Lanzarote

Ros Ailither at sea

Katie bravely standing on the boom

It took us four nights and three-and-a-half days to cross from Rabat to the Canary Isles. We had hardly any wind so did a lot of motoring and a little bit of sailing when the breeze picked up. The sea was calm enough for the children to swing around the mast, and Katie was brave enough to climb up and out on the boom, and be lowered over the side on the swing - at sea!

sailbag hideaway

Katie hanging over the sea!

We sighted land on the fourth morning and since the weather was so calm, we decided to head for la Graciosa, the tiny island to the north of Lanzarote. The whole island is a nature reserve and renowned for its clear-water diving. You are only allowed to anchor in one spot, Playa Francesca, and we first had to go to the main harbour, Caleta del Sebo, to get a permit to anchor. And that is as far as we got!

It was Sunday, so no officials were in the port office. We were tired from the trip so were content to sit at the local beach and watch the children play. Reuben was happy building sandcastles, and Katie befriended a Spanish girl. Despite neither speaking the other’s language, they were soon happily playing together in the water. We just lapped up the stunning scenery – looking across to Lanzarote opposite, you could almost ‘see’ the lava still flowing down the mountainsides.

north coast of Lanzarote

beautiful swirls of erosion on the mountain, Graciosa

La Graciosa is almost cut off from the rest of the Canary Isles. It is separated from Lanzarote by a narrow stretch of water called ‘El Rio’, but whereas la Graciosa is low-lying, apart from four volcanic mountains, the shoreline of Lanzarote is very steep-to. The people of la Graciosa apparently used to make a living from fishing. They took their catch across El Rio in rowing boats, and had to climb to the top of the mountain just to trade their fish. Nowadays, trip boats bring boat-loads of visitors from the bigger islands.

It is low-level tourism here - most holiday apartments are just one-storey high, there is a basic campsite and a handful of restaurants. That’s it! Apart from lovely unspoilt sandy beaches and desert terrain inland. There are no real roads on la Graciosa, so people hire bikes or buggies to get around the sandy tracks.

Caleta del Sebo, Graciosa

sandy paths in Graciosa

The wind picked up steadily from our arrival and the following day it was blowing 30 knots from the southeast. Winds are predominantly northeasterly here (when the Playa Francesca anchorage would be sheltered), but it was untenable in these strong southeasterly winds. Not to worry, we were quite happy moored in the harbour, watching the flow of tourist boats come and go. Reuben particularly liked the ‘shark boat’!

Reuben's favourite 'shark boat'

Since we couldn’t anchor at Playa Francesca, we decided to go there on foot. The coastline is very rugged – stretches of sand interspersed with bumpy black lava rocks, and tidal pools. The children enjoyed rock-hopping and wading through the shallow pools, where we even found a large crab. Dead sadly, although we returned him to the water just in case!

Graciosa beach, Montana Amarillo in the background

rugged coastline, Graciosa

Dave & Reuben in a stone windbreak, Graciosa

Without a map, we were unsure whether we had arrived at Playa Francesca or not. There was certainly a lovely beach, but it was very windy and unsafe to anchor. The children had a quick paddle while we mulled over our options. We decided to look around the next headland to see. Once over the ridge, we descended to a secluded but fairly busy beach. Sheltered from the wind, we felt the heat properly for the first time (22 degrees), and the children were quick to strip off for a paddle.

Parts of the beach were literally right underneath the mountain, ‘montana Amarillo’, and signs warned of landslides. You could see where the sandstone above had been worn away into impressive caves and ridges - and looked ready to do so again!

We didn’t realise how far we had walked until we had to go back against the wind. Instead of following the winding coast path, we cut across the middle ground and found ourselves walking across almost barren terrain, cut through with deep gullies from occasional rain. There are no trees on la Graciosa, just clumps of prickly bushes and the odd tiny purple flower. Our legs were aching by the time we got back to Caleta del Sebo, and the children were finally rewarded with an ice cream!

sandy & rocky desert terrain, Graciosa

We soon discovered that the southeasterly winds were set to stay for a while. Ultimately, we wanted to get to Arrecife, on the east coast of Lanzarote, but we decided to go with the wind, and sailed right down the west side. We had a great sail, with spectacular views of the many volcanoes that created Lanzarote – some 300 of them! By the time we reached the southern tip, the wind had dropped (it often does at night here) and we motored into Marina Rubicon.

Volcanic landscape of Lanzarote

The marina deserves a few words, as it has been sculpted into a minor resort, complete with swimming pool (freezing!), numerous bars & restaurants, twice-weekly artisan market, a fake volcano lit at night to resemble flowing lava (part of a hotel), and my favourite – the rotating globe of peace outside the supermarket!

globe of peace (or 'peach' as it was originally misspelt!)

We ended up staying 8 days in the marina, and the wind seemed to blow steadily from the southeast the whole time. We met up with our friends on ‘Persevere’ (who we met in Rabat), and had a lovely few days exploring with them. We all got on our bikes and cycled to the nearby beach ‘Playa Mujeres’. Actually, the track ran out before we got there, so a bit of minor rock-climbing was called for. The beach was worth it – the girls all swam with snorkels and could see fish swimming and nibbling around the rocks.

Timanfaya Devil

We hired a car for us all one day, and visited the Timanfaya ‘Mountains of Fire’ Park. A coach took us on a half hour ride around the volcanoes, with spectacular views and an excellent commentary. Although the volcanic activity that formed the islands happened millions of years ago, the latest eruption was as recent as 1750, and the lava fields from it are an incredible mass of twisted black impassable rocks. All set against the backdrop of the (now smooth) original volcanoes. The coach took us up the sides of the volcanoes and past impressive holes and craters in the ground.

'Mountains of Fire'

lumpy lavafields

At the Timanfaya Centre, they showed how hot the ground is just metres below the surface by placing twigs into a large hole, which almost immediately ignited into flames. Half a bucket of water poured into a smaller hole fired right back out as a ‘geyser’ of steam. Inside the building, they were roasting chicken pieces directly over one of the volcanic vents to serve in the restaurant.

Combusting twigs just below the ground

Cooking chicken directly over a volcanic vent

The highlight of Reuben’s day was a ride on a camel train! These animals were brought over from Morocco and were used to carry out farmwork and carrying loads to market before roads were built and the motor car took over. Nowadays, they carry tourists around a circular path in the mountains.

We were paired up according to weight – Katie and her friend Meriel were on the lead camel; Dave, Reuben and I were on the one behind. There was a bit of a lurch as the camels climbed to their feet but it was a surprisingly gentle motion once they started walking – sort of a rhythmic lurching. One older gentleman towards the back of our train looked as though he may not have agreed with me!

Camels waiting patiently

on the camel train

Our camel was called ‘Julio’, and he made very strange grumbling/gobbling noises. That, as well as the fact he kept pushing his nose into Katie’s seat as we walked made her a little bit nervous, but we all enjoyed the ride, especially with the majestic red volcanic background. The girls’ camel, ‘Maria’ was white with beautiful long eyelashes. She had seemed very calm and placcid when Meriel had stroked her neck before the ride, so it was a bit of a shock when Maria tried to bite her fingers at the end!

We drove north up through the island, looking out at the inhospitable land. I had always heard that volcanic soil was very fertile, but here it was just mile upon mile of empty black rock. It hardly ever rains here and it amazed me that anything could grow in the gritty black ‘soil’. Towards the centre of the island, there were more signs of cultivation. Fields had been tilled and sown but still seemed to be full of stones. Amazingly, there were grapevines too. Low semi-circular ‘walls’ had been painstakingly built from the lava stones, and a single vine was planted in the centre of each, in a dip to collect any dew. The grape harvest per area here is apparently only one third of a conventional vineyard.

cultivated field

We visited another ‘centre of culture and tourism’ – the ‘Jameos de Agua’.  This is a natural volcanic cave full of water, where a unique set of tiny lobster-like crabs thrive (each the size of a fingernail). The children loved poking their finger into the water to watch them scuttle away. The cave walls have been strengthened and made safe, and then its natural beauty enhanced and made ‘tourist-friendly’ so it is now a strange combination of high-class restaurant/theme park. You emerge from the dark cave onto a path around a white-washed pool, with incredibly (dyed) blue water surrounded by palm trees. Another large volcanic cave has been turned into an auditorium. A café overlooks the whole spectacle and there was a gift shop as you leave. It was a truly stunning place but seemed to have been rather ‘manufactured’ in order to charge a steep entry fee.

Jameos de Agua

tiny lobster/crabs living in the pool

sculpted for the tourists

Back at the marina, we spent several days meeting up with our friends, preparing the boat for Christmas, and had several trips to Playa Blanca. This is a typical holiday resort with a sandy beach and rows of tourist restaurants and knick knack shops – twenty minutes walk away along a promenade overlooking the sea. We admired the ingenuity of locals trying to earn a living – from traditional hair-braiding and ice-creams to snow-topped sandcastles and lava rocks sculptures.

snow-capped sand sculpture

Finally, the wind dropped and turned more easterly and we left the shelter of the marina. We had seen postcards of a stunning enclosed beach, Playa Papagayo, just along the coast and headed there. We spent a rolly night at anchor but it was worth it to dinghy in to this lovely beach. Whereas most beaches had a sizeable swell breaking on them, this one was protected by rocks on both sides of the entrance. This gave us a smooth landing once inside but we were grateful for the lines of buoys marking the safe channel through the rocks – quite impressive as you row between them! I walked to the top of the surrounding cliffs and had lovely views over both sides of the southern tip of Lanzarote, and across to Fuerteventura, and of course, of our lone boat at anchor in the bay.

Incredible lava rock formations along the coast

secluded Playa Papagayo

Anchored off Playa Papagayo

The next day, we came up the east side of Lanzarote to the capital, Arrecife, where we are expecting friends out to visit at New Year. We have spent several peaceful days anchored off the town and exploring the local beaches and shops. The water is incredibly clear and Katie had her first diving trip down the anchor chain to the bottom of the ocean (about 15 foot!). Strong southerly winds are expected again, so we have moved into the marina for a peaceful non-rolly Christmas.

Arrecife beach

Katie & Dave diving, Arrecife


MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE & ALL!!

Christmas lights in Arrecife