Gran Canaria

We have returned to Gran Canaria several times. At first this seemed a very unlikely place to go for a walking holiday. The common impression of this island is of big brash resorts, disappointing overdeveloped coastline, pickpockets, muggers and cockroaches. Our experience was very different. Yes, Playa del Ingles was built up and brash, but we must admit that in spite of this we became very fond of it. On lazy days when it seemed too much effort to take the car out there was a lovely walk along the front to the dunes of Masopalomas.

Looking out from the balcony of our apartment we had a "lovely" view of the motorway! We noticed that across the waste ground there appeared to be a tunnel which looked like a water tunnel running underneath the motorway. On closer inspection we found we could walk through it to another world. Just the other side of this road was a beautiful walk up the Barranco. After a busy days trekking we would return to Playa del Ingles, take a gentle stroll along the promenade and go for a relaxing, enjoyable meal at La Guaropo. The staff here were very friendly and most of them came from the villages in the mountains. They were a wonderful source of information on the best places to walk the following day
At no time were we threatened by pickpockets or muggers. As for the cockroaches we never saw one, the hotels now fumigate quite regularly to stop the problem. During the daytime we drove up into the interior of the island, and walked many of the paths in the mountains. The scenery was absolutely stunning. Although it was a volcanic island there was still a lot of greenery. Near Ayacata, North of St Bartolome, the almond trees had come into blossom and the mountainside was carpeted with pink blossom. We are planning shortly to include details of the treks we did during our stay, but just for now, until we get time, we have included pictures of some of the walks. These pictures will take a couple of minutes to load - so please be patient