La Gomera walking

WILLIAM MORGAN said:

We are travelling independently and walking in La Gomera, next month. We
have not yet booked any accommodation. Has anyone any advice? Our
preferences would be inland, but in reasonable driving distance of the
coast, preferably rustic rather than concrete and with a good choice of
restaurants. We intend hiring a car, rather than a 4x4.

Discovery Walking Guides do a Walking Guide & Map
http://www.walking.demon.co.uk/lag.htm
IIRC, (when I went in 2003), it was the only Guide I could find.
Book: ISBN 1899554807
Has quite a number of walks in it.

We've been quite a few times, always in the late winter. On our first
visit we just turned up and found places, though since then have
always booked. There's a huge variety of different places, and I don't
know what price range you're after:

We've stayed at Playa de Santaigo quite a few times, and loved the
apartmentos tapahuga- but the holiday property bond has flooded the
place with Brits...good selection of restaurants and it's on the
"better weather" side of the island, so you can always get out ..walks
inland and along the coast to the east.

Also stayed at Valle Gran Rey, can't remember th name of the hotel-
but I didn't like it. If you want self catering you could try the La
Gomera website and look for rural tourism/ casas canarias kind of
thing..

Also stayed one year in Vallehermoso, at the hotel/ bar
Amaya...cracking walks possible again, but much cloudier/ wetter and
more limited tourist restaurant opportunities.But you do get to see
the side of the island that isn't devoted to tourism and the real
culture...

Some hints:

unless you really want to go on dirt roads( and you probably won't)
don't bother with a 4wd

eat at the Laguna Grande restarant in the national park for a good
locals lunchtime experience

try walking along the coast from San Sebastian to Santiago...

Go to Benchijigua but try to connect it with other valleys.

The discovery walking maps/ guides are good..landscapes ( sunflower)
also did a cracking guide with some long walks that can inspire more
adventurous exploration than DWG do...and if you ask around/ think
about linking up places there probably is a route, splashed with red
paint, it's just that no-one has written about it in english ( we've
done some cracking make it up as we go along things up valleys near
Valle Gran Rey and along the Sombrero ridge etc).

If you speak German ( we don't) you'll probably be able to access lots
more info...

Hope this helps

pete