Book Description
Mention to people that you have been to El Hierro, "Where's that?" is the standard reply. Of course up until 1833 any traveller worth his salt knew exactly where El Hierro was as the island had been the zero meridian. This fame dated from Ptolemy who declared El Hierro to be the 'edge of the ancient world'. After two thousand years the zero meridian was moved to Greenwich and the island slipped into obscurity. In 1995 the tourism minister estimated that approx 3-6,000 tourists visited El Hierro, and over 90% of these were German. In 1996 the Sunday Times produced a feature on the island and our 'Discovering El Hierro' article appeared in Holiday Gazette. This exposure has resulted in a sharp increase in visitors, but not so many that you will run into any crowds. Our walking guide is based on the island's picturesque capital of Valverde to explore the central and northern regions of this fascinating island. The walking is beautiful, spectacular and breathtaking, as we re-discover ancient routes across the least known of the Canary Islands. Stone-laid donkey trails criss-cross the landscape. Old abandoned villages are mixed in with ancient sites and volcanic cones in a range of colours (yes, that is right, a range of colours - seeing is believing!). Some amazing tipicos turn up in the least expected places; you just have to dine at Restaurant Casa Goyo for classical El Hierro cuisine (its tiny bar is decorated with culinary awards) and at the training school restaurant - surely one of the most spectacularly sited restaurants in the world. If you are looking for somewhere truly different then we cannot recommend El Hierro too highly. Specialist travel companies now offer packages but take care as where you stay directly affects how your holiday is structured. The isolated Parador was destroyed in winter storms. Restinga is a 'beach' resort seperated from the rest of the island by huge lava fields. El Golfo is a pretty area but to walk inland you have to go up the 700 metre cliffs to reach the central plateau. Our advice is to choose Valverde and we include accommodation information in our guide. Buses only operate to bring pupils into and out of Valverde so use taxis (keep telephone number on you, and a little Spanish helps) if you need a ride home. We found everybody very friendly, particularly in the Cafeteria San Luis where we sheltered from the hurricane (very unusual). If you are choosing a walking guide for El Hierro make sure it was researched post-hurricane (like ours) as the water erosion caused by the torrential rain has made substantial changes to the landscape. Apart from the amazing geology the flora is exceptional and do try the Vina Frontera Blanco (the best white wine in the Canary Islands) along with the local cheese (an unusual blend of cow, sheep and goat milk). Reaching El Hierro from Tenerife is a long ferry trip but well worth the effort involved. El Hierro is also famous for the world's largest landslip. 300 cubic kilometres (yes, cubic kilometres) of the island slipped off into the atlantic ocean creating the El Golfo region and making the remaining piece of El Hierro the smallest Canary Island. All this happened 50000 years ago (a blinking of an eye in geological terms) so it shouldn't affect your own trip to the island.
From the Publisher
A thoroughly researched walking guide by the Canary Islands experts. Fully detailed walk descriptions are combined with large scale 1:25,000 'OS' mapping plus accommodation information.
