This is a relatively steady walk, although the section along the rim of the barranco is quite narrow with steep drops down to the floor of the ravine. It looks to be a popular mountain bike route and not ideal in windy conditions.
There are many places for coffee and cake or indeed a spot of lunch in Teguise. A popular spot for hikers and cyclists alike is jonniebakes. Great for large Cappuccinos and a variety of tasty cakes, plus they do a great Cornish pasty.
Directions
Follow the LZ-1 out of Arrecife and take the LZ-10 in Tahiche for Teguise. Straight over at the round-a-bout in Teguise and take the fourth left and first right. Park to the right of the Football Stadium.
The Walk – Barranco de la Horca Rim
From the car park head NW away from the village past the Teguise High School. On the left take the dirt track until you come out onto the the mountain road of La Montaña. Notice the old Lime Kiln ruins. Looking straight ahead you see a number of tracks and trails climbing up or edging round to the left of a low bluff (La Montañeta de Chimida). You can take any of these, the objective is to reach is the far side of the bluff at the old abandoned water storage.
Here you have panoramic views down towards El Jable and Las Laderas. On the down slope of the old cistern you pick up a track heading NNE. Follow this track round to the upper lip of Barranco de la Horca. Continue round the lip slowly climbing as the the barranco narrows. Notice the many small dam walls built across the ravine floor.
Towards the top of the barranco look for a switch back path on the right which re-joins the old mountain road. Here you have a number of options:
Click on the image to see an expanded view
- You can turn left, continue over the ridgeway and then head back to the village following the dirt road back to the football stadium (blue route).
- Turn right down the La Montaña mountain road, retracing your steps back over to the car park once you reach the Lime Kilns again.
- Turn right down the La Montaña mountain road. Once past the black picon covered fields on your right, look for the start of the next ones on both left and right of the road. Here you can pick up a trail left which will take you over down to the dirt road leading back to the car park (yellow route).
Barranco de la Horca Rim – History
To read more on the history of Teguise you can checkout the following sites:
Some of these sites are in Spanish, so if it helps I have made an attempt to summarise a few topics of interest in the History section.