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La Gomera is the ultimate get-away-from-it-all island: easy-going, unspoilt, friendly, isolated from the hustle and bustle of modern living, and so laid back it’s virtually supine - even the volcanoes have been dormant for millions of years. The walks, however, are a bit more energetic. For the new 4th edition of Walk! La Gomera Charles Davis has teamed up with Jan Kostura. Jan brings his wide experience and passion for the Canaries, checking, re-walking and revising existing routes, and adding a couple of his own adventures, including a new Top Three Gomeran walk. Two routes have been dropped as having become too dangerous, but the good news is that many of the more harum-scarum walks have been improved through path clearing and the addition of railings to the vertiginous stretches. Other good news is that the devastating forest fires of 2012 have proved not nearly as damaging as we feared, leaving most of our itineraries unscathed. In short, there is every reason to take off and explore La Gomera, or to return with this new edition to revive acquaintances and make some new discoveries at the same time. All the trails have been surveyed and mapped using GPS satellite navigation. The authors and their co-walkers have walked all these routes, ensuring accuracy and up to date information for hikers. Clear descriptions guide the walker both to the starting point and throughout the routes, with gradings, distances, timings and altitudes all symbolized, as are vertigo alerts and refreshment possibilities on or at ends of the routes. There are 34 detailed walking adventures with routes ranging from a couple of 90 minute 4 kilometre walks, up to challenging trails taking over 6 hours, covering 20 kilometres including ascents & descents of 1060 metres. Each route includes its own map sections with the route and waypoints clearly marked. Map sections are developed from the La Gomera Tour & Trail Super-Durable Map, the most up to date and toughest map of the island. GPS waypoint files for all the 34 routes are available in three formats as a free zip file download from the Discovery Walking Guides website. 34 main walking routes with summary of the route, fully detailed walk description including frequent timings, compass directions, GPS Waypoints; all in Charles inimitable inspirational style. Short route options and stroll options of the main walking routes. Full colour map sections for each route, taken from the new Tour & Trail Map and placed alongside the walk description; plus colour photographs. Regional Walks Locator Maps for navigation in the North, West, South and East, plus island map. GPS Waypoint available as free download from our GPX Downloads page. Accommodation information ranging from luxury hotels down to more modest hostals. Bus Timetables, Ferry Information and general travel information. Interesting background information, particularly culinary. Concise walking advice on equipment and safety. Web references for more information. Comprehensive index. If you have any doubts as to where to walk, remember that La Gomera is our first choice for a vacation when we want to take a break from life in southern Tenerife. Unspoilt and unsophisticated, this beautiful island is a ninety/sixty minute ferry crossing from Los Cristianos in southern Tenerife. The Fred Olsen ferry service is now fast and is supplemented by the Garajonay Express fast catamaran service linking Los Cristianos with San Sebastian, Playa Santiago and Valle Gran Rey. Arriving in San Sebastian you might wonder why the island gets such good reports, but this is the least impressive section of the island. Drive (or bus) away from the capital (there are only two roads!) and you enter a different world of huge canyons, ancient laurel forest (a world heritage site) and quiet villages. La Gomera had the dubious title of 'most depopulated Canary Island' as the younger population left to find work in Tenerife and Venezuela. This has resulted in large areas of abandoned farm terraces linked by stone-laid donkey trails - ideal walking country! Thirty years since the depopulation exodus started the 'Sons of La Gomera' are returning to retire back in their home villages. Having made their money abroad this homecoming is reflected in the new houses being built and the regeneration of the island's rural communities. The effect now is a combination of vibrant expectation (fuelled by quality tourism centred on Playa Santiago and Valle Gran Rey) and rural charm set against the dramatic 'barranco architecture' of the island.
