Day One - East and South Coast
I had booked a civilised departure time of 10:30 which meant that I could avoid taxis and use the excellent Tenerife bus system to get to Tenerife North Airport.
Our flight passed quite close to El Teide now dusted with snow from recent cooler weather.
The flight was on time and I rented another car from Cicar at the tiny and charming little airport on El Hierro. I set off down the east coast.
Puerto de la Estaca
Mainly used by ferries but with a small inner harbour for local craft. It looked pretty exposed to me and there were no visiting yachts.
Further down the coast the road passed through a long tunnel emerging adjacent to Roque de la Bonanza.
Looking south from the same spot the road goes as far as a parador hotel and comes to a dead end. El Hierro is very steep sided with little in the way of coastal plain and a flatish forested area on top.
Retracing my route I then took the high road towards Isora.
At some point the floor of this crater had been farmed but now the fields appeared fallow.
This, I think, is the Fuente de Azofa, a one time source of drinking water which is reached by going down a very steep path.
A large concrete tank had been added and parts had collapsed which only became apparent as I walked across it. The water inside didn't look too fresh.
A steep valley down to the sea from Fuente de Azofa.
I then moved on to the Mirador de Isora. Here looking down on Roque de la Bonanza which I had passed earlier.
Looking south from Mirador de Isora.
I hadn't booked a hotel and decided on Hotel Balneairo at Pozo de Salud. On the way there I stopped at Mirador de Jinama and peered down into a partially obscured El Golfo. This is a sort of dish shaped indent into the west coast with a flatish coastal plain. It was formed when a bit of El Hierro fell off into the sea. Quite a big bit actually. Some 300 cubic kilometres.
Cloud sweeping up from El Golfo.
The road down into El Golfo via Frontera is a quite stunning switchback road requiring careful driving as roadside barriers are largely absent. The upper route from Frontera to Pozo de la Salud is similar, particularly the final section.
Hotel Balneairo was built about twenty years ago and is owned by the local council. It lay closed for 10 years after it was built but is now open with a variety of health spa services.
The view looking south from my room at Hotel Balneairo.
And looking north.
Hotel interior level 2.
Level 1.
A sea cave almost under the hotel.
Checked in and with my bag in the room I set off to explore the south coast. Playa de Arena was not far from the hotel. This is pretty much as far west as one can get in Europe and until Greenwich was accepted as the prime meridian the westernmost point of El Hierro was one of several Meridiano Cero's.
Playa de Arena is a remote and wild beach yet even here there was a large amount of plastic debris along the high water line. This is something I have seen on many remote beaches in Spain. Busy popular tourist beaches are cleaned regularly.
A rock bridge near Playa de Arena.
Playa del Ferodal, the largest beach on El Hierro and situated on the south west corner. The black "sand" is really small black pebbles rather than sand.
Another abandoned agricultural enterprise near Playa del Ferodal.
Looking down on the road to Playa del Ferodal.
The road up from Playa del Ferodal to the central plateau. It's a long way down on both sides.
Approaching Faro de Orchilla by road.
Another of the many fine Spanish lighthouses, Faro de Orchilla. Once tended by a lighthouse keeper but now operated remotely. As often seen with lighthouses in Galicia this building, sadly, now suffers from vandalism and graffiti.
Volcanic tubes near Faro de Orchilla.
Your taxes at work! A small dock, Embarcadero de Orchilla, just along the coast from Faro de Orchilla with elaborate landscaping and built with EU funding. It's purpose was unclear.
Up on the central plateau the land was much flatter and in the southwest covered with scrubby forest. Not all the roads were paved.
Mirador de Bascos gave a breathtaking view of El Golfo and of my hotel way down on the coast.
Looking along the SE coast.
Then drove through the forest and back to the hotel along the Frontera road in the dark.
Our flight passed quite close to El Teide now dusted with snow from recent cooler weather.
The flight was on time and I rented another car from Cicar at the tiny and charming little airport on El Hierro. I set off down the east coast.
Puerto de la Estaca
Mainly used by ferries but with a small inner harbour for local craft. It looked pretty exposed to me and there were no visiting yachts.
Further down the coast the road passed through a long tunnel emerging adjacent to Roque de la Bonanza.
Looking south from the same spot the road goes as far as a parador hotel and comes to a dead end. El Hierro is very steep sided with little in the way of coastal plain and a flatish forested area on top.
Retracing my route I then took the high road towards Isora.
At some point the floor of this crater had been farmed but now the fields appeared fallow.
This, I think, is the Fuente de Azofa, a one time source of drinking water which is reached by going down a very steep path.
A large concrete tank had been added and parts had collapsed which only became apparent as I walked across it. The water inside didn't look too fresh.
A steep valley down to the sea from Fuente de Azofa.
I then moved on to the Mirador de Isora. Here looking down on Roque de la Bonanza which I had passed earlier.
Looking south from Mirador de Isora.
I hadn't booked a hotel and decided on Hotel Balneairo at Pozo de Salud. On the way there I stopped at Mirador de Jinama and peered down into a partially obscured El Golfo. This is a sort of dish shaped indent into the west coast with a flatish coastal plain. It was formed when a bit of El Hierro fell off into the sea. Quite a big bit actually. Some 300 cubic kilometres.
Cloud sweeping up from El Golfo.
The road down into El Golfo via Frontera is a quite stunning switchback road requiring careful driving as roadside barriers are largely absent. The upper route from Frontera to Pozo de la Salud is similar, particularly the final section.
Hotel Balneairo was built about twenty years ago and is owned by the local council. It lay closed for 10 years after it was built but is now open with a variety of health spa services.
The view looking south from my room at Hotel Balneairo.
And looking north.
Hotel interior level 2.
Level 1.
A sea cave almost under the hotel.
Checked in and with my bag in the room I set off to explore the south coast. Playa de Arena was not far from the hotel. This is pretty much as far west as one can get in Europe and until Greenwich was accepted as the prime meridian the westernmost point of El Hierro was one of several Meridiano Cero's.
Playa de Arena is a remote and wild beach yet even here there was a large amount of plastic debris along the high water line. This is something I have seen on many remote beaches in Spain. Busy popular tourist beaches are cleaned regularly.
A rock bridge near Playa de Arena.
Playa del Ferodal, the largest beach on El Hierro and situated on the south west corner. The black "sand" is really small black pebbles rather than sand.
Another abandoned agricultural enterprise near Playa del Ferodal.
Looking down on the road to Playa del Ferodal.
The road up from Playa del Ferodal to the central plateau. It's a long way down on both sides.
Approaching Faro de Orchilla by road.
Another of the many fine Spanish lighthouses, Faro de Orchilla. Once tended by a lighthouse keeper but now operated remotely. As often seen with lighthouses in Galicia this building, sadly, now suffers from vandalism and graffiti.
Volcanic tubes near Faro de Orchilla.
Your taxes at work! A small dock, Embarcadero de Orchilla, just along the coast from Faro de Orchilla with elaborate landscaping and built with EU funding. It's purpose was unclear.
Up on the central plateau the land was much flatter and in the southwest covered with scrubby forest. Not all the roads were paved.
Mirador de Bascos gave a breathtaking view of El Golfo and of my hotel way down on the coast.
Looking along the SE coast.
Then drove through the forest and back to the hotel along the Frontera road in the dark.