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"Rambling Roger's your
man. In these days of instant gratification, it is rare to
find anyone so devoted to a task, which for him has been a true
labour of love. He is Gran Canaria's Wainwright and
deserves similar recognition"
Roger Vokes
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"The mountain scenery includes sculptured cliffs and
rock faces with deep gorges called barrancos but also
some lovely alpine type meadows.
Huge areas are
unspoilt and as nature intended and large parts of the
island are protected reserves.
There are many cave
houses, pretty villages and small fincas or farms. All
walks give stunning views across the island and I
consider a camera essential"
A Nonymous
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Why come Hiking in Gran Canaria ??
I firmly believe that Gran Canaria is one of the last great
hiking destinations in Europe still to be truly discovered by
the British hiker. Gran Canaria’s nickname is the mini
continent, and it really does live up to that name. There
are many distinct areas and mini climates on the island, giving
a great variety of hikes on one fairly small island.
Hikers from Scandinavia and Germany have already discovered
the beauty of hiking holidays on the island, so I have decided
with the help of my Guide:
'Don’t leave Gran Canaria without
seeing it' to try to promote hiking in Gran Canaria
to British and all other English speaking walkers.
I have tried to make all
25 Hikes achievable and enjoyable
for everyone who is reasonably fit and enjoys a good 4 to 5 hour
walk in the mountains. We find a good recreational walking
speed on our paths is about 2 miles per hour ( 3 Kmph ) and the
maximum ascent we enjoy is about 1,000 feet ( 300m ) in an hour. We do not believe that hiking or trekking should be competitive,
it can be challenging but not punishing.
Rambling Roger Grade
All walks have been given a
Rambling Roger Grade, here is a
brief explanation of those grades:
- Grade 1 - is the easiest
and would be not much more than an hours stroll along a
promenade
- Grade 2 - would be a 2 hour walk mostly downhill but
definitely ‘off road’
- Grade 3 - would be under 3 hours with some ascent, but
more descent, we regularly guide walks of this level for the
local Scandinavian Club where the
average age is about 70
- Grade 4 - would be up to 4 hours with no more than 300 metres
of ascent
- Grade 5 - will be 4 hours or more with an ascent of up
to 500 metres
- Grade 6 - is what I call an average mountain
walk usually over 4 hours with about 600 metres ascent
- Grade 7
-
is usually over 5 hours with maximum 750 metres ascent
- Grade 8 - will be over 6 hours with about
1,000 metres ascent
- Grade 9 - would be well over 6 hours and with
an ascent of over 1,000 metres
- Grade 10 - is a walk I would not do...
Rambling Roger’s Grading System
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Max Ascent |
Approx Length |
Approx Time |
Conditions |
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Grade 1 |
50 metres |
3 Km |
1 hour |
Very Easy |
|
Grade 2 |
100 metres |
6 Km |
2 hours |
Easy |
|
Grade 3 |
200 metres |
7.5 Km |
3 hours |
Easy to Medium |
|
Grade 4 |
300 metres
|
9 Km |
3 hr 30mins |
Easy to Medium |
|
Grade 5 |
500 metres |
12 Km |
4 hours |
Medium |
|
Grade 6 |
600 metres
|
15 Km |
5 hours |
Medium |
|
Grade 7 |
750 metres |
18 Km |
6 hours |
Medium to Tricky |
|
Grade 8 |
Over 750 m |
18 to 20 Km |
6 to 7 hours |
Medium to Tricky |
|
Grade 9 |
1000 metres |
20 Km |
7 hours |
Medium to Hard |
Grade 10
|
0ver 1,000 m
|
Over 20 Km
|
Over 7 hours
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Medium to Hard
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Underfoot walking conditions etc. may raise the hike one
Grade higher, any vertiginous sections will be mentioned in the
text, but in my walking Guide
'Don’t leave Gran Canaria without
seeing it' they are few and far between.
All timings exclude water, photo and picnic breaks, on an
average walk I would add a minimum of an hour onto the timings
given.
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Cave houses near
Artenara
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The lake at Soria in
winter
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Roger's Ramblers
Every Tuesday from October to May I guide a Grade 5 to Grade
7 walk with a group of friends, we call ourselves
Roger's Ramblers.
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Our walks cover the complete island, each week we
start in a different location. Most walks are circular - if
you are an experienced hiker we are sure you would enjoy both
the walk and the company of our group. These walks are free and will range from from 3-5
hours, if you are interested in joining our mountain walks,
please
contact
Roger's Ramblers
via email.
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Descending to
Ayagaures
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Guided Walks for Groups
My wife Eileen and I also guide walks for a couple of local
clubs, so please contact us if you require
guided walks for a group
of any size, as we understand why some people feel safer
and more comfortable in a small group with a guide rather than
hike alone. Gran Canaria is a safe place to trek, but you
naturally pick up much more local information etc. especially
with a resident English speaking guide.
 Roger
and Eileen opened our eyes to the beautiful parts of
Gran Canaria, beyond the beaches, that we did not
realise existed. Their expertly guided walks took
us to such incredible places, inland lakes, waterfalls,
valleys and challenging peaks, quite unique in natural
beauty. Roger's extensive knowledge of the island
makes the walks so interesting and fun with his amusing
anecdotes and warm sense of humour. We shall be
eternally grateful to them both
Pauline and Mike Williams, West Kirby, Wirral, England |
 Disclaimer:
Every effort has been made to ensure
the accuracy of information, but things do change, a dirt track
may become concreted, and a house may have been re-painted a
different colour. Also there are often rock falls after
heavy rain, or water can be running in a usually dry stream bed
etc. All walks are undertaken at your own risk, we accept
no liability for any accidents.
Whilst every consideration has been given
to your safety in the planning of these routes, ultimately your
safety is your own responsibility.
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