Trekking in Valverde

Sadie Williams
Dec 16, 2018
3 min read

I have been really embracing hiking this year. I loved being in bustling Madrid last year, but I have missed being close to nature and especially the mountains. There is really nothing like summiting a mountain and seeing that breathtaking view.

I have also met some others who enjoy hiking! A couple weeks ago, I went on a hike with some teachers at my school. Because of how the teacher placement works for teachers in Spanish public schools, many people on El Hierro are actually from other islands so are also out here alone even if they are from a bigger island.

Last month, I met up with some teachers from my school and we hiked some of the Ruta del Agua, the same route I did a few weeks back. We started in San Andrés (up the mountain from Villa de Valverde where I live), went past the Garoé Tree, and walked down the other side. It was a beautiful day, all sunshine and crisp mountain air, and it had also recently rained so we got to see all sorts of plants, including lots of mushrooms!

I am always blown away by the view of the ocean from the top of the mountain, because the sun glitters off the stretching water just like magic. I also love the rainforest section of this hike because of all the dripping moss and the thick canopy -- it feels like stepping into another world!

When we got back to Valverde, we drove back up to San Andrés to fetch the car we'd left there and eat lunch. It was a grand affair, like Spanish meals so often are, lasting around two hours and including wine, bread with mojo, grilled steak with mushroom sauce, and coffee.

On our hike, we went by some farms and met a pig and her piglets, lots of very vocal sheep asking for food, and some cows who were going for a ride in a pickup truck. Here are the cows!

I also met some very excited hunting dogs. Their dad was shooting partridges (sadly, no pear tree to be found), and they were running off into the bush to fetch the birds once they fell.

The weather doesn't really change in El Hierro, so it is now and always chestnut season. In October, my school celebrated Tafeña, a fall festival when everyone eats roasted chestnuts and drinks rich hot chocolate. On our hike, we saw some chestnut trees and found some fresh chestnuts in their spiky shells. This year is the first time I've ever eaten a chestnut (which are good but are not nearly as sweet as I expected) and definitely the first time I've picked one.

After lunch, Héctor, a teacher at my school and the leader of our little expedition, suggested we go to a viewpoint, el Mirador de Isora, and I am certainly glad we did! It was stunning--a beautiful blustery day with the sun shining. We saw the coastline of El Hierro as well as the islands of La Gomera, Tenerife, and Gran Canaria!

I couldn't get enough of these views! I'd love to hike around this area another time.

Our final stop on our discovery expedition of El Hierro was Héctor's family farm. The farm is now empty but it still belongs to their family from generations ago, and there are still prickly pears and grape vines. Héctor had a special pair of wooden tongs to pick the cactus fruit without getting stabbed, and we all went home with fresh grapes and prickly pears (tunos).

Then, we went on a walk all around the area, seeing more ocean views, watching the light fade from the fields, and even seeing these neat rural shrines with crosses usually representing the number of family members.