The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Travelling with strong winds
Robin is exploring in Fuerteventura, the Canary Islands’ underrated gem
I’m a huge fan of the Canaries and, for me, one of them is seriously underrated. I’m talking about Fuerteventura. This real-life treasure island is so much more than just a beach escape, as there is great seafood, superb hiking, intoxicating layers of history and, in the shape of Corralejo, my favourite resort in the Canaries.
As I write this I’m at the end of another week on Fuerteventura, a typically brilliant one. Follow in my footsteps and I guarantee you will soon be a convert and a fan of the second-largest in the Canary Islands. The climate is, of course, a huge draw for starters, with year-round warmth thanks to its southerly location, just 100km off the northwest coast of Africa.
My base is the aforementioned resort of Corralejo. I say resort but it’s actually a real Spanish town where the squares away from the waterfront are alive with children playing until all hours as their parents take it easy in one of the pavement cafes.
It’s an active fishing port, too, with a real sense of community spirit not found in many Spanish mainland resorts. I feel it most keenly during the epic Carnival Week in February when everyone is out on the streets.
I also appreciate that while Corralejo has a strip of theme bars and restaurants catering to Brits looking for a fix of sunshine and sangria, it also attracts people from other nationalities, including many mainland Spaniards. Corralejo is also famous among windsurfers and kiteboarders, adding another dynamic to what makes for an enjoyably eclectic mix.
It also sports lovely, clean, sandy beaches right in the heart of town. These are great but you probably won’t want to spend much time on them once you have discovered the famous dunes of the Parque Natural de Corralejo, which stretches south of the town. This pristine, white, 11km-long sweep of sands and crystal-clear waters looks like something out of a Bounty advert. The sand is blown in from the Sahara.
My tip is to take a taxi out and then meander back to town, stopping off at the pop up bars in the dunes as you go.
There are other resorts, too, such as Caleta de Fuste, with its restaurants and fancy shops, which are aimed at a more well-heeled crowd.
Right in the deep south, Morro Jable is a relaxed resort popular with Germans and Central Europeans. I like it there but if you’re not used to naturism, beware, as clothing-optional bathing is often the norm in this part of Fuerteventura!
Inland, life shifts down a few gears on an island that, tourism aside, has a very low-key economy. Many visitors don’t even know about this beguiling mountainous hinterland, but even during this week I managed trips to Antigua, La Oliva and Betancuria.
Betancuria is the prettiest and the grandest of the villages, its characterful stone houses and whitewashed churches harking back to its glory days, when it was the island’s capital until 1834. The Artisans Museum and the Betancuria Archaeological Museum tell the intriguing story of a town that also offers a tantalising window into the history of the whole island. The hearty local specialty inland is goat – baked kid is on the menu at cosy Casa Santa Maria in Betancuria.
Not being a huge fan of goat, I prefer Fuerteventura’s world class seafood. The restaurants of Corralejo are OK (especially the wee Cofradia, run by the local fishermen’s co-operative), but I much prefer nipping across to the west coast where El Cotillo awaits. Very much a working fishing port, this rugged rock-strewn gem boasts a sprinkling of superb seafood restaurants, Frenchowned La Vaca Azul is the place to head, with boat-fresh local fish such as cherne or vieja.
My favourite way of getting out to El Cotillo from Corralejo is walking. It’s a hefty hike of at least four hours, but a life-affirming one as you eke through the barren volcanic landscape with the roaring Atlantic surf for constant company and the neighbouring island of Lanzarote off in the distance. The chances are you won’t even see any other hikers. The beaches on the final stretch into El Cotillo are some of the best anywhere in Macaronesia.
The hiking doesn’t end there. Tenerife and La Palma may be more renowned
for walking in this part of the world, but I reckon Fuerteventura is brilliant for walkers. I spent a week hiking here with Ramblers Worldwide Holidays (www. ramblersholidays.co.uk) a few years ago and was bowled over. During this week I recreated my favourite trek, striding down the Barranco de las Penitas in search of the Atlantic at the sleepy wee village of Ajuy.
Fuerteventura, putting it simplistically, is one big volcano so if you love walking I recommend getting up at least one. The most famous is the Montana de Tindaya, said to be the oldest mountain in the Canary Islands and sacred to the island’s indigenous Majorero people. It offers epic views as well as ancient rock carvings near the summit. It can be a tough scramble up so I would suggest taking a local guide.
After all that effort you should be hungry again. Good news – it’s cheese time. Handily, Fuerteventura is home to the finest goat’s cheese in the Canaries. Indeed, it has been recognised and protected by the EU. You will find majorero cheese in many restaurants, often grilled with palm honey or spiced with red or green mojo sauce. I love its salty tang as is, best enjoyed bought direct from one of the little farmsteads that produce their own. The village of Tindaya is renowned for its majorero.
The best rooms at the apartment complex I usually stay at in Corralejo (the three-star Hotel Dunas Club, www.hoteldunasclub.es) enjoy a view over another brace of islands. In the distance there is Lanzarote, which makes for a great day trip taking in the remarkable architecture of visionary Cesar Manrique and its volcanic national park. If you want something completely different, though, I suggest a wee boat trip across to the Isla de Lobos.
The ‘Isle of Sea Wolves’ has long been abandoned by the monk seals that gave it its name and man no longer ekes out a life here, either. A rugged lighthouse and a tiny restaurant you have to book in advance to eat at (lunch only) are all that remains.
For me, the great pleasure is doing very little. Earlier this week I just popped across and strolled around on the walking trails for half a day. I then spent the second half of the day taking it easier on the sandy beaches, where traditional volcanic rock shelters you from the wind.
I recommend popping up to the top of the Isla de Lobos’ bijou volcanic peak. From here you can see bustling Corralejo and the sinewy expanse of Fuerteventura stretching off into the distance.
If you make it up here towards the end of your holiday, I reckon by now you will agree with me that Fuerteventura is the most underrated of the Canary Islands.