We have been in Lanzarote for just over a month now and, whilst we have been quite busy working on the boat, we have also managed to get around and see the island. It is similar to Fuertaventura, though smaller and more populated. Scruffbag and I both find Fuertaventura more dramatically beautiful but Lanzarote also has some spectacular scenery in parts.
We have caught up with Lars and Vicky, a Hungarian couple who live here and bought a boat in Holland. We met them in Sines in Portugal as they were bringing it back here and they now keep it in Arrecife. We also decided that, since we are not getting any younger and we will be doing lots of anchoring soon, we would invest in the luxury of an electric anchor windless.It turned out to be cheaper to fly to the UK and bring one back than to pay Canarian prices. Boat gear can be expensive out here. Anyway, I duly returned to the UK for a couple of days and collected said windless along with foot pumps, new taps and other bits and bobs. Much as I dislike flying, it gave me the opportunity to see children and grandchildren, the youngest of whom has changed so much in the 6 weeks since I last saw her.
Back in Lanzarote we have now completed the walk from north to south of the island. The walk is in 5 stages and is about 75km in total, going from Orzola to Playa Blanca.
The first stage from Orzola to Haria, we did in reverse - from Haria to Orzola - as this meant walking more downhill than uphill. It was a reasonably interesting walk with lots of agriculture on small fincas, ending up at Orzola, a small, attractive coastal town with ferries to the nearby island of La Graciosa.
Stage 2 from Haria to Teguise was described as having magnificent views and we took a 2 km detour uphill to see the amazing views of both sides of the island. Unfortunately, just as we reached the top, cloud descended and we could see absolutely nothing. Plus we got wet as it rained for 2 hours and we were in shorts and t shirts. The cloud lifted for a few minutes now and then to give us tantalising glimpses of the fantastic views we would have seen.
This stage ended in Teguise, a lovely old town and the former capital of the island, with lots of historical buildings and a couple of museums.
Stage 3, Teguise to Tias was long and dusty and had quite a long stretch on the road with an extra couple of kilometeres at the end walking to the bus stop in Tias.
The penultimate stage, Tias to Yaiza hosted some magnificent views, especially in the vinyard area of La Geria. Vines are generally planted in hollows surrounded by semi-circular walls of volcanic stone and one of our future trips will be to visit a winery and sample the local vintage. At the end of the trip we passed the only remaining camel farms on the island.
The final stage, which we completed on our 30th wedding anniversary, 11th June. was probably the least enjoyable, with long stretches of bleak, barren landscapes and a long walk into town, though there were some good views of Fuertaventura and Isla de Lobos. The end point, Playa Blanca, is a town we had visited previously and found to be basically a tourist resort with little trace of the original town. We were very happy to have completed the challenge though and overall it had been a really enjoyable way to see all the different aspects of the island.
Erica comes out of the water on 20th June and we will spend a few days enjoying the luxury of an apartment in town while the engine is lifted out of the boat and the engine mountings are replaced. We still have a few trips planned though and a couple of long walks to complete.
