It's Sunday and before we head up the mountain to the cliffs of Famara, we drive past the former capital of the island, Teguise. There is said to be a big market in the centre of the village every Sunday, which is a ‘must see’. We aim for a car park on the edge of the village, as FRAME doesn't exactly love the narrow market alleyways. We are surprised when we are directed to a large car park more than a kilometre before our destination. You'd think we were going to the Woodstock Festival. Here, at intervals of a second, vehicles are directed into the sloping terrain. The big steamers, like us, find space in the furthest corner. As we walk to the market, we see more of these large car parks and get an idea of what kind of hustle and bustle awaits us at the Teguise Sunday market. Critics see little that is local here, but rather a trading centre for fake African goods. But it's not quite that bad. The stalls are colourful and the alleyways are not unpleasantly crowded despite the thousands of visitors. The market is huge! And lo and behold, we also find two or three nice souvenirs and gifts.
Above: colourful and busy: The Sunday market in Teguise
below: Teguise. Impressions of the former capital of Lanzarote
The real ascent to the plateau of the Famara Cliff, which is over 500 metres above sea level, only starts in Teguise. The well-maintained LZ-10 leads us towards the Valley of 1000 Palms. It is said that a palm tree was once planted here for every newborn girl and two for every boy. The macho behaviour of the black continent seems to have prevailed here too. Shortly after Los Valles, however, we turn left and take the last few metres in altitude to the Chapel of the Snow Maiden (Ermita de las Nieves). Shortly before reaching our destination, we have a dizzying view down to Famara Beach and along the imposing cliffs on the right-hand side. Only a few large stones and a small sign with the friendly but macabre message ‘Stay with us’ separate us from the abyss. Brigitte is getting spooked. We love good panoramic views, but this is really hardcore. We drive on! About a kilometre after the hermitage and a few metres further down, we find what we're looking for. A viewpoint that can accommodate at least ten of the size of our FRAME. We realise immediately that this is a unique place and we'll be staying here for a few days! As we are not far from a ‘weather station’ and as it is labelled ‘military’, we assume that the turrets and antennas are not just harmless weather observation equipment. Apart from this small flaw, this pitch is almost perfect. It offers an unobstructed view from east to west and therefore from sunrise to sunset, breathtaking depth, still over 400 metres down to Famara Beach and, on the southern horizon, into the Timanfaya volcanic mountains. Of course, we are very exposed to the wind here, but fortunately there is only a slight breeze at the moment. And this place is clean too! Apart from a few pieces of broken glass, which unfortunately can be found everywhere, there is nothing to complain about. In fact, it's so beautiful that we're surprised that no one is standing there yet. Not only that, it's not even listed in Park4Night. Are we perhaps in a restricted military area after all? Have we missed a sign somewhere? We can hardly believe it. And what do you do if you're not sure in such cases? Right, you wait and enjoy! After all, there's little point in worrying every day about why we're the only ones lucky enough to enjoy such a dream spot.
above: a pitch in the clouds (l.) or right in the blue sky (r.)
below: to the south the Timanfaya volcanic mountains (l.) to the west the Famara surfer beach (r.)
We are grateful for this, extremely grateful that our FRAME has brought us here and that we have the time to enjoy this almost untouched nature. With gratitude comes inspiration. Nothing inspires me more than this endless view of the sea and the volcanic landscape. My curiosity grows to know and understand how this marvellous area came to be. The volcanoes on Lanzarote have not been active for 200 years and yet Timanfaya is still considered an active volcano. What are 200 years in the entire history of its formation? That's as good as yesterday! You feel so safe today when you're romping around on a volcanic island, but in the eyes of the creator you're probably playing with fire.
Of course, we will also go and discover the Timanfaya volcano and are already excited about all the fascinating stories that await us there. For now, however, we'll take a short hike back to the Snow Maiden along the cliff edge. You place your feet carefully, one in front of the other. Nevertheless, we can't resist sending the drone into the air on less dangerous passages. After all, we've been proud grandparents since this summer, so we'll have to show our grandson later on what an adventurous grandma and brave grandad he has.
We marvel at the flora here as it grows out of the barren ground and presents itself in perfect beauty. The vegetation also draws its vital water from the regular fog. The clouds hang so low here that visibility can change from one minute to the next. We feel almost at home in the mountains at 3'000 metres above sea level, only the temperatures are considerably more pleasant here.
A little further south, paragliders plunge death-defyingly into the updraft from the west. The sky is covered with bright red, green and yellow dots, I would be terrified of free flight, but the disorganised traffic up there would put me under a real strain. Maybe I'm just telling myself that so I don't succumb to the great temptation of paragliding. How wonderful it must be to soar freely like a bird in the air. Later, we learn from a very fit overlander colleague that experienced paragliders can stay in the sky almost indefinitely. ‘If the wind is right, there's no end to the thrill,’ he says.
We really can't get enough of being up here and discover something new every day, almost every hour. Nevertheless, we drive down to the beach at some point. The beach at Famara belongs to the surfers and is probably the most famous on Lanzarote. As we arrive in strong winds, we are greeted by small sand drifts on the road. We are naturally at ease in the sand with our Unimog. However, the situation does not yet require any precautions and we chug comfortably past the estimated hundred surfer vans and motorhomes parked on both sides of the road. We have been studying the colourful hustle and bustle from our viewing point for the last few days, scouting out the situation with binoculars and the drone. We don't want to snuggle up among the sportsmen here, but drive around the Famara holiday development to the far end of the kilometre-long beach. Although you're right under the huge cliff here and don't get to see the sun until around two hours later in the morning, it's much quieter and more relaxed. Clearly marked outcrops on the beach side regulate orderly parking here. We position ourselves correctly in the wind, secure the vehicle and off we go to the beach. But be warned, it's not that easy. Before you get to the sand, there are cannonball-sized black lava stones to cross. They are so beautifully polished by the surf that you could easily push them down the bowling alley. We cautiously dance across them and finally take off our shoes to soak up the fine sandy beach and the still quite fresh sea water through our feet.
While the body is enjoying its treat, our minds are amazed by the bold kite surfers. The wind is already blowing so strongly that even walking barefoot is not easy. The kitesurfers drop into the straps and catapult themselves into the air over the waves, taking our breath away. They easily fly ten metres or more into the sky, do a quick pirouette and land on their surfboards time and again as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Chapeau ladies and gentlemen kitesurfers! Another sport with a kick. If I were a few years younger, I'd love to give it a go a try. We used to believe that we were jacks of all trades when we flew over a jump on skis or did a pirouette on the snow. Today, the same thing happens in the water and in the air, it's sheer madness!
above: Surfing also needs to be learnt. Students in theory and practice
After a pleasant walk along the beach, we reach the village of Famara. There is a cool atmosphere here, thanks to a good mix of young surf enthusiasts and retired sun worshippers. Village life is dominated by bars, sidewalk cafés and surf schools or respectively surf, SUP and kite rentals. With names like ‘Epic Surf’, ‘Surfattack’ or ‘Alohayolas’, the aim here is to lure the cool and beautiful onto their boards. With much success, as it seems to us, because despite the winter season, there is a lot going on here.
The night is stormy and our sleep gets rough. In the morning, we are finally glad that the sun lets us sleep a few hours longer. A coffee, a hearty breakfast and we are ready to discover something new again. There is supposed to be a long, adventurous footpath along the Famara cliff face to Playa del Risco. It is said that the beach below the cliffs is beautiful, but unfortunately it can only be reached by an almost inhuman 400 metre descent from the cliff or by this ten kilometre walk from Famara right through the rocks. Both options are somewhat unthinkable for us. As a drop of bitterness, however, I allow myself at least one section of this path along the cliff face to the so-called Casa del Agua. The cliffs rise almost vertically 400 metres above me and the roaring surf 100 metres below me. The path leads over hill and dale and occasionally over an avalanche of scree, of which there is probably a new one here from time to time. After just under an hour, I reach the water shack.
Fresh, crystal-clear water gushes out of the centre of the rocks. Within 50 metres of the spring, the dry, dusty stones turn green like a small oasis in the desert, a small miracle of nature. The little house seems to have seen better days. Today it is abandoned, covered in rubble and graffiti, but with a constant supply of fresh water. I treat myself to a quarter of an hour's break and let this place work its magic on me. The roar of the surf is eerie, so infinitely powerful, ruthless, violent, the way the waves lash the rocks. And behind me, the wall. I'd rather not look up there at all. If something comes loose, then I'll have a problem with my wife, but probably with myself first. But what the heck. The house hasn't just been here since yesterday and is still standing. It's always a question of the right time. If my visit here today wasn't the right one.... then you would hardly be reading these lines.
Our clifftop spot below the Snow Maiden was already great entertainment. But the Famara cliff has even more to offer. So after two days on the beach, we set off again, following Alejandro's recommendation. After Haria, we turn left uphill and wind our way along a panoramic road, later a track, to the Mirador de Maguez. On the way there, we drive along the cliff ridge past countless incredibly beautiful places that require no skill whatsoever for four-wheel-drive vehicles. I would even go so far as to say that many places are perfectly feasible even without four-wheel drive. But the fact is, we are completely alone here again. It seems to us that the vast majority of visitors to Lanzarote only drive to the sea and tend to ignore the mountains and cliffs. A mistake, we think, but that's fine by us.
Soon we're back to doing what we love to do here: Sitting in the lee of our vehicle in a comfortable camping chair and enjoying the view. From here we have a great vista of the islands of La Graciosa, Montaña Clara and Alegranza in the north of Lanzarote. We are particularly fond of La Graciosa, in the foreground. Its multi-coloured rock structures shimmer differently in the sunlight depending on the time of day, and the passing clouds cast shadows across the island and focus our attention on the sunny spots. If we turn our chair 180 degrees to the south, our gaze is now drawn to Famara and the numerous volcanoes of the Timanfaya region behind it. The sun setting in the south-west also delights us every evening with its warm blaze of colour. If haze or even fog comes into play, it becomes truly mystical. We have by no means seen everything Lanzarote has to offer, but this place is definitely on our shortlist of the most beautiful places to stay on this Canary Island.
above: Our location (arrow), it couldn't be more spectacular
below: View from the bedroom window across to the island of La Graciosa, priceless!
When we are tired of marvelling, we move a few metres further on foot or by fat bike to - yes, you guessed it - marvel again. Just a kilometre or so from our base is the small volcanic crater of La Pescosa. This also belongs in the insider tip category. In our case, we found it quite by chance due to its proximity to our base. Even the way up to the crater is full of surprises. You could be forgiven for thinking that someone had created a huge garden here. The black volcanic soil produces an incredible variety of rain-independent plants that ‘feed’ mainly on the moisture in the air. Unsurprisingly, but all the more fascinating is the fact that in places sheltered from the wind and in the hollows of the volcano's former side vents, the density of plants is many times greater than anywhere else. Nature is in full control here and opportunistically profits from every little circumstance it is offered. We hike through a small paradise to the crater rim and look down in awe some 150 metres into the centre of the crater. The rim is partially collapsed, forming terraces that are in turn protected from the usual north and east winds. And what has happened? The flora comes to the fore and takes over the terraces with tough, water-absorbing cacti and other thick-leaved, water-storing plants. It is almost too good to be true, our little paradise, we have found it once again. We rest here on the inside of the volcanic crater La Pescosa on a terrace sheltered from the wind, surrounded by cacti unknown to us and other species of survivalists of the local flora and marvel, marvel, marvel.
Impressions of our short hike to the crater of La Pescosa
Next blog: 5.5 The roaring south-west coast
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