Our third visit to Gran Canaria, and I still haven't managed to walk to the Lighthouse at Maspalomas. Time to put that right I think! I did a trial run earlier in the week getting as far as the Hotel Riu in Maspalomas.The helpful Concierge informed me that the Lighthouse was a further 45 minutes away, across the sand dunes.With the temperatures around 26 degrees plus walking there and back was an unlikely option. I'm estimating somewhere between 4-5 hours. The best option was to try and get a bus at least some of the way, if not all the way. I boarded the number 30 bus to Maspalomas. Unfortunately there were a few communication issues.The driver didn't seem to like the idea of going to the Lighthouse. The bus was going to the airport I believe? According to my research the number 30 was the correct bus. Feeling adventurous, I got on anyway to see where It might take me.
Things initially seemed to be going quite well. We seemed to be heading in roughly the right direction. We got to Maspalomas and then seemed to be heading back on ourselves. I made the executive decision to bale out. Thankfully I saw the reassuring sight of the hotel I visited previously. The avenue leads right down to the sands. The Maspalomas Dune system is a unique wild place in the Canary Islands
due to its beauty and range of ecosystems. Its 400 hectares, protected
by the Canarian government as a Nature Reserve of special value. The path is marked out by staked posts that keep you away from the high dunes.
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The dunes have been protected as a nature reserve since 1987. These is a school of thought that they originates from the sands of the Sahara. Brought across the Atlantic on the Sirocco winds. A nice romantic thought, they are though formed by sand from the now subdued marine shelf, when it was
laid dry during the last ice age, and then shaped by the winds. The dunes are an important Ecosystem. Providing habitat for a variety of plants and animals. In the distance I get my first sighting of the Lighthouse, or Faro as they are called in Spanish and Portuguese.
It is a really beautiful area with wide stretches of sand leading to the dunes. The area is well known for water sports such as , Wind Surfing, Kite Surfing and Paddle boarding. There are also a large number of surfers in the water too. Known as ”El Faro de Maspalomas' to the locals, the lighthouse started being built in 1861 and took 28 years to complete. Once completed, the lighthouse first shone its light in 1890. It helped
guide steam boats on routes between Europe, Africa and America as it
could be seen for 19 nautical miles.Nowadays it's a distinctive land mark in Maspalomas as it marks a point where the sands of Maspalomas stop and Playa Del Ingles begins.
It is the tallest masonry lighthouse in the Canaries, it still works and is still active.
It's time to turn around and take the long walk back to San Augustin. It's very straightforward walking in the surf all the way. In some areas it is like a pilgrimage with so many people walking in both directions. It's all very pleasant though and I am glad to have finally got to the Lighthouse. In total 6.75 miles walked (14,134 steps).
