21-12-07

Since I have my accomodation in San Bartolomé for 2 nights, I can again speed up with a light backpack only.

I start up getting some canarian croissant from the bakery, and take the path out of town. It’s zigg-zagging up the hill, in good old camino real style.

You can see that this path has been used, also with pack animals, for centuries.

Quite fast I’m at the Degollada de Cruz Grande, where there is a great view back down the huge -originally volcanic- crater that San Bartolomé lies in the centre of.

I can also finally clearly see the Risco Blanco, which is said to be both holy and magical…

From there the path goes wild – first along a narrow ridge and then snaking up along a huge cliff.

Then it flattens out on a lovely pine tree covered rocky plateau.

And there is an actual real little brook, with water!

The path stays on the plateau with views into the canyon-like valley of Canadas de las Cuevas de Pargana to the east.

I’ve been so fast that I realise too late that I have passed the crossing that I originally had planned to hike down to a bus stop. But the weather is cool and nice enough, the scenery is gorgeous, and it’s still early. So I change my plans and hike on.

I have a lunch break at Degollada los Hornos, before I turn west towards El Montañón (1762m asl).

El Montañón is the nearer rocky top on the left. What I don’t realise at this point (yet), is that the rocky finger in the background on the right hand side is the famous Roque Nublo!

There is quite a dramatic scramble down from El Montagñón:

Then the path exits onto a road at La Goleta, and what the filled-to-the brink parking lot, the icecream & snacks van and the number of people strolling around tells me, is confirmed by signs: 1,5km to Roque Nublo!

I double check bus times, calculate, and find that I should just about have time to reach it and come back to then ‘run’ down to Ayacata to catch today’s last bus.

It’s nice, but with all the people, their trash and wide path, I find it a bit disappointing – compared to the other places I’ve seen just today. But still, it’s a cool rock formation – looking best from a distance 😉

I make it to Ayacata with 40mins to spare – just enough time for a well-deserved cerveza tropical limón at the bar by the bus stop.

When I finally arrive back to San Bartolomé, the magic rock is ‘on fire’ by the sunset light.

Total ca. 16km, with quite some ascent (over 800m) and descent, but light pack.

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