La Gomera, Canary Islands


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La Gomera

Day 3 - Chipude to Vallehermoso

Valle Gran Rey and Valle Los Loros

Monday 27th February 2017

We traverse of two lovely valleys, or 'barrancos', passing the pottery-making village of El Cercado. Around late morning we reached one of the prettiest valleys on the island, the Valle Gran Rey, which runs down to the south west coast with its terraced fields and palm groves. After that we turned towards the north and made a descent among palms, junipers, heather and laurel trees into the Valley of Los Loros. We climbed over another ridge for a scenic view over a man-made lake Embalse de la Encantadora before descending to Vallehermoso.

Distance	Time		Elevation in meters
Km	Elapsed Hrs-Mins	Moving Hrs-Mins	Gain	Loss	Min	Max
16.13	7H15		329	1,216	184	1,106

Courtesy of https://www.orangesmile.com/common/img_city_maps/gomera-island-map-1.jpg

Reproduced under licence from the La Gomera Tour & Trail Map 1:35,000
copyright David Brawn of Discovery Walking Guides Ltd.

Ready for Off. L to R: Mick, Hilarie, Geoff, Matt, Christine, Heather, Rob, Gareth Kathy, Louise, Sun and Warren

Enekoiz explaining the route ahead

Walking past some of the terraces

Looking back to Chipude

The huge flower stems of the agave

Approaching El Cercado

Enekoiz explaining the pottery process, which is done without a potters wheel

Maria Del Mar Sanyana Gonzales, one of three remaining potters in El Cercado

Smoothing the hand-roughed pot with a small pebble

Admiring the view of Valle Gran Rey

Valle Gran Rey

Approaching Casa Efigenia at La Hayas, and time for a coffee

The majestic Canarian palm tree (Phoenix canariensis) can grow to heights of up to 30 m (100 ft) and is an endemic species and symbol of the Canary Islands. Its ability to adapt to different ground conditions means you will find it all over Tenerife, from the coast to altitudes of roughly 500 m (1,640 ft) above sea level, both in the wild and ornamentally. Its sap is used to produce palm honey, whilst its huge leaves are great for sweeping the streets.