Route: Imada
Area: La Gomera
Date of walk: 6th February 2016
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 4.4 miles
Ascent: 800 feet
Weather: warm and sunny, rather hazy
Most of our walks on the island to date had been based on an excellent walking guide which sadly let us down on today’s walk. We made our way to the start point, a cafe in the village of Imada, but were unable to find the telephone booth, the red dot on a white wall, or a school which were supposed to set us off on the correct course. Eventually we found a path that showed some signs of matching the description in our book, but this would mean that the direction of travel was shown wrongly on the accompanying map
The path that we were on was an attractive one, so we decided to follow it anyway, though we had no confidence that it was the correct one. A ‘white bungalow’ which was mentioned was no help as most of the village fitted this description. No matter, we could always retrace our steps if need be
We carried on until we reached a dramatic mountain ridge and with no meaningful description of the remainder of the circuit in our guide book we simply retraced our steps back to the start. When we arrived back in Arure we met an equally confused English couple carrying the same guide – like us, they had been wandering around the village looking for the start. We advised them to follow the same path as us in the knowledge that they would have a great walk, as did we, though we didn’t work out where we’d been until later on
The incredible views along the Barranco de Guarimar made this a very worthwhile outing, despite the uncertainties as to our location
Click on the icon below for the route map
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
The start of the walk in the village of Imada
Leaving Imada
Terraced farmland on the outskirts of the village
We follow the path ahead
Looking back to Imada…
Wonderful views along the Barranco de Guarimar open up as we follow the path
Tress in blossom - possibly almonds
Looking back along the increasingly rocky path
Dramatic views down the Barranco de Guarimar as we gain height…
We follow the path around the rock outcrop
Approaching the furthest point of our walk - the Lomo de Azadoe
We walk past some ruined buildings set in an incredible position
The Barranco de Benchijigua, where we’d walked on our first day in La Gomera, comes into view
Looking back along our path just before we start to retrace our steps back to the start
We arrive back in Imada - a wonderful walk despite the route finding issues
Back at our hotel I was lucky to catch these dolphins in action - they were some distance away, so the photo has been cropped and is rather grainy
A great end to a great day
