Stayed in Playa Blanca all last week and although I do not normally go walking on the hills on holiday the lure of tiny Montana Baja at just 195m above the resort was too much. Took an early morning stroll up and found the wonders of a perfectly formed crater at the top with a clear path all the way round. Unfortunately the cairn builders had been out in force with a whole area of mini cairns, just five or six rocks piled up into little tower every six feet or so ~ and even worse the Graffiti artists had decided to litter the crater with their names made out of letters formed with the volcanic rock. All that aside a nice little walk, under an hour from villa to summit and back then a luxurious swim in glorious sunshine. Happy days !
While I was at Playa Blanca I did two walks both of which I recommend. One was to take a taxi to Femés and walk back through the comparatively old mountains in the natural park (Monumento Natural de los Ajaches). The walk which takes you to 561m past some great scenery and then an equally great coast walk back to the hotel past various watering holes and some sandy beaches in some parts. Another was to hire a car and walk around the extinct volcano Caldera Blanca and its smaller companion. Both of these are like islands sticking out of the ocean of black twisted lava that covers that area of NW Lanzarote after the 18th century eruption that covered about a quarter of the island. You can walk around the almost circular rim at around 400 to 450m and look into the caldera or outside at the startling scenery. Unlike any ridge walk in Britain or Ireland, you come back to where you started from. You can reach the area via a mapped path from the East at Mancha Blanca. These are just two examples. Lanzarote is covered in interesting and virtually unused hillwalking areas. Cheers Simon Stewart
"Graham Ingram" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
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Stayed in Playa Blanca all last week and although I do not normally go walking on the hills on holiday the lure of tiny Montana Baja at just 195m above the resort was too much. Took an early morning stroll up and found the wonders of a perfectly formed crater at the top with a clear path all the way round. Unfortunately the cairn builders had been out in force with a whole area of mini cairns, just five or six rocks piled up into little tower every six feet or so ~ and even worse the Graffiti artists had decided to litter the crater with their names made out of letters formed with the volcanic rock. All that aside a nice little walk, under an hour from villa to summit and back then a luxurious swim in glorious sunshine. Happy days !
Lanzarote is covered in interesting and virtually unused hillwalking areas. Cheers Simon Stewart
It definitelly looked worth doing the ridge from Femes back to the sea as you suggest. a beautiful little mountain which dramatically changes colour as the sun sets and the shadows start to form on the Lava. I am sure their is a wealth of hillwalking on the island but there are also numerous signs asking you to keep off the lava and the hillsides, Not sure what their access code is if any !
It would certainly be a great place to spend a week just walking but in my case the family holiday came first so just the one short walk :-(
Cheers Graham
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"Graham Ingram" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:40b87afe_1@mk-nntp- 2.news.uk.tiscali.com...
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Stayed in Playa Blanca all last week and although I do not
normally go
Quoted message said:
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walking on the hills on holiday the lure of tiny Montana Baja at
just
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
195m above the resort was too much. Took an early morning stroll
up
Quoted message said:
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and found the wonders of a perfectly formed crater at the top
with a
Quoted message said:
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clear path all the way round. Unfortunately the cairn builders
had
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
been out in force with a whole area of mini cairns, just five or
six
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
rocks piled up into little tower every six feet or so ~ and even
worse
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
the Graffiti artists had decided to litter the crater with their
names
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
made out of letters formed with the volcanic rock. All that
aside a
Quoted message said:
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nice little walk, under an hour from villa to summit and back then
It would certainly be a great place to spend a week just walking but in my case the family holiday came first so just the one short walk :-(
That was my excuse too :-)
I've spent five weeks on the island over a three year period and the only walk I managed to stir myself for was the hill overlooking the Sunday market. That too had a crater littered with names formed by little rocks.
I thought that the volcanoes were fantastic to look at (speshly the tour) but I honestly didn't have the slightest urge to go and walk up them.
