Tuesday 21 January.
Today we decided to go off early for a walk so no running. We had a map from the Tourist Information for a route from Santiago del Teide up in the mountains behind us that came all the way back down to Puerto Santiago. The plan was to get the bus to the start in Santiago del Teide. There were only 4 buses each day going there the first was at 8:20 am but the next wasn't until 10:30 am, a bit late. I got up at 6:30 am and made the breakfast which we had in bed. I thought we had to go to Los Gigantes for the bus but Moira said it started there but came through the port and we could catch it at the stop just down the road, so there was no rush. Moira made sandwiches and a flask of coffee for lunch and we set off for the bus at 8:15 am.
There were a few people waiting for the bus and it was unpleasant with a very cold wind blowing. The other people there were well wrapped up in long trousers and warm fleeces while we were in shorts and t-shirt. The bus was about 15 minutes late which didn't help standing in the cold. There was a couple from Manchester we spoke to who were going to Santa Cruz on the other side of the island for the day, the bus went all the way there. They spend all of January every year and the man said that the route to Santiago del Teide is a long continuous climb all the way up the mountain and he has seen snow up there previously when it gets this cold. Another couple we spoke to were from The Netherlands and they were going walking, taking the route to Masca and probably making it to the coast to get the water taxi back to Los Gigantes.
The bus eventually arrived and it was much warmer inside. Further along the road a bunch of walkers got on equipped with day packs and hiking poles, it appears to be a popular area for walkers we were heading for. The bus turned uphill at the t-junction at the end of town rather than contining down the coast. It was a long steady twisting climb up the hill and into the mountains. The views were outstanding with high peaks and ridges surrounding us and the road ahead winding up the hillside. The bus past through the small town of Tamaimo before a further climb to Santiago del Teide. When we reached Santiago cel Teide we waited until others got off and hopefully it would be near the start. Unfortunately the bell to stop the bus wasn't working and the other walkers missed the stop where they wanted to get off and were busy complaining to the driver. It was even colder up at this altitude with the wind stronger and freezing. Fortunately Moira had our packed our waterproof jackets in the daypack, we donned them and felt much better and warmer.
When we had got off the bus the Dutch couple headed straight along the road towards Masca but the others had disappeared somewhere else. The bus had stopped at the Tourist Info Office but it was closed. We walked about to see if we could spot any signposts or markers with the route number on it, TF65, but found nothing to help. There was one of the Masca Trekking offices nearby, they didn't actually do any trekking just provided the water taxi at the end. I went into their office to ask directions but when the guy twigged that I wasn't spending any money he lost interest and told me to go to the Tourist Info opposite. We went there again to see if anyone had arrived and luckily found that it was now open. The woman was very helpful and marked a map of the town with the direction to take and where the route began. It wasn't very difficult, it was back down the main street the way the bus had come. I think the people who were complaining that the bus didn't stop early were wanting off to do the TF65. We found the start easily, opposite the Medical Centre.
The start was on a wide dirt path which was quite flat but it soon began to drop becoming rough and rocky. The signpost at the start said 6.7 km to Puerto Santiago but after walking for about 15 minutes the next sign said 6.8 km to go and 1.2 km back to the beginning. Later the distances got mixed up some more and increased further, eventually ended at 8 km to the top end of Puerto Santiago with still about a kilometre to go on the road to the sea front. It was still very cold, our jackets kept our bodies warm but our hands were freezing. The sun was coming up and when we were sheltered from the wind it was getting warmer but it was only when we were down near sea level that we were able to take off our jackets. The path varied from narrow-steep and rocky to wide-flat and gravel. The views were wonderful with high peaks on either side and ahead the Atlantic Ocean. To our left was El Risco Blanco a high rocky peak at the end of a long narrow ridge. There was a signpost indicating a route that way and it might be worth climbing in the future. To the right was the town of Tamaimo which was the halfway point along the walk. The route basically followed a dried up river bed in the valley between two ridges and all the way down there were plantations of bananas growing in a metal frameworks covered in material to protect them from the cold.
Some of these covers were in tatters and the plantations appeared to have been left to resort to the original bush with grasses and wild shrubs now growing there. We didn't see anyone else going down, if the ones from the bus were taking this route they were faster than us and well ahead. Later there were lots of people heading on the way up and it may have been better if we had gone in that direction and got the bus down as the decent was taking its toll on our knees. At 11 am we stopped in a sheltered spot at a run-down farm with lots of goats running about where we had a cup of coffee from the flask and a mini coconut chocolate bar. As the walk was shorter than we anticipated we decided that we would be back at the flat in time for lunch.
When the track eventually met the road we could see the Lidl supermarket further down the hillside and the road winding its way down towards it. At the first bend in the road there were a number of cars parked where there was a view point. It gave a magnificent panorama of the coast at Los Gigantes with the towering rocky cliffs above standing out sharply in the sunlight. As we continued down the hill we came to the roundabout where I run up from Los Gigantes and further down we reached the supermarket. From there it was down the hill past the 'short cut' stairs and we were soon home. It had been a very good walk and had taken us 3 hours but downhill trekking isn't that easy and we were both a bit sore and tired.
Even though I was feeling the effects of the walk it didn't stop me going to the gym about an hour after lunch. The walk there loosened up my legs and I warmed up the rest of my body by starting off with exercises for my abs and back. I then concentrated on my upper body with lat pull downs, dumbbell presses, bicep curls, tricep pull downs etc. I worked out for an hour then walked briskly back.
It was 4:30 pm when I got back and had a shower to get rid of the sweat. The early evening TV was the same as usual but later there wasn't much else on. I watched the second and final part of 'Silent Witness' after doing a crossword them got to bed.
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