Walking in the Canary Islands: Vol 1 West

This guidebook includes a rich and varied selection of 50 mainly mountain walks on the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro. The islands have a sunny, hot climate with little rainfall and snow only on 3718m El Teide. Mountain ridges and peaks, deep and rocky barrancos, rugged coastlines and extensive forests.

Servicio Geografico del Ejercito (1:50,000; 1:25,000)

Maps of a quality similar to Ordnance Survey (OS) Landranger or Explorer maps of Britain are not available on the Canary Islands. The Spanish equivalent of the Ordnance Survey is the Servicio Geográfico del Ejército. They produce both 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 Cartografía Militar, or military maps, of the islands. There are 29 maps in the 1:50,000 series covering the entire island group, and the relevant map(s) are identified at the beginning of each route description in this guide. Contouring on the military maps is good, and most landscape features are clear, but they tend to be out of date in terms of new roads and building developments. Many paths are shown rather vaguely or even erroneously. Some paths given great prominence on the maps may not exist on the ground. If you like OS-style maps, then these are the best that are available. Private mapping offers few alternatives, with scales and detail not really sufficient for walking. The Instituto Geográfico Nacional produces the 1:200,000 Mapa Provincial, which offers a complete overview of the islands. It gives a very honest impression of the relative size and position of each island, but leaves you feeling that you bought most of the Atlantic Ocean!

To obtain the military maps quoted in this guidebook you would be advised to order them well in advance from map suppliers such as Stanfords (12–14 Long Acre, London WC2E 9BR, tel. 0207 836 1321), The Map Shop (15 High Street, Upton-upon-Severn WR8 0HJ, tel. 01684 593146), or Cordee (3a De Montford Street, Leicester LE1 7HD, tel. 0116 254 3579). Simpler maps of the Canary Islands and free tourist maps can be obtained on reaching the islands. The sketch maps in this book are simply for reference. Transfer details to whatever maps are chosen, then use the route descriptions alongside while actually walking.