Los Ancones is a fairly easy walk of about 5.5km. It it quite rocky in places under foot so good boots for sure and walking poles for balance might be a good idea. The route for me takes about an hour and a half depending of water breaks and photo opportunities.
Directions
From the north follow the LZ 14 off the LZ 1 into Costa Teguise. Turn right at the T junction (Calle Ruta del Norte) and left at the end of the road onto the LZ 18. Continue to a large round-a-bout and take the only exit. After about 175m take the left onto the dirt track to the village of Los Ancones.
From Arricefe follow the LZ3 north and take the exit for Costa Teguise LZ 18. Continue through to very end of the village to a very large round-a-bout and take the only exit. After about 175m take the left onto the dirt track to the village of Los Ancones.
As you enter Los Ancones village turn right down the hill, left at the bottom and left again at the top. there is some rough ground here to park where you don’t obstruct anyone’s access.
Click on the map image above to open a Google map of the area in a new tab.
The Walk
Leave the village heading north east along the dirt track. About 415m take the right hand fork towards the coast. Join the cliff top path turning left, keeping the sea on your right shoulder.
Follow this cliff top path until just before the second dry stone wall meets the cliff top. Just to the left a path crosses a sandy patch and leads to a larger dirt road. Turning left on to this track heading roughly SE brings you back to the start of the walk. Turning right on the track heading roughly NW would eventually come out by Guatiza Garage.
Los Ancones Alternate Routes.
As is apparent from the Google map of the area, there are many tracks and trails in this area between Los Ancones, Guatiza Garage and Los Cocoteros. The trails are great for mountain bikes as well as hiking.
Depending on the season you may see this strange parasitic plant smothering one of the roadside bushes.
Commonly known as Angel Hair, click here to find out more.
Los Ancones – History
I guess the most famous or infamous event in the history of the village is that on the 30th of July, 1586, the Algerian corsair Morato Arráez arrived in Lanzarote. With a fleet of seven galleys containing 1,000 men he landed at night in the Los Ancones inlet.
The next day they headed, almost unseen, to the town of Teguise, causing one of the most destructive pirate attacks on the island in the 16th century. The pirates laid siege to the Castle of Santa Bárbara, which overlooks the town.
To read more concerning the local history of Los Ancones and the surrounding area click the link here. The sites are in Spanish, so if it helps I have made an attempt to summarise a few topics of interest in the History section.