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Kindle Books

20 Yorkshire Walks with only one map OL21

Kindle book - My Lanzarote. 10 walks and a personal view

Kindle Book And A Pub For Lunch

20 Walks in the Yorkshire Dales with only one map OL2

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 Lanzarote Walk - Atalaya de Femes

Starting point:

Car parking in the centre of Femes

Map

I have found this to be the best map for both walking routes and driving, from Discovery Walking Guides Ltd

Lanzarote Tour and Trail Map 1:40,000 scale

Distance: 5.3 miles

Traffic light rating:    

(For explanation see My Walks page)

More great Lanzarote Walks

 Click the PDF logo above to give a printable version of this walk without the photos.

Introduction: Atalaya de Femes is the second highest mountain on Lanzarote at 611 metres (2004 ft). It is only surpassed by Peñas del Chache (615 metres), above the cliffs of Famara. However, Peñas del Chache is topped by a military installation and is off limits.

From Atalaya de Femes summit are good views of the Montañas del Fuego, the east and west coasts of the island and to the south, Playa Blanca and Fuerteventura.

Unfortunately, its summit is marred by a veritable forest of every sort of antenna you can think of but one cannot question the practicality of the location. There is also the Spanish equivalent of a trig.point.

However, do not let this put you off. This is a splendid ridge walk.

The walk starts from the lovely hill-top village of Femes which has a balcony from where there is a stunning view down to Playa Blanca and across the sea to the island of Fuerteventura. It is worth having a wander round before or after the walk. There are a few bars and a nice plaza and church. There is limited parking at the centre of Femes.

The route unfortunately starts with a walk along the LZ-702 but there is pavement initially and then a wide, if rough, verge when the pavement ends, on the opposite side of the road. The walk ends with a somewhat slithery walk down the access track from the masts.

To get to Femes, either take the Calle Del Rubicon out of Playa Blanca (steep road with hair-pin bends) or go via the LZ-702 from the roundabout on the LZ-2 at Uga.

Start: From the village centre, go left to walk down the main road, the LZ-702. There is pavement to start with and when it runs out, cross the pedestrian crossing to walk down the left hand side of the road on the rough verge.

At the edge of the village, pass a bus shelter then a roughly circular area at a road junction planted with palm trees. Ignore the dirt track which goes off to the left immediately after this road junction and continue until you reach the road sign indicating you are leaving Femes (“Femes” crossed through with a red line).

Around 100 yards after this sign, at the end of the field on the left, turn left on to a broad dirt track. There is a white painted small post at either side of the track.

Follow this track along the top edge of the fields for some distance. Eventually, it narrows to a mere footpath and starts to climb gently. It is marked by a few stone cairns. After passing to the rear of a rough farm building/hut, it crosses a small gully and rises to meet a broader track on the small ridge. Turn left, uphill.

You begin to get sight of the east coast.

The track climbs and just as it reaches a cultivated area (not easy to pick out immediately), before the top of the ridge, fork right, crossing a small, shallow, rough rainwater gully. There is a small cairn. This is the only tricky bit of navigation on the walk.

Cross two further rainwater gullies and after the second, the path swings left, passing another cairn on the left.

On reaching a banking, which seems a result of digging out a drainage ditch next to it, turn left along the banking. The radio masts at the summit soon come into view and the path broadens and becomes clearer. There are views of Montana Cuervo.

You also see several other landmarks including Montana Guardilama and Montana Tinasoria.

Follow the path to the summit. There is a “false” summit first which is the steepest part of the walk. After this the path levels out and descends gently to the access track to the summit. Turn right here.

From the summit, follow the broad track back downhill, passing the point where you joined it.

The track zig-zags down the hill eventually arriving at a couple of posts normally with a chain across to prevent unauthorised vehicles. Just after this, the track curves left to join another track. Turn right here.

The track descends into Femes. When it meets a tarmac road, turn left and at the concrete road, keep straight ahead back to your starting point.

If you need to buy any hiking equipment/clothing before your trip see the Hiking Store

All information on this site is given in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of any damage, loss or injury which might result from acting on it.