Route: San Pedro circular
Area: La Palma
Date of walk: 29th January 2017
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 5.7 miles
Weather: Cloudy
On the last day of a wonderful walking holiday on La Palma we still had time for one more walk before our flight departed later in the day, and we decided on a route near the east coast, which would be handy for the airport
We chose another route from our trusty guidebook ‘Walk! La Palma’ published by Discovery Walking Guides. For anyone planning a walking holiday on the island I can highly recommend both the book and the excellent map
We didn’t want to break a leg on our last day, and opted for a relatively low level walk from the sleepy town of San Pedro. We followed a track out of the town which took us steadily uphill, before joining a narrow path which meandered up and down through a chestnut forest and in and out of a series of gorges. There were plenty of sea views along the way, those they weren’t seen at their best on a rather overcast day
The route was well waymarked and it would be hard to go astray. Comparisons are invidious but we both remarked that the walk only merited 3 stars out of a possible 5 – but that’s because it was outshined by the amazing 5 star walks which had preceded it. It was a very pleasant outing and suited our purposes perfectly on the day
There remained some spare time before our flight, so we drove into the nearby historic capital, Santa Cruz de la Palma, and enjoyed a stroll through its colourful streets. A late lunch at a restaurant on the seafront, along with some chilled Spanish beer and a meal of grilled fish fresh from the quayside made a perfect end to a perfect walking holiday
Click on the icon below for the route map
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We spent our last night in the Parador de La Palma on the east coast, so as to be near the airport for our departure later on. Dawn, and time for one more walk
The start of the walk from the plaza in nearby San Pedro
Our walk will take us out of the town and across the hillside ahead
La Gomera in the distance, where we’d walked this time last year
Heading for the hills
We walk through the arch
As with all the walks we’ve followed on La Palma, the route is well waymarked, and we follow the white and yellow signs
We enter into a narrow gorge
We are in a chestnut forest and it seems odd to see dead fallen leaves when so much of the vegetation on the island is evergreen or succulent
We cross a footbridge over a dry stream
The first of several shrines we saw, some of them very curious - like this one adorned with crosses made from twigs
Looking back over San Pedro as we gain height
La Gomera again in the distance
Bare chestnut trees ahead
We pass by an old farmstead
The path continues to weave in and out of small gorges
Another curious shine in a hollow in the rocks
Just around the corner another shrine, different in character
San Pedro walk, La Palma
…and almost back to the start. The last photo of our last walk on the island
There remained time for a brief visit to the nearby capital, Santa Cruz de la Palma - these are the famous wooden balconies in the old part of town
The final photo of a memorable walking holiday
