TENERIFE: Walk from Los Silos on TENERIFE.

Sunday 15 February.

We wanted to go for a walk today but weren't sure about the frequency of the buses on a Sunday. The plan was to go to Los Silos a town we passed through before reaching Buenavista the other day. It turned out that the buses we normally take still operated on a Sunday; so we made our way to the stop at the corner at 8:15 am after breakfast and watching some of yesterday's football on 'Match of the Day'

The bus arrived a few minutes earlier than advertised and with little traffic and fewer people getting on and off made good time on the trip up to Santiago del Teide and over the other side. A group of walkers got off the bus at Erjos, this was the village where we are making for from Los Silos. When we arrived at Icod the connection to go along the coast arrived early and sat at the terminus for about 10 minutes before setting off. We were examining and discussing the guide book to determine where to get off at Los Silos and a man in the seat in front overheard us. I think he was German but spoke good English and told us he was also starting the walk from Los Silos and would keep us right. When he rang the bell as the bus entered Los Silos we followed him and on getting off he pointed to the signpost for the start of the trail which was on the opposite side of the road. He pushed off briskly but we took our time and examined the signpost before setting off. The route was a circular one round Erjos and back, so there were two options from here with vastly different distances. The direct route was 5.6 km whereas the one we were taking was 11.5 km on the other side of the ravine and moved away from Erjos. At the top of the gorge the trail turned to go through the wooded hillside to the town.

It was 10 am when we got going and the start was on a concrete path that changed to a cobbled track all the way up to the few farmhouses of Las Moradas. It was a steep start and more or less straight up for the first hour until we reached the farms. There we stopped at some rocks where we sat for a coffee and a biscuit. There was a nice view back the way we had come with Los Silos sitting on the coast. The deep ravine ran down to the coast and we could see the other track on the hillside opposite. Above and around us were mostly rounded tops thickly covered in forests. When we got going again from Las Moradas the incline wasn't as steep and underfoot it changed to a hard earthen path. We now began to meet people coming in the other direction having started at Erjos. Moira recognised the group that had come off the bus at Erjos and we stopped to talk to them. They thought that walking up was too much for them and preferred the easier descent. We said we would probably see them again on the bus going back in the afternoon.

We were able to make a faster pace now it wasn't so steep. It was narrow and winding with zigzags in places to even out the incline. Soon we reached a wide forest road at the Monte del Agua. There were some mountain bikers on the path and it turned out to be a good surface for cyclists. It was 4.5 km to Erjos along this track that more or less followed the contour round the hillside. There was a boardwalk out to a viewpoint halfway along the track but we were now up into the base of the clouds and the view of the gorge below was obscured by the mist. We were now striding out at a fast pace and soon Erjos came into sight in a dip below, the houses in a cluster and the church steeple clearly visible. There was a long drop with steps down into a valley and a climb up the other side to the village. We were intending to have our lunch break at a convenient place in Erjos but in the dip before climbing up again there was the PF 51 trail that went all the way to the junction with the PF 59 down to Masca. We weren't going that far but taking the track down to Santiago del Teide. The signpost said 5.9 km to Cumbre de Bolico but that was further on at the col before dropping down towards the Masca turning. We reckoned we had plenty of time, about 3 hours, to reach the junction and get down to Santiago del Teide in time for the bus. We stopped a short distance along the track at an old building where we put down our rain jackets to sit on with our backs to the walls of the building and there we had lunch, sandwiches and coffee and fruit for dessert.

The track was wide and flat at the start as it passed man-made wetlands. A notice said there were a variety of birds and wildlife in the water and the area but all we saw were a duck and a swan swimming in one of the ponds. It also said that Tenerife and the other islands in the Canaries group were a convenient staging post for migrating birds on the long flight from Europe to Africa in the autumn. After leaving the wetlands the track narrowed and it was a stiff climb up to narrow tarred road which we crossed to pick up a wide forest track. It was easy going and quick all the way to our junction. This was the highlight of the day's walk as we were rewarded with magnificent views of the volcano El Teide. It was crystal clear on the horizon and the surfaces up to its sharp point streaked with snow. Once we picked up the track dropping down to the main road it took half an hour, the same as when we went down on Thursday.

It was a bit warmer going into the town compared with Thursday and there were lots of people about and both sides of the street were lined with parked cars. We had 45 minutes to wait for the bus again so first of all we went to the pub for a beer to quench our thirsts. We got to the stop at 4pm in case the bus came early and it was, arriving after only a 5 minutes wait. The people who started the walk at Erjos this morning and we met on the trail coming down were on the bus and welcomed us. I had my iPad with me in case we had a longer wait for the bus and I read the newspaper on the bus going back.

It was much warmer back on the coast and in the complex the pool area was full of people out sunbathing with a few in for a swim. I put the TV on as soon as we got into the flat to catch the end of the rugby. It was Scotland v Ireland, Scotland scored a try in the final seconds but still lost 26-23. I did the 'Telegraph' crossword while Moira made dinner. It was another prize puzzle and I submitted the finished product again hoping to win.

After dinner we both had our showers and felt much better getting rid of the sweat and stiffness. The TV wasn't bad tonight; 'Countryfile' and 'Call the Midwife'. Later there was the first part in the adaptation of he JK Rowling novel 'A Casual Vacancy'. There was a warning about strong language, so I switched it off. I read the book and it is about murder and mayhem to obtain a position on the parish council. I think it needs a lot more than swearing to make the plot more realistic. We read instead and I uploaded the photographs I took today to the computer and Google+. The pictures of El Teide came out very well and are impressive with the snow on the upper slopes.

LOS SILOS WALK PHOTO ALBUM