep barrancos block signals. Internet access is usually offered by accommodation providers, but if relying on it please check while making a booking.

Walking on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura

      Looking down the path from Montaña de Cardón to Montaña Redondo (Walk 28, Fuerteventura)

      Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are the two easternmost Canary Islands, closest to the west coast of Africa and the Sahara Desert. Rather oddly, these two islands lie closer together than any of the other islands, but at the same time lie further from their neighbours than any of the other islands. They also lie lower than the more mountainous islands further west, and as a result have less rainfall, making them appear particularly arid in many places and even quite desert-like at times. With little shade, walkers need to protect themselves from the sun as much as possible. These islands are often windier than their western counterparts, and occasionally lie in the path of dust storms from the Sahara Desert.

      Walking off-trail on lava flows is not recommended, as thin rock crusts may conceal deep holes

      Despite the scarcity of water on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, agriculture is important. Extensive areas have been farmed in the past, but many of these parts have been abandoned, with efforts concentrated elsewhere. Most walkers prefer the hillier regions with their extensive views, rather than the lowlands, and most of the walks in this book enjoy some measure of elevation. In recent years many of the old paths in the hills, often linking villages together, have been cleared, restored, signposted and waymarked. Also, a long distance trail, designated as the GR 131, stretches along the length of both islands, as well as crossing other islands further west. Walks on Lanzarote are described in the first half of this book, with walks on Fuerteventura described in the second half.

What to take

      If planning to use one or two bases to explore, then a simple day pack is all you need, containing items you would normally take for a day walk. Waterproofs can be lightweight and might not even be used. Footwear is a personal preference, but wear what you would normally wear for rocky, stony slopes, remembering that hot feet are more likely to be a problem than wet feet. Lightweight, light-coloured clothing is best in bright sunshine, along with a sun hat and frequent applications of sunscreen.

      If planning to backpack around the islands, bear in mind that there are some very basic camp-grounds but permits have to be negotiated in order to use them. This can be confusing and time-consuming for a visitor, as it requires negotiations with municipal authorities and collection of paperwork. Wild camping is technically illegal but surprisingly popular. Lightweight kit should be carried, as a heavy pack is a cruel burden in hot weather. Water can be difficult to find, so try and anticipate your needs and carry enough to last until you reach a village, houses or bar where you can obtain a refill.

Waymarking and access

      A sandy track runs along a broad crest across the desert-like expanse of El Jable (Walk 39, Fuerteventura)

      Lanzarote and Fuerteventura only recently adopted a system for signposting and waymarking routes using standard European codes. The islands have networks of short PR (pequeño recorrido ) routes, which are marked with yellow and white paint flashes, and numbered to keep them separate. Signposts will read ‘PR LZ…’ or ‘PR FV…’ with a number following the letters. These codes are quoted in the route descriptions so that walkers will always be able to check they are going the right way. There are also GR (gran recorrido ) routes traversing both islands; these are intended as long-distance walks but can also serve as simple one-day linear walks. Some short links are marked as SL (sendero local – literally ‘local walk’).

      Apart from signposts, routes are marked by occasional paint marks, parallel yellow and white stripes for the PR routes, with red and white stripes for the GR routes and green and white stripes for the SL routes. These confirm that walkers are still on course, and usually appear at junctions. Left and right turns are indicated with right-angled flashes, but if the paint marks form an ‘X’, this indicates that a wrong turn has been made.

Maps

      The Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN), www.cnig.es, publishes maps of the Canary Islands at scales of 1:50,000 and 1:25,000. These are part of the Mapa Topográfico Nacional (MTN) series. To avoid disappointment, please check the style and quality of these maps before making a purchase, since they don’t show the sort of details that walkers require.

      The best general maps of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are the 1:50,000 Kompass maps. The evolving trail network does not yet fully feature on maps, although routes are often outlined on map-boards around the islands, from which details can be copied and transferred to other maps.

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