Isle of Memories

If you fancy 30 degree temperatures in winter and some incredible roads, get over to Gran Canaria on hire motorcycles for a box-ticking, day-long ride.

We headed out from Playa des Inglés on the GC60 road for Fataga past the camel farm (you can’t miss it) and then on to Cruz de Tejeda for a coffee and cake stop. Within three miles of setting off we were free from traffic and heading up into the mountains. This was the least twisty section of the day, but even this had bends which would test practised riders.

After six miles we passed a tourist attraction of ‘aboriginal settlement’ and headed further into the mountains, now gloriously lit by the sun which was on our backs – the temperature gauge on the bike read 31°.

The Tarmac was pristine, but the switchback bends were hidden by overhanging rocks, which jutted out to the very edge of the road, making the bends completely blind. Oncoming buses and lorries (not always able to maintain their own side of the narrow road) added to the challenge, as did fallen rocks and bends, which tightened as we went round. Our progress was safe and slow (up to 25mph) as we were not in any rush and you really don’t want to overcook a bend here, as going over the barriers means facing a certain perilous fall of sometimes 500 feet.

We passed through Cruz de Tejeda, as our local stopping-off point La Perdiz Café was closed for refurbishment – a pity, because I knew from experience it was worth the

stop just to sample their cakes and hear the large dog barking on the rooftop. Further on down the road we had a glimpse of the neighbouring island of Tenerife and the volcano of Pico del Teide in the distance, but blink and you miss it. If you do, I recommend doing a U-turn and going back for a proper look.

We turned off the GC60 on to the GC210, whose Tarmac was a little less smooth, passing reservoirs on the way down to GC200 to stop off at Los Cordones. None of the locals speak much English, but with the aid of my very limited Espanol and Google Translate, I asked for the nearest café/restaurant and was duly pointed in the right direction. An último burger turned out to be a double burger, two fried eggs, bacon and two heaps of cheese – good thing I didn’t go for the French fries.

Suitably refreshed, Kate and I remounted the V-Strom and headed for the coast, through Mogán to Puerto de Mogán and back along the coast road, with its vertical 500-foot drop to the rocks and sea below just feet away from the front wheel. The sea was blue, the breeze was more than welcome, and by 4pm we were back at the hotel for a beer and a dip in the pool. We’d had just over 100 miles of cacti, excellent views, lots of smiles, memories and very technical roads to ride again one day. Not an easy ride – I reckon 8/10 on the difficulty ratings – but highly recommended for the experienced rider.