After a workout, some parcel wrapping & a Post Office run, a morning of charity shopping and a frenzied afternoon of washing, ironing and mending, that's not a description of our day. Lazy Wednesdays was the tour we'd booked days before leaving for Gran Canaria and, at 9am a fortnight ago, we made our way to the designated pick-up spot in Vegueta to meet Pavel, the host and organiser of the trip.
Twenty minutes later and we arrived at our first destination, Caldera de Bandama. It was formed five thousand million years ago along with the ancient volcano Pico de Bandama. The crater is 216 metres deep, 574 metres high and 1,000 metres wide. The views from the peak were amazing.
To the northwest of Las Palmas lies Santa Brigida, a stunningly pretty mountain village surrounded by lush vegetation, which has been attracting visitors since the 19th Century.
We loved that this little bar was called El Despacho (The Office), so you could legitimately tell your partner that you were going to the office and actually spend the day in the pub. Pavel had taken drinks orders on the way and phoned ahead so complimentary coffees and goats cheese & tomato bocadillos were already waiting when we arrived.
The red house (above) is a guesthouse, I've found it on Booking.com (HERE)
We carried on to Pico de las Nieves, the highest point on the island, which stands at 1,949 metres above sea level (by comparison, Britain's tallest mountain, Ben Nevis, is just 1,345 metres). Pavel suggested we prayed to the weather gods for the mist to clear - and for a safe journey up there - handing out homeopathic travel sickness pills to any passengers who needed them (not us!) The gods were on our side, Salvo, the driver, managed to successfully navigate the bus to the top of the cliff and, as if by magic, within minutes of stepping down, the mists vanished revealing the mysterious rocks of both Roque Nublo and Roque Bantayga as well as offering us a tantalising glimpse of Gran Canaria's sister island, Tenerife.
We'd been told to dress in warm clothes, it's cold up there!
You might remember me writing about my Dad being a mountaineer (HERE). Like him, I'm not in the least bit bothered by heights, scaling a rock like a mountain goat while Jon looked on in horror.
We stopped at San Bartolomé de Tirajana, which is a bit of a mouthful, so it is known as Tunte.
Tunte is on the Camino de Santiago trail, the only route located outside of mainland Europe.
The village's folk museum, formerly the home of a wealthy 19th century doctor, contained a stash of vintage textiles & costumes to die for.
Another idyllic Canarian mountain village, surrounded by palm groves with traditional cobbled houses with wooden balconies and masses of bougainvillea, Fataga was our next stop and the destination for lunch, which wasn't included in the price of the trip but the reviews were good and there were lots of choices for vegetarians and vegans so we were more than happy to partake (packed lunches are for home, not for holidays!) Again, Pavel took our orders on the way and phoned ahead we didn't have long to wait before our food arrived.....broken eggs & Iberian ham for Jon and a Spanish tortilla for me.
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On the way to Maspalomas, situated in the southern extreme of the island, Pavel passed round photos taken in 1899 and in 1960, warning us that mass development in the 1960s and 1970s had all but destroyed the area likening it to Disneyland.
Whilst the surrounding sand dunes and nature reserve were undeniably beautiful, the resort of Maspalomas left us cold.
Running the gamut of waiters waving menus and trying to usher us into bars we had a look around the ethnographic museum located within the old lighthouse and were back at the bus fifteen minutes before we needed to be. We'd definitely done the right thing by shunning package holiday hell and staying in Vegueta.
Our Lazy Wednesday trip was the highlight of our week on Gran Canaria. Pavel was an absolute joy, radiating warmth and enthusiasm. In addition to his impressive knowledge of the history, folk law, geography and agriculture of his native island, he pointed out locations used by Rhianna and J-Lo and Penelope Cruz's favourite hotel, gave gardening tips, recipes, told us about the best hiking trail and even taught us a few words in Canarian Spanish.
Fancy a Lazy Wednesday?
Cost per person : £35
Book HERE
What a week. Mountains, volcanos, art, culture, dazzling architecture and amazing food, we loved Gran Canaria! I can't wait to hear what Jane thinks of the island, she & her husband are off this weekend.
Thanks for coming along, see you soon!