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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 Walks

For the walks, scroll down to the bottom of the page or click Lanzarote walks. Note the start point of each Lanzarote walk can be seen via a Google Map.

If you have arrived at this page from the My Walks page, you are probably wondering what on earth the Canary Island of  Lanzarote is doing amongst all the other walks which are in the UK. Indeed, promoting Lanzarote as a walking destination would be a hard sell, especially as most peoples’ perception as they leave the airport on the first occasion is that they have arrived at a disused quarry! However, for those who do not just want to lie by a pool all day, Lanzarote benefits from exploration and the more often I visit, the more I like the island. I have therefore decided to share some of the walks I have done there.

To begin with, thanks to the efforts of the artist/designer/architect César Manrique who lived on the island there is very little in the way of high rise hotel/apartment development. He recognised the potential of tourism but did not want Lanzarote to go the way of so many other Spanish holiday areas. Consequently, buildings are generally limited to two storeys, are painted white and colours of woodwork are limited.

As one tours the island, one is struck by how well kept everywhere is. The islanders clearly take a pride in the place. Even some roundabouts are like gardens. I find it better kept than the other Canary Islands.

The roads are good quality in the main and traffic is mostly very light and of moderate speed (in contrast to the relative manic motoring on Tenerife – or the UK!). For anyone nervous about driving on the “wrong side”, Lanzarote would be a great place to start.

As a general tourist guide, I used to recommend the Lanzarote and Fuerteventura (AA Essential Spiral Guides Series), because it would lay flat but I think this might now be out of print. Marco Polo produce a spiral bound which may be similar. Also popular with visitors to this site is  the normal format Marco Polo guide and there is much on line. The best map I have located for Lanzarote by far is the Lanzarote Tour and Trail Map 1:40,000 scale produced by Discovery Walking Guides Ltd. This shows sights, walking routes and is an excellent road map. The super durable edition is virtually indestructible. It gets 5 stars from around 75% of purchasers on Amazon. Links to obtain all these publications are below.

There are 1:50000 and indeed 1:25000 maps produced by the Instituto Geográfico Nacional. The 1:25000 maps each cover one quarter of the area of the 1:50000 which means for full coverage of just the main island you would need a lot of maps for a casual visit! To see the 1:50000 range click here.

I have put together a few of my own thoughts, about some of the interesting tourist type places to visit and you can see these on my Lanzarote Tourist Information page. There is a wide range of Lanzarote guide books.

Turning to Lanzarote's walking potential, this is all about seeing the unique landscape. Much of it has been tortured by mother nature’s volcanic artistry into arid, inhospitable zones of solidified lava. The most dramatic has to be the Montañas del Fuego (Fire Mountains). This is the main stop on every first time tourist’s itinerary and fantastic as it is, the area can only be seen from an organised tour bus as the authorities want to keep the area pristine. There are also organised walks with a guide but numbers are small and the tours are evidently difficult to access.

However, there is plenty of independent walking to be had and the most dramatic and the “must do” for an independent walker is the Caldera Blanca in the north west - see link in table below.

A word of warning. Lanzarote is only about 100 miles from the Western Sahara. Consequently the sun is fierce. The island has virtually no trees so there is usually no shade to be had on walks. Adequate sun protection (sunscreen, hats and sunglasses) should always be available and take plenty of water.

Wayfinding is easy because the footpaths across the inhospitable landscape are obvious. My directions therefore only need to be minimal. Please do not try and leave the paths across the lava fields. You would probably break a leg and there are bubbles in the lava, some many feet deep and across. They may be covered by a safe thickness of crust. On the other hand………!

I have compiled 13 walks from happyhiker.co.uk into one digital book for portable devices, to make it easy to carry all the information with you. The walks include grid references for the start points based on the Lanzarote Tour and Trail Map  1:40,000 scale produced by Discovery Walking Guides Ltd. Also included are my thoughts on some of the general places of interest you might wish to visit, when taking a break from walking. Click "My Lanzarote" for more information.

Lanzarote Reading List

Scroll down to see Lanzarote walks.

 

Don't forget your sun protection

Hats

Sunglasses

Sunscreen

Lanzarote Walks With "Traffic Light" Rating

For an explanation of the "traffic light "rating see My Walks page.

Each symbol = 2½ miles

The start point for all walks can be located on Google Maps. Click here.

Atalaya de Femes
Caldera Blanca
El Golfo and Charco de los Clicos
Famara
Haria to El Bosquecillo
Hidden Garden of Casita
La Geria and Montana Tinasoria
Montaña Colorada
Montaña Corona
Montaña Cuervo
Montaña Los Rodeos or
Montaña Roja
Playa Blanca to Punta del Papagayo
Playa Quemada to Puerto del Carmen    or  
Rubicon Plain
Salinas del Rio

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.