In which Sid and Doris make a grand tour of the lusher bits of La Gomera and see where the bananas were.
This is a day of exploration driving away from our sea view hotel-cottage to walk around the 1467m peak of Monte de Garajonay. To add to the mystery Sid has persuaded S that the special mist that waters the trees and hanging moss is Dragons’ Breath.
La Gomera is taken to be post-volcanic and while the rock is all volcanic there has been time for soil to form.
The trade winds and the local airs bring five times more water to the plants than rain from normal clouds.
S and D are not sure if the cloud has cleared or if they have just moved into another micro-climate. La Gomera has gigantic evergreen trees sheltered in the ravines. Up near the peak there is brezal heathland and on the Canary Holly hanging lichens. Is this Spanish Moss? In places with less water are large succulents.
At the start of our walk we meet a Frenchwoman with a camper van on a three month trip. As she says there are few French here. We met a German surfer in his own van and saw an Austrian adventure wagon. We’ve only seen four or five non-Spanish plates, but it is quite a commitment to drive to Huelva or Cadiz for the Canaries’ ferry.
There are well maintained paths because they were the roads and we occasionally meet a National Parks truck or groups of off road cyclists.
We are on our way to Agulo because it is one of the most beautiful villages in Spain, and we know that because we have seen a sign. It might be 999 out of the top 1,000? It seems rather typical.
But first we must visit a very famous spring…..
“The springs at Chorros de Epina have inspired numerous legends. “If you drink from the seven spouts, you’ll marry before the year is out.” To find their true love, women should drink from the even-numbered spouts and men from the odd- numbered (counting from the left); however, women wishing to be witches should drink from the men’s.”
All this is a a bot moot because no water is flowing and besides, Sid and Doris are already married.
The route takes us through very cramped little Vallehermoso. Even threading Shugi through requires some concentration. We sneak past the bowser bringing fuel for the tunnel machinery creating a new mini-bypass. We have found a few tunnels on the islands and they certainly help in such steep country.
The clouds have thinned as we come down into Agulo from where Tiede is doing a fine impersonation of Mount Fuji. Although technically NEAR the sea, Agulo is not precisely BY the sea, being still about 100m above sea level.
Agulo fondly remembers its banana-growing glory days, when the trade was so lucrative that the village built a cable car to transport the bananas to sea level, and a special jetty so boats could pick them up.
This picture from 1927 shows that it was worth planting every terrace with bananas though these are now bare. There is about 20% unemployment in the islands so we might guess that claiming Spanish social security benefits is more attractive than hill farming bananas.
There is no pleasure in taking pictures of broken piers, crumbling terrace walls and agriculture plots full of rusting bits of equipment, so instead Sid and Doris contribute to the new tourism-driven economy by having traditional Canarian rabbit and goat casseroles for lunch.
While Shugi winds his way homewards – 18km as Mifter Bat flies, and over twice that by road – and S&D wind their way pool-wards, here is the altitude profile of today’s trip. Sid says it’s no place for a cycling holiday. We might do that distance but we never do that much climb.
Going back to Fred Olson’s Jardin Tecina is top banana holiday making. This evening after dinner there is a star gazing walk with a tri-lingual astronomer who keeps us amused as we try to remember our planets and constellations. We do see the moon (quite easy, this) Orion, Taurus, the Pleiades (or, as it is known in Japan, Subaru so have a look at the badge), Mars and Jupiter. Jurgen has brought a big barrelled telescope that we queue for, though the turning earth means he needs to re-aim every few minutes. It is dark, cooling and time for bed. Doris takes a picture of Jupiter, Taurus and Orion in the night sky illustrating once again the amazing tech inside an iPhone.