Thursday 12 February.
We decided to go for a long walk today, from the north coast to the ridge above Masca then to Santiago del Teide for the bus back. We left at the normal, after breakfast and lunch packed, for the 7:20 am bus. The weather was looking not bad but we wore our fleeces as it was a bit chilly and it would be colder as we climbed. We took the bus to Icod where there was a connection for the bus for Buenavista. The bus to Buenavista came from Puerta de la Cruz but we weren't sure when it arrived at Icod. Our bus got caught behind a slow moving truck and was late arriving in Icod, our connection had just left. The timetable was a bit confusing and it looked like we would have an hour's wait until the next one. It was a surprise when a bus for Buenavista turned up at 9:45 am and we were on our way again.
It was a nice trip up the coast and there wasn't any twists and turns that wound up and down hills. The bus arrived at Buenavista bus station at 10:15 am and 5 minutes later we were on our way. The guide book was very good and I followed its directions out of the town and to the route up the hills. It was a steady climb all the way on mainly tarred lanes initially but later fairly smooth narrow dirt paths. The distance marker for the road to Masca said 17 km but the road zigzagged in sweeping bends all the way up the hill whereas our route went straight up reducing the distance but making it harder, crossing the tarred road at a number of places on the ascent. It was very warm at the lower altitude and our fleeces were soon off and in the daypack as we became soaked in sweat. We stopped after an hour and sat on a wall to have a cup of coffee from the flask and a biscuit.
The first village we came to at the top of a short really very steep climb was El Palmar. This was through the El Palmar valley and on either side were ridges of very high hills. From that village the route was now well waymarked, the TF52.2, to Las Lagunetas. The tarred track took a loop round Montaneta de Palmar, a massive conical volcanic hill rutted with deep furrows. The guide book described it as if it had been sliced like pieces of cake, we saw this clearly as we later gained height and had a overview of the hill and the furrows. When we reached Las Lagunetas our waymarks changed to the TF56 going along a grassy track beside meadows and terraces to the hamlet of Las Portelas. The track became narrower and we had a bit of a downhill as it dropped to cross a small stream. We were able to get a nice cold refreshing drink from the running water. On the other side it climbed again to meet the main road. This was the last time we crossed the tarred road and some serious climbing began. Previously the ascent had been mainly steady with a few steep sections but now it was on a narrow mountain track to the top of the ridge above Masca. This was now the TF59. It was signposted 2.8 km to the Cruz de Hilda and we were under the impression this was the 'crossroads' on the ridge but we reached the path junctions a lot sooner than we expected. This was called Cumbre del Carrizal, 920m; Cruz de Hilda, still 1.5 km further, was the view point on the road above Masca. We weren't going that far but taking the route along the ridge up to Degollada de la Mesa, the col before the descent to Santiago del Teide.
We stopped at the trail junction for our lunch. The views were outstanding, when we were here last week on the way to Masca it had been misty but now it was crystal clear. The mountains were magnificent around Masca and in the other direction we could see all the way down the valley to Buenavista and the ocean behind. As we had climbed from Las Portelas there were a number of people on the trail going down. Now at the junction as we had lunch people were coming up on the path from Masca and down the ridge we would take. The weather was lovely sunny and bright but a cold wind was blowing as we got higher, but it was obviously still bringing the people out on to the hills and the trails.
After our break we set off up the ridge. There were a few short steep rocky climbs but mostly it was on a smooth earthen track that went up gradually. Our last walk along here in the other direction was through mist and no views. Now we stopped at all the viewpoints for the panorama of the ridges and hills that surrounded Masca, its houses that we could now see far below. There were even more people coming down this route and it was obviously a very popular walk. It took an hour to get to the col, Degollada de la Mesa, 1247 m. This was just below the Pico Verde at 1318 m, we could now see the summit which had been shrouded in cloud last time.
We were quite worried about the descent now after all the climbing, and how it would affect our knees. As it turned out it was fairly easy and we made good time reaching the road at the bottom in just over half an hour. We made our way along the road into Santiago del Teide and it was now getting quite cold in the shade with a biting wind. We checked the time of the bus when we reached the stop and found we had 45 minutes to wait. It was too cold to sit even in the shelter so we headed to a nearby pub for a beer. We came out again before 4 pm just in case the bus arrived early. It didn't and we had about 20 minutes to wait, it was in the shade and very cold. I crossed the street into the sun where it was surprisingly very warm. The bus arrived and it was only half an hour before we were back at the flat. On the way down there was had a wonderful view of the volcano Teide behind the ridge above Santiago del Teide, up the sides to the pointed peak there were streaks of snow.
When we got in it was first a cup of coffee and some nuts then the quizzes on TV. After dinner we showered then it was the programme on TV about another couple of idiots who spend a fortune on food each week. These were first class clowns and with only two young children their weekly food bill was £325. I've come to the conclusion that the whole thing is a fake and the people are actually actors playing the parts, nobody is that stupid and want to display it. The experts only managed to cut their shopping bill by £100. After that it was 'Death in Paradise' which was again the same format as previously and getting boring. It was off to bed at 10 pm, a bit stiff and sore after our long walk today.
WALK PHOTO ALBUM.
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