Latest Updates

As local residents and walkers, we strive to keep ourselves fully up-to-date with all the walks, thereby ensuring you have at hand the most reliable and up-to-date information about the routes.

We personally check out all routes and important updates will be available to hikers who have purchased the guide 'Don’t Leave Gran Canaria Without Seeing It' - The walks are regularly updated and we will be delighted to receive your feedback, all constructive comments are welcome. New signpost information will added to these updates, as will any information that puts the integrity of any walk in doubt.

October 2024 updates

The weather during September has been warm and dry, but there has still been no rain (except for a light shower) on the island so everything is still very dry. There are no alerts in place at present, but until there is rain, wildfires remain a possibility.

Hiking is still not allowed across the Dam wall at Soria, this is not expected to change in the near future, so the S 60 hiking route remains closed between Chira and Soria. There is also quite a lot of construction work to west of the Chira reservoir, so hiking is not recommended in the area around Lomo La Palma.

Near Agaete the SL 1 path to Guayedra beach is only open at weekends due to construction work on the tunells linking Agaete with San Nicalos

September 2024 updates

Temperatures have now returned to normal for September, mostly to the mid 20 degree range, as maximums. The fire alert has been reduced to Orange, this means that hiking is now allowed. Great care must still be taken as there has been no significant rain anywhere on the island, so there is still a danger of dry grasses, shrubs and trees catching fire.

There was a serious fire in the Fataga barranco in August, luckily there were only light winds and a good rapid reaction from the fire service, so a major fire was averted. An area the size of about 30 football pitches was burnt.

The GR routes are still not verified, but there are two newly signposted "S" routes, the S 24 from San Mateo going up to the Cumbre, and the S 34 from Ingenio to Valsequillo via Tecen.

August 2024 updates

Temperatures are still high, some days they go up to about 40 degrees in the shade, and with the drought type conditions in many areas restrictions have been put in place to avoid fires. Barbeques are not allowed in picnic areas, hiking over 400m is not allowed in the south, or over 600m in the north. I would expect these restictions to stay in place for the next few weeks unless there is a significant change in the weather. There is a traffic light system in place to inform people of the restiction here is a link to the web site, www.grancanariamosaico.com/semaforos/ The site is only in Spanish but is easy to translate and does give you the up to date information.

Many visitors to Gran Canaria visit Roque Nublo, not just hikers. The car park there is rather small, and parking restrictions have recently been put in place to limit the amount of road side parking, some motorists have been fined for illegal parking. This car park is approx 1550 metres above sea level, well above the level that hiking is allowed when a red alert is in place. People have also been fined for walking in the Roque Nublo area whilst this alert is still in force. The same is also true for the Tamadaba forest area.

I have started to update my hiking guides, not because of any route changes, but beause of the many new signposts that have been erected in the last 12 months, especially the GR signs whcih did not exist a year ago, these signs are clearly not mentiond in my hiking guide. The updates are far numerous to include on this page, but when completed will be available free to anyone who has purchased the 2022 versions of my hiking guides. The construction work is still on going at Soria so the Dam wall cannot be crossed, and I have been informed of a path clousre on the Fataga circle in Volume 2.

July 2024 updates

Here are some more road updates. The resurfacing work on the GC 60 and GC 600 to Roque Nublo is now complete, these roads now have a very good new surface and at present I am not aware of any more proposed road closures in this area.

There has still been no significant rain in the south of Gran Canaria. Temperatures have risen in the last few days, to about 40 degrees in the shade, and with the drought type conditions in many areas restrictions have been put in place to avoid fires. Barbeques are not allowed in picnic areas, hiking over 400m is not allowed in the south, or over 600m in the north. I would expect these restictions to stay in place for the next few weeks unless there is a significant change in the weather.

June 2024 updates

Recently I feel that there are more road updates than walk updates. From today, 26th June, the GC 60 north of San Bartolome to Ayacata is closed for re-surfacing work. The road is closed Monday to Friday from 08.30 to 18.30 until the work is completed, which will probably be in the middle of July. The Ayacata to La Cumbre road (GC 600) is now open, but you can only get to Ayacata from Pueblo Mogan or Tejeda.

There has been no significant rain this year in the south of Gran Canaria. There are no restictions regarding hiking in place at present, but everybody is advised to be on high alert when walking or driving in the mountains, and to ring 112 if you see anything suspicious.

The GC 600 is closed between Ayacata and Roque Nublo for resurfacing, the only access at present to Roque Nublo is from Cruz de Tejeda from the south of the island. When this section of the work is completed, the GC 600 will be closed from La Cumbre restaurant to Roque Nublo. Basically the GC 600 cannot be used as through road from Monday to Friday, between 08.30 and 18.30 for at least a month. I have been told that the work on the GC 200 on the West Coast has now been completed.

There is still no news yet about the verification of the GR routes, but the S 60 (used on the GR 139 and on my 3 lakes circle) is still closed at the Dam Wall in Soria. I have seen a few SL routes with new signpsots recently.

April 2024 updates

The only significant rain this year, in the south of Gran Canaria, was in late March. There is a heat wave forecast for the middle of April, so the fire risk will be high in the coming months. There are no restictions regarding hiking in place at present, but eveeyone is advised to be on high alert when walking or driving in the mountains, and to ring 112 if you see anything suspicious.

NEWS UPDATE - As from April 9th Gran Canaria is on an alert for high winds and high temperatures and at risk of wildfires and forest fires. At present Hiking is not allowed at over 400 metres in the South of the island and over 800 metres in the North. If you want meore details I can send you a link, which is only in Spanish.

There is no news yet about the verification of the GR routes, but the S 60 (used on the GR 139 and on my 3 lakes circle) is still closed at the Dam Wall in Soria.

The GC 200 near the West Coast, between Veneguera and La Aldea, is closed to traffic from 09.00 to 17.00 until approx April 20th for re-surfacing work.

The only new signposts I have seen recently are for the S 24, which will run from Presa Cuavas Blancas on the GC 130 to join up with the S 22, the San Mateo to Valsequillo path. The uprights were erected a couple of months ago, there are now direction arrows also.

February 2024 updates

As far as I am aware the signposting of the GR 138 and GR 139 is now complete. Neither route has yet been verified, so GPX tracks etc. are still not available. Some accommodation is being constructed in the stop-over villages such as Veneguera, but it is a long way off completion. I have started updating my walking guides, but no old signposts have been removed, so the information in my current guides is still accurate if you continue to follow the S and SL signposts. Over half the routes in my guides now have some GR signposts or Camino de Santiago signposts.

There has been no significant rain so far this year in Gran Canaria, the central mountains are on a pre-alert for forest fires and wildfires. There are no restictions in place at present, but eveeyone is advised to be on high alert when walking or driving in the mountains, and to ring 112 if you see anything suspicious./p>

January 2024 updates

Here is the latest news about both the GR 138, the Sacred Mountain route, and the GR 139, the Biosphere route. The signposting of these routes are now almost complete. There are still a few sections that need to be completed, and the routes have to be verified that they are upto the standard of a GR route. Most of the routes are on paths already signposted as S paths, but there a few newly signposted sections. In Mid-December there were meetings to give out more details about both of these routes. As soon as GPX tracks of the routes are available I will be able to give full details of how these will affect the routes in my walking guides.

At present my advice is to follow the walks in my guides as they are at present, none of the S routes have changed, so the information in my guides is still correct. In a few cases there are so many new arrows on the signposts it can look confusing, but none of the routes in my guides have actually changed as a result of the new signposts.

Work has also started on signposting the S 24 route which will run from Presa Cuavas Blancas on the GC 130 to join up with the S 22, the San Mateo to Valsequillo path.

The S 60 across the Dam Wall at Soria is still closed, due to constuction work.

November 2023 updates

The rules limiting access to hiking areas over 400 metres have now been cancelled. The weather has now returned to normal for this time of year, there has been rain in some parts of the island, so the fire risk is much lower.

I have seen more GR 138 signs erected, the Sacred Mountain route, and now some for the GR 139, the Biosphere route, are starting to appear. I have been informed that all the signs for the new GR routes should be in place by the end of this year. In a few places there are now so many signs it is getting difficult to work out which signs refer to the route you are following.

There are 2 signposted paths closed. The S 60 from Presa de Soria to Presa de Chira, due to work on the hydro-electricity project. In Agaete county the SL 1 down to Playa de Guayedra from the GC 200 is closed until firther notice.

If you are using old copies of my walking guides, earlier than 2019, there could be a few changes etc. due to new signposts, path improvements and closures.

October 2023 updates

The rules limiting access to hiking areas over 400 metres have now been re-introduced due to the risk of wildfires. During most of September the weather here was quite mild and dry, but from the start of October temperatures have gone over 30 degrees all over the island. This hot weather is due to last until at least the middle of October. The serious fire in Tenerife in August has now re-ignited, hopefully there will be no further fires. If you do see anything suspicious please ring the emergency number 112.

I have seen more GR 138 signs erected, the sacred mountain route, but the work is still far from complete.

September 2023 updates

The rules limiting access to hiking areas over 400 metres have now been cancelled. There has been a little rain in the first few days of September, so the risk of further fires is less, but if you do see anything suspicious please ring 112 immediately, there is always an English speaking operator, early notifiction of a fire can be vital in getting it under control.

The GR 131 signposting is now almost complete, although there could be a few burnt signposts between Caldera Marteles and Pico de las Nieves, following the fire in July. The first signposts for the GR 138 have now been erected, this will be "the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria route", I expect many more signs in cthe coming weeks.

August 2023 updates

Due to the work being done on the Chira to Soria hydro electric project, hiking is no longer permitted along the Soria Dam Wall, this is part of the S 60 signposted path. I am not aware of any alternative routes being put in place this means that at present the 3 lakes circle in Volume 2 (Walk 4) of my guide is not possible until the work is completed.

There was a serious forest fire near Pico de las Nieves in late July. Approx 400 hectares were damaged, approx 100 seriously burnt. The fire has now been extinguished, but on several routes between Caldera Marteles and Pico de las Nieves you will see some fire damage, and there may be some missing signposts.

With the ever increasing risk of forest fires and wildfires, there are new rules in place when there is extremely hot weather. If a red health alert is issued due to high temperatures, no hiking is permitted above 400 metres. If you do see anything suspicious please ring 112 immediately, there is always an English speaking operator, early notifiction of a fire can be vital in getting it under control.

July 2023 updates

There are very few things to report this month. At the end of June there was quite a bit of rain in the south of Gran Canaria (very unusual). This clearly reduced the possibility of any wildfires, but the hot weather has now returned, and already some of the greenery is turning brown, so great care must be taken in the next couple of months to avoid fires and report anything suspicious. Most years there are very few new signposts erected in the summer, firewatch duties tend to take over, so I do not expect to see anything new in the next couple of months.

June 2023 updates

There are only a few things to report this month.

The GR 131 is being signposted on the eatern side of the island.

The SL 01 at Los Tilos, near Moya, has now been re-opened.

The weather has been unusually cool for late May/early June, so fortunately there have been no more wildfires.

May 2023 updates

There are several things to report this month.

There has still been no rain at all in the south of Gran Canaria, there is now a lot of dead grass and plant materials dying off, everything is now very dry. There have already been 2 small wildfires, one near Presa de las Niñas, the other near Fataga, luckily both were dealt with very quickly and efficiently by the authorities, and brought under control before any extensive damage could be done. In my opinion there is a great danger of a serious fire this summer, please call the emergency number 112 (English is spoken) if you see any smoke or anything suspicious.

There have been more new signposts replacing ones burnt in the 2019 fire, but one route the S 96, still has not been re-signposted. This route is used on Walk 26 in Volume 1, some clients have had difficulty in finding the start due to the lack of a signpost. The path at the start of the walk is downhill on you left, at the end of the crash barriers, as you walk towards Artenara from the road junction.

The SL 1 in Agaete from the GC 200 to Playa de Guayedra is closed until further notice.

There is now a newly signposted route, the GR 131. This route 65km route crosses Gran Canaria from Playa El Burrero (on the east coast near the airport) heads up the Guayadeque valley, passes Pico del Nieves onto Cruz de Tejeda then descends to the Ferry port at Agaete. The GR 131 is a long distance European hiking route crossing all the 7 Canary Islands, using ferries or planes to connect the islands. In early May 2023 the western side of this route is fully signposted, but the eastern side is not yet complete. Work has also started on signposting the GR 138 and GR 139, work on these routes hopefully will completed this autumn.

April 2023 update

There are quite a few things to report this month. There are a few newly signposted routes, a few overgrown paths to mention and the unusual weather so far this year.

I will start with the climate. In early autumn Gran Canaria had enough rain to green up the mountains (some friends renamed the island Green Canaria) but not enough rain to add anything significant to the reservoirs. January was quite warm, February 2023 was the coldest February in the mountains here for about 50 years, and March 2023 was the hottest March for about 50 years. During the last week in March we had a severe (Amber) weather warning for high temperatures of over 37 degrees (for the first time ever in March) and most of the island is covered by restrictions as a precaution against wildfires. Luckily there have been no significant fires so far, but I fear that we could have a bad wildfire/forest fire here for the first time in 4 years, sometime during the summer.

New signposts have been erected for the S 03, which runs from Artenara to Montaña Alta in the north of Gran Canaria. This route is planned to continue onto Santa Maria de Guia in the future. This is the first newly signposted "S" route I have seen this year.

There is a newly signposted local (SL) route from the town of Agaete to the village of San Pedro, basically in the Agaete valley. This newly signposted route means that walk 25 in Volume 1 would now be made into a circle. From Agaete town head South East to the Maipes archeological park to meet the new path and walk all the way into San Pedro, instead of catching the bus. There is one slippery section near the Las Languerras Hotel, is should take approx 1 hour to walk to San Pedro.

There is a newly signposted local (SL 05) route from the village of Lanzarote to near Cruz Chica on the S 10, this is in the county of Valleseco.

In Teror the recently restored hiking path from Teror to El Alamo is proving to be popular, information can be obtained from the tourist office in Teror, more hiking paths in this area are proposed in the near future.

A few moths ago I reported that part of the S 82 (between Cruz de Timagada and La Culata), and the SL 05 (between La Solana and Cortadores) were closed, both paths have now re-opened. The S-09 between Cruz de Tejeda and Degollada de las Palmas is also now open. Unfortunately the SL 01 at Los Tilos is still closed, and will continue to be closed for a few more months.

Maintenance of Camino Reales here is not always good, I have had a few reports of badly overgrown paths recently. Walk 16 in Volume 1, the path from GPS point 3b and GPS point 4, is badly overgrown. Most of the paths on Walk 28 in Volume 1 are also badly overgrown, and should be walked with care. If you do experiance problems with any of the paths in my guides do please inform me.

Car parking at the Roque Nublo car park on the GC 600 is getting to be very difficult due to the large numbers of people daily wanting to visit this area. I highly recommend aiming to park your car no later than 10.30am if you wish to park without problems.

February 2023 updates

I have not produced any updates for a couple of months because basically nothing has really happenend, no new signposts or blocked paths had been reported to me.

The GC 210 from La Aldea on the west coast to Artenara is now open but there is still some work being done on this road. The GC 80 from Santa Brigida to Telde is now closed due to a landslide.

The S 82 from Cruz de Timagada to La Culata is still closed, due to new pipes being installed, the men working on this path usually let hikers continue, with care.

In the county of Mogan the SL 05 path up from La Solana (which is on the GC 505) towards Cortadores is closed due to a landslide. There is also a landslide on the S-09 between Cruz de Tejeda and Degollada de las Palmas. In the county of Moya there has been a major landslide near Los Tilos, meaning that the SL 01 will be closed for a few months.

There has been quite a lot of rain in the north and centre of Gran Canaria this year, but very little in the south. The weather in general is cooler than normal, and is forecast to continue cool until mid-February.

November 2022 updates

I have received a couple of reports of damaged paths following the heavy rain at the end of September. The Valsequillo SL 04 has damage part of the way uphill from El Rincon to Caldera Marteles, also the Mogan SL 05 up from La Solana towards Cortadores. As this was the first serious rain for 18 months, many paths are becoming overgrown in places.

October 2022 updates

There was significant rainfall in most of Gran Canaria at the end of September, about 150mm in many places. This rain has caused damage to some paths and roads, but the only path and road closures I am aware of in October are below.

I have been informed that part of the S 82 from Cruz de Timagada to La Culata is closed, due to new pipes being installed, this path cannot be used for the next few months. This means that Walk 33 in Volume 1 and Walks 21 and 25 in Volume 2, cannot not be completed at present.

The GC 210 from La Aldea to Artenara will also be closed for several months due to damage after the recent storm.

September 2022 updates

The GC 60 from Maspalomas to San Bartolome (Tunte) is now fully open. The resurfacing work was not fully completed, so the road will have to be closed for more resurfacing ar sometime in the future, no dates have yet been given.

Due to the severe hot dry weather recently, hiking had been temporarily banned in the forested areas of Gran Canaria. This was due to the risk of wildfires and forest fires. The ban has now been lifted, hiking is now permitted, but great care must be exercised to avoid the possibility of any wild/forest fires. Luckily there have been no major fires on Gran Canaria this summer.

August 2022 updates

Despite the plan to erect signposts on new routes, I have not seen any newly signposted routes recently. Several signposted routes which got fire damaged a few years ago have been re-signposted, sy¡uch as the S 82, S 85 and S10.

The GC 60 from Maspalomas to San Bartolome (Tunte) will be closed from August 16th 26th for resurfacing, between the hours of 09.00 and 19.00. Due to the extremely hot temperatures this work has been halted for a few days, so the road will probably stay closed until the end of this month.

The SL 1 footpath in Agaete (to Guayedra) has been closed due the danger of rockfalls whilst the tunnels are being constructed for the new highway.

Due to the severe hot dry weather recently, hiking has been temporarily banned in the forested areas of Gran Canaria. This is due to the risk of wildfires and forest fires. The official notice is rather vague as to exactly which areas are affected, and at present there is no date given for this ban to be lifted.

July 2022 updates

There is now a 6th edition of the Discovery Walking Guides hiking map available, if you have a 4th edition or older it is well worth updating your map. Copies of the new map are available through Amazon and here on Gran Canaria. For those of you who use digital versions Viewranger has now been taken over by Outdoor Active, for copies of the digital map please send an email to Discovery Walking Guides for the latest information.

The number of new Coronavirus cases here has started to rise again, but all local restrictions have been lifted, at present. Masks are recommended be worn in all indoor public places, such as shopping centres, and are still compulsory on public transport and in hospitals.

Despite the plan to erect signposts on new routes, I have not seen any newly signposted routes this year since January. Several signposted routes which got fire damaged a few years ago have been re-signposted. There was below average rainfall on Gran Canaria this winter, we now have a spell of very warm weather, so everyone much now be very vigilant concerning forest fires, luckily we have not had a major fire on the island since 2019.

April 2022 updates

There is now a 6th edition of the Discovery Walking Guides hiking map available, if you have a 4th edition or older it is well worth updating your map. Copies of the new map are available through Amazon and here on Gran Canaria. For those of you who use digital versions Viewranger has now been taken over by Outdoor Active, for copies of the digital map please send an email to Discovery Walkng Guides for the latest information.

The number of new Coronavirus cases here has continued to fall, so all local coronavirus restrictions have now been lifted. Masks must still be worn in all indoor public places, such as shopping centres, public transport etc. The mask rule is reported to end on April 20th.

Despite a plan to erect more signposts on new routes, I have not seen any new signposts this year since January. I am not aware of any changes to routes at present, but we did have some rain in late spring and a few routes may have become rather overgrown, especially in the north of the island.

February 2022 updates

The 2022 versions of my guides are now available, please send me an email through this web site if you would like to purchase the updated versions. There are only a few changes from the previous version, but if your copy is earlier than 2016 it is probably worth updating.

The number of new coronavirus cases has now started to fall, we are still on level 4 restrictions, mainly due to the number of people in hospital and in intensive care. The restriction level doos not really affect hiking, the restrictions mainly affect the number of people who can meet together (maximum 6 at present) and the capacity of shops and restaurants. You may be asked to show your Covid pass to eat indoors at certain restaurants. Masks should be worn at all times when in public areas, this rule is due to be eased shortly but masks should still be carried with you at all times.

I have seen a few new signposts recently, most new signs replacing old signs, but one change is that for some reason the S 91 in the Tamadaba Forest has changed to an Agaete county local route the SL 3. I have received information that the authorities are proposing many more new signposted routes during this year.

January 2022 updates

The GC 60 from Ayacata to Tejeda is now open again.

Some bad news is that the number of new coronavirus cases has continued to rise, we are now on level 3 restrictions, (Tenerife is now on level 4). The restriction level doos not really affect hiking, the restrictions mainly affect the number of people who can meet together (maximum 6 at present) and the capacity of shops and restaurants. You may be asked to show your Covid pass to eat indoors at certain restaurants. Masks should be worn at all times when in public areas, including when walking around towns and villages. Hiking is considered to be a sporting activity, so masks do not need to be worn when hiking in the mountains, but should be carried with you at all times.

I have seen some new signposts in the north of the island. The S 06 goes from Moya to Valleseco, and the S 05 has been extended from Fontanales to Valsendero. Both routes look to be well signposted. Hopefully there will be more newly signposted routes in the near future.

December 2021 updates

Very little has happened in the last couple of months. There has been some rain in the north of the island, but almost nothing in the southern mountains. I have not seen any new signposts recently.

The main changes in the number 18 bus route are that now both the 08.00 and 09.30 buses run all the way from Maspalomas to Tejeda, there are now 2 buses each morning from Tejeda south, at 10.00 and 11.30. Any other changes on this, or any other service, can be found on the Global Bus Service web site.

The GC 60 from Ayacata to Tejeda will be closed to traffic from mid-December 2021 to early January 2022 for resurfacing (badly needed in places). This will also affect the Number 18 bus route.

Some bad news is that the number of new coronavirus cases has risen significantly since mid November, the IA 7 number has risen from approx 30 per 100,000, to approx 130 per 100,000 of population. We are now on on level 2 restrictions here, but there is a danger that we will soon be placed on level 3 restrictions as the number of new infections is continuing to increase. Masks must still be worn in all indoor locations and on public transport, and a mask should be carried with you at all times.

October 2021 updates

Quite a few things have happened in the last month. The GC 605 from Ayacata to Pueblo Mogan is now fully open.

The number of new coronavirus cases has significantly decreased in the last few weeks. The IA 7 number for Gran Canaria is now less than 25 per 100,000 of population, and we have now returned to level 1 restrictions, mask wearing rules have not changed.

On October 1st I noticed that the Global Bus company have changed the No. 18 Bus Timetable for the first time in about 10 years, I have checked their website www.guaguasglobal.com but as yet the timetables have not yet been updated, please check the lineas-horarias page. 1 important change in this route is that the 08.00 bus now continues onto Tejeda, instead of stopping in Ayacata. Other routes may also have had their times changed, I will investigate further in the coming days.

September 2021 updates

There is nothing new to report in the way of new signpostes etc. THE GC 605 is still closed. Luckily this summer there has been no major forest or wildfires, depite quite a bit of extra hot weather and there being a lot of very dry dead vegitation.

During the last month the number of new coronavirus cases has singificantly decreased. Gran Canaria has now returned to level 2 restrictions, our IA number is now well below 50 per 100,000 population. Mask wearing is no longer compulsory, but must still be worn in indoor locations, such as in shops and on public transport. It is compulsory to carry a mask at all times in case you come to a situation where social distancing cannot be maintained.

August 2021 updates

The number of new cases of Coronavirus here in Gran Canaria has incresed dramatically during the last month. The island is now on Alert level 3. There has been over 300 new cases per day recently, the highest number since the start of the pandemic. The IA 7 number here in Gran Canaria at the end of July has gone up to just under 250 cases per 100,000. I believe the main reasons are the Euro football championships, the end of compulsory mask wearing in public and unvaccinated youngsters holding illegal "bottle" parties. The number of people vaccinated here has also increased to roughly the same level as the U.K. so hopefully things will start to improve during this month of August.

Again there has been little in way of new signposts recently, the exception being 2 routes from Cruz de Tejeda, the S 10 and S 90 have had new signposts, as have a couple of side routes (the S 10.1 and S 97 ). These signposts replace signs dmaged by fires a couple of years ago. There have been no significant wildfires so far this summer.

July 2021 updates

The number of new cases of Coronavirus here in Gran Canaria has been decreasing during the last couple of months. The island is on Alert level 1. The vast majority of new cases and active cases, are in the capital city of Las Palmas, there are a few more visitors in the south, mostly from mainland Europe. The IA 7 number here in Gran Canaria at the end of June was approx 20 cases per 100,000.

During the Euro 2021 football competition cases have started to rise again, Spain are doing well and there have been large scale celebrations with little in the way of social distancing.

Mask wearing is no longer compulsory, but must still be worn in indoor locations, such as in shops and on public transport. It is compulsory to carry a mask at all times in case you come to a situation where social distancing cannot be maintained.

There has been little in way of new signposts recently, this is not unusual in summer as most of the "Cabildo" workers are involved in fire prevention this time of year. There have been 5 small wild fires so far this summer. The GC 605 is still closed, but is expected to re-open in the near future.

Please note the following change to Walk 11, The Teror Circle, in Volume 2. From GPS point 3b you must now walk on a quiet tarmac road, heading S.W. until you reach La Laguna recreational area. The path past the Telefonica tower has been blocked off, this change does not affect the timings etc.

May 2021 updates

The number of new cases of Coronavirus here in Gran Canaria have decreased during the last month. The island still on Alert level 2, but I would expect to go down to Alert level 1 in the near future. Most the new cases and active cases, are in the capital city of Las Palmas, there are still very few visitors in the south, but slowly a few more visitors are arriving.The IA 7 number here in Gran Canaria is now just over 30 cases per 100,000.

The GC 60 has now re-opened near Ayacata, with traffic lights, as traffic is light this is not a problem. The GC 605 is still closed, just south of Ayacata.

There are new signposts in the Valsequillo area, mostly local SL routes, but also for the S 22 from Valsequillo to San Mateo. There are also new signs in the county of Guia mostly around the Santa Chrsitina (Los Brezos) area, and also from Guia to Hoya de Pineda. New signs are also promised for the Camino de Santiago (Ruta de Jacobea) these are badly needed on the north side of the island.

March 2021 updates

The number of new cases of Coronavirus here in Gran Canaria have decreased during the last month. The island is now on Alert level 2, and I would expect to stay on this level of alert for most of this month. Most the new cases are in the capital city of Las Palmas, there are still very few visitors in the south.The IA 7 number here in Gran Canaria is now just over 50 cases per 100,000.

Following the heavy rain in Janaury the GC 60 and GC 605 are still closed, the GC 60 is open (controlled by traffic lights) on weekends but on working days is still closed between 8am and 6pm.

In Mogan County there are many new signposts in the area to the east of the GC 200. All the new singposts are SL (Sendero Local) signs for the area around Mount Tauro, Salto de Perro, Molino de Viento etc. There are also quite a few green finger posts to help with navigation between the main signposts.

The island council "Cabildo" has announced its intention to fully signpost the Camino de Santiago (GR 131) here on Gran Canaria this year. This route runs from Maspalomas (on the south coast) to Galdar (on the north coast), with a couple of overnight stops.

February 2021 updates

The number of new cases of Coronavirus here in Gran Canaria have increased considerably since early January. The island has now been placed on Alert level 3, and I would expect to stay on this level of alert for most of the month of February. Most the new cases are in the capital city of Las Palmas, but unfortunately in the south there have been some new cases caused by winter residents being reluctant to follow the rules. The IA 7 number here in Gran Canaria has now gone up to just over 100 per 100,000, the increase in new cases seems to have stabilised, but not yet started to decrease. Alert level 3 means that people cannot mix with other households, bars and restaurants can only operate on terraces, not indoors, and that only 4 people are allowed per table. There are also restrictions on entering the islands.

There was serious heavy rain on the island in early January, probably the heaviest rain for approx. 10 years, the amount varied across the island but most places had between 150mm and 200mm of rain, enough to put some water into the reservoirs for the first time in 3 years. The rain may have done some damage to a few paths, but I do not know of any specific paths that have been closed. Most of the island is now very green.

The GC 60 between Ayacata and Tejeda suffered a serious landslide, the road will take several months to repair, it is hoped to open the road to one way traffic (controlled by traffic lights) during the month of February. The GC 605 between Pueblo de Mogan and Ayacata is also closed due to landslides.

Due to the pandemic causing all sorts of problems I have delayed producing updated walking guides, as I had planned. There are very few changes from the 2019-20 guides, any changes have been reported on this updates page. Discovery Walking Guides were also due to publish the 6th edition of their hiking map for Gran Canaria, this has also been postponed until later this year. It is hoped that the new map and updated walking guides will be available in Autumn 2021.

January 2021 updates

There is nothing new to report at present. The Coronavirus numbers here are still good here compared to most of Europe, but are slowly increasing, our IA 7 number has now gone up to just over 40 per 100,000. There are no changes to the health regualtions at present, masks are still compulsory in public. I wish everyone a healthy and happy New Year, and hope that things can return to normal in the coming months.

December 2020 updates

Recently it has been reported to me that there is damage to the camino real on Walk 3 Volume 2 (The Mount Tauro Circle) between GPS points 2 and 3. The damage is approx half an hour uphill from GPS point 2, the path is passable with care, but if there is further damage this route will be closed until the authorities repair the path.

There is a newly restored path off the narrow asphalt road from Barranquillo Andres to Salto de Perro, this can be used instead of the damaged path in the Mount Tauro Circle. I have walked the new path it is very good with great views, but would not be for hikers with serious vertigo problems. If you wish for more details of this path please contact me for more details, I am still doing some research in this area.

The Coronavirus situation here in Gran Canaria is still well under control. The IA 7 number is now just over 20 new cases per 100,000 of population. The situation is much worse in Tenerife where the IA 7 number is now well over 100 cases per 100,000 of population. This has led the British Government to re-impose quarantine on all people who arrive in the UK from any of the Canary Islands. Please note that masks must still be worn in all public places, but masks are not compulsory for sporting activities, such as hiking. When walking through a town or village you should be wearing your mask. People travelling in the same car but from different households should also be wearing masks. Most of the island is operating fairly normally but with a lot less visitors than normal. All arrivals to the Canary Islands must have taken a Covid-19 test with a negative result within 72 hours of their arrival. Please make yourself fully aware of all the local sanitary rules and regulations and of course comply with them.

November 2020 updates

There have been no real changes to hiking paths or routes etc. this year. There were no serious forest/wild fires this summer or autumn despite there being some very hot dry weather.

Recently it has been reported to me that there is damage to the camino real on Walk 1 Volume 1 (The El Juncal Circle) between GPS points 3 and 3a. The damaged path is passable with care, but if there is further damage this route will be closed until the authorities repair the path.

The Coronavirus situation here in Gran Canaria has significantly improved during the month of October. In September the IA 7 number was well over 100 new cases per 100,000 of population, at the start of November the IA 7 number is now just under 20 new cases per 100,000 of population. Masks must still be worn in all public places, but masks do not need to be worn for sporting activities, such as hiking. When walking through a town or village you should be wearing your mask. People travelling in the same car but from different households should also be wearing masks. Most of the island is operating fairly normally but with a lot less visitors than normal. Please make yourself fully aware of all the local sanitary rules and regulations and of course comply with them.

September 2020 updates

There have been very few changes to hiking paths etc. this summer. Fortunately we have had no serious forest/wild fires so far this summer. We have had some very hot dry weather, without any problems to the environment.

The bad news is that there has been a very large number of new cases of coronavirus during August, especially here in Gran Canaria with the capital city of Las Palmas having the majority of the new cases. Upto August 1st there had been less than 700 cases on Gran Canaria, but during the month August there were 3350 new cases, unfortunately this trend has continued into early September. There is no new lockdown yet, but many rules have been put in place to slow down the rate of infection. Masks must now be worn in all public places, the maximum size of group for any activity is 10 people. Masks do not need to be worn for sporting activities, such as hiking, but when passing through a town or village you should be wearing your mask. People travelling in the same car but from different households should also be wearing masks.

June 2020 updates

I have driven around the Tamadaba Forest for the first time since the end of the lockdown. Even though there has been less rainfall than usual this winter, the vast majority of the Canary Pines are showing that they are still alive. Due to the fire damage some trees have unusual shapes, but most trees have survived the fire, unlike most of the bushes. There are nice new road signs, many new crash barriers, but the wooden walking signs that got burnt have not yet been replaced.

My main concern this summer is the danger of more fires in the central mountains. Everything is "super-dry" if we get a period of hot windy weather in the next few weeks there is great danger of more fires as bad as last year.

The strictest part of the lockdown in the Canary Islands has now been lifted. Hiking is now allowed in small groups, Social distancing is still expected, as is the wearing of face masks on public transport, and in enclosed public spaces. At the beginning of this month, Gran Canaria has had just under 600 cases of Coronavirus in total, and less than 40 deaths.

April 2020 updates

Like most countries in Europe, Spain has been in lockdown since mid March. Hiking is one of many activities that is not allowed during the lockdown. Mainland Spain has been badly hit by Covid-19, but in general, the Canary Islands have had many less cases, Gran Canaria having less than half of the cases compared to Tenerife.

March 2020 updates

There has been very little rain in Gran Canaria this winter, so much of the island is not as green as it would normally be in early March. The reservoirs are now only 20% of their capacity. There was a bad sand storm at the end of February, with hot dry winds, this was one of the causes of a wild fire near the village of Tasarte close to the west coast, this fire spread into the Inagua natural reserve, and into the forest. I would not advise attempting the Azulejos Walk (Volume 2 Walk 2) at present. The fire in the forest is under control but not toally extinguished.

The work in San Mateo town centre is still going on, at present the best place to park in San Mateo is at a large asphalt car park on the GC 41 to Tenteniguada, only a short drive from the town centre. We are still waiting for the promised new signposts to replace the ones burnt in the recent fires, spring is a popular time for the erecting of signposts, so I remain hopeful.

January 2020 updates

I have recently driven around the fire damaged area, and am pleased to report that in many cases there are now green shoots on many trees that are black and looked dead until recently. There are few areas that got severely damaged where re-planting will be necessary. All of the hiking paths that I saw looked in good condition, I therefore believe it is now safe to resume walking in the fire damaged area, but please keep to the signposted paths, as there could still be problems off the main paths.

The rain in the North and Centre of the island is certainly helping recovery in the fire damaged area, but there has been no significant rain in the south. The reservoirs in the south are now at less 30% of their capacity.

December 2019 updates

There has still been no significant rain in the south of Gran Canaria, but there has been reasonable rainfall in the centre and north of the island. This is of course helping recovery in the fire damaged area around Artenara and Tamadaba. In most cases it is now becoming clearer which areas of trees will recover and which areas are devastated. At present I am not aware of any signposted paths being closed, but if you are hiking in the fire damaged area please do keep to the designated paths for safety reasons.

The GC 216 to Tamadaba is now open.

At long last I have seen some new signposts, well almost new. Some signposts that were burnt in the September 2017 fire have now been replaced. I have been informed that the headquarters for the making of new signposts will be in Finca Osorio, which is just outside Teror.

October 2019 updates

In early October I drove through the fire damaged area. There were a few good signs such as ferns and canes now starting to grow through the soot and ash. Also there were signs of new growth on some pine trees that looked to be dead, so hopefully many of the burnt trees will survive. There has still been no significant rainfall in the fire damaged area. I did not see any houses that were badly damaged, but in some of the valleys and hills, away from the populated areas, there were areas that were devastated. The entrances to most footpaths looked to be clear, but there was a lot of burnt bushes and trees to walk through. The damage to Walk 33 in Volume 1 and Walk 25 in Volume 2 did not look as bad as I had expected.

The GC 216 to Tamadaba is still closed.

The ban on hiking in the fire damaged area has now been lifted, despite the unseasonal hot weather at the end of September/early October there have been no new outbreaks of fire. Great care must taken if hiking in the fire damaged area, as there could well be hidden dangers under foot, please keep to the officially marked paths. I would not personally recommend walking in the N.W. of Gran Canaria until the New Year (2020) by which time there should have been some rainfall.

The centre of San Mateo is at present having a lot of construction work. The Bus Station is still working as usual, but the bar by the market (El Mercado) is being re-built. There is a large car park, just out of town, on the GC 41 which can be used if the car park behind the bus station is full.

September 2019 updates

Even though the fire has been declared extinguished, there have been cases of small fires breaking out in the fire damaged area, there was one such case near Pinos de Galdar a few days ago. There has still been no significant rainfall in the mountains this autumn. The weather forecast for the end of September to early October is for more hot weather, therefore there is still the possibility of small fires breaking out. For this reason hiking has been forbidden in the fire damaged area at present.

VIEW MAP

Walks in my guides that are not recommended at present are in Volume 1 Walks 22, 23, 24 and 26, there is some damage also on walks 16, 17, 21 and 33. In Volume 2 walks 15, 16, 17 and 18 are not recommended, there is some damage on walks 11 and 25.

I am pleased to report that all of the forest fires and wildfires have now been extinguished. I have now driven around the affected area unfortunately there is considerable damage in most of the North East of Gran Canaria. I some places the damage is only superficial, but in many other places it is quite severe. The total area damaged was greater than I expected. I would not recommend walking or hiking in the North East until there has been some rainfall, which can be expected in this area by October. The GC 216 to the Tamadaba forest is still closed, but all other roads in the area are now open as far as I am aware. There are of course many burnt signposts.

I have been asked by several people where donations can be sent to help the re-planting or re-forestation of the forest. Please go to the following website to make your donations: Fundacion Foresta.

The GC 30 from Valleseco to Firgas which was closed earlier this year, due a landslide, is now open.

August 2019 updates

August 28th update: All of the forest and wild fires have now been extinguished, approx. 10,000 hectares of the mountains has had considerable fire damage. The worst of the damage was in the North West of Gran Canaria, especially in the area between Tejeda and Artenara and also the area between the lakes near Lugarejos and the Tamadaba forest. Even though all fires have been extinguished, I would not recommend walking in those areas until at least the middle of September. The GC 216 which goes through the Tamadaba forest, is closed until further notice so that forestry workers can start their work on clearing and eventually replanting the area. If I discover any hiking paths that are closed, I will publish details on this page as the information becomes available.

August 18th: This month there have been 2 serious forest/wildfires here in Gran Canaria. Over 3,000 hectares (6,000 acres) of forest etc. have been damaged. Today (18th August) one of the fires is still out of control, being fanned by strong winds and temperatures of around 35 degrees, so controlling and extinguishing this fire in the next couple of days will be difficult. Over 2,000 people have been evacuated. At present I cannot give advice as to which routes may be badly damaged, but many routes in the North West and Centre will have many burnt trees etc. for the next few months. The fire was close to the towns of Artenara and Tejeda, and again the Hotels at Cruz de Tejeda have been evacuated. At present there is danger of the fire spreading into the Tamadaba forest. I would not advise walking in those areas until September. I will supply further updates as information becomes available.

There is still nothing much to report as far as new signposts or restored footpaths is concerned. I have at last seen a newly signposted route in the north of the island. This is the S 8 from Moya to Santa Maria de Guia, the route goes via Los Tilos and Santa Christina and looks to be well signposted. This route goes through several interesting areas and can be used with the public bus service from Galdar to Moya.

I have had reports of several paths in the San Mateo area being rather overgrown, hopefully in the autumn we will see more new signposts and work on the cleaning of paths being resumed.

May 2019 updates

There is still nothing much to report as far as new signposts or restored footpaths is concerned.However I have seen a couple of new finger posts so maybe this is a sign of the re-starting of the work on new signposts. In previous years May has been a month when new signposts have appeared.

A problem has been reported to me concerning the dirt track that connects 2 signposted junctions, La Siberia and Pataburro, above the village of Las Lagunetas. A landowner is now claiming that this dirt track is private property, and has turned back walkers wanting to walk there. This has been reported to the local town hall (San Mateo) who are investigating the matter. This track is on official maps as a proposed SL (local route) and is used on one of the walks published by San Mateo town hall. If you plan to use this dirt track please be aware of the problem, using the Discovery Walking guides map you can see options of using the S 16 or S 19 to avoid this track. Feel free to e-mail me for more details on these alternatives.

March 2019 updates

There is still nothing to report as far as new signposts or restored footpaths is concerned.

There was a serious fire at the rural hotel Molino del Agua on March 16th. The hotel and grounds have been badly damaged, the hotel and its restaurant will be closed for quite a long time. As far as I am aware the footpaths around the hotel are still usuable. This especially affects Walk 7 in Volume 1, where it may now be better to continue on the S 54 rather than walk through the hotel grounds.

The GC 500 between Puerto Mogan and Taurito remains closed, I now doubt it will ever re-open. The GC 30 from near Valleseco to Firgas is closed, I think it will be closed for several more weeks, the reason is because of a landslide.

January 2019 updates

There is still very little to report as far as new signposts etc. is concerned.

The updated 5th edition of the Discovery Walking Guides Tour and Trail map of Gran Canaria is now available, both here in Gran Canaria and in the UK. This new 5th edition has some extra routes in the Maspalomas area and La Aldea de San Nicholas area.

The new 2019-2020 versions of my walking guides are now available, any new routes are included on the new 5th edition of the Discovery Walking guides map.

The SL 1 from Cruz de Tejeda to Tejeda has been re-opened, but is in a poor state of repair at Cruz de Tejeda. This was part of walk 27 in Volume 1 the 2017-18 guide, due to the problems with this walk I have replaced it in the 2019-20 guide with a new walk.

The GC 500 between Puerto Mogan and Taurito remains closed. I noticed recently that the GC 30 from near Valleseco to Firgas is closed, I think it will be closed for several weeks, I do not know the reason behind the closure.

December 2018 updates

There is very little to report this autumn. There are still no new signposts, even the signs damaged in the fire last year have not been repaired or replaced. The only road closed, that I am aware of, is the GC 500 between Puerto Mogan and Taurito. It has now been confirmed that this road will remain closed, a new tunnel bypassing the damaged secion of coast road has been proposed, therefore it is most unlikely that the old coast road will ever be re-opened.

There will be an updated edition of the Discovery Walking Guides Tour and Trail map of Gran Canaria available before the end of this year. This new 5th edition has some extra routes in the Maspalomas area and La Aldea de San Nicholas area.

Walk 27 in Volume 1, the Cruz de Tejeda to Tejeda walk, this walk has had the start blocked off by the local authorities, therefore this walk cannot be achieved at present.

September 2018 updates

There are a few updates mostly concerning road closures. The GC 210 has now been re-opened between Tejeda and Artenara. The Parador at Cruz de Tejeda is now due to re-open in the middle of this month. The GC 605 between Ayacata and Presa de las Niñas has also re-opend this month, but the GC 500 between Puerto de Mogan and Taurito is still closed. There have been no new signposts erected during the summer, hopefully we will see some new signposts etc. later in the autumn. Luckily there have no serious forest fires or wildfires this summer.

July 2018 updates

There are a few updates mostly concerning road closures. The GC 210 is still closed between Tejeda and Artenara, but is expected to re-open in September. The Parador at Cruz de Tejeda is also due to re-open in September. I have heard a rumour that the GC 500 between Puerto Mogan and Taurito will not re-open, but there will be improvements to the motorway access at Taurito . The GC 605 between Ayacata and Presa de las Niñas is closed due to a landslide, this road is expected to re-open also in September 2018.

June 2018 updates

There have been no updates in the last couple of months, mainly because there has been nothing new to report. The GC 210 is still closed between Tejeda and Artenara, also the GC 500 is still closed between Puerto Mogan and Taurito.

I have can confirm that the Three Lakes Circle - Volume 2 - Walk 4 can now be completed, there maybe a small amount of scrambling needed as you ascend to the GC 605, between GPS points 6a and 7.

During the last 12 months I have not seen any new signposts at all, this is probably because all of the resources have gone in maintenance work in the Cumbre, where there was extensive fire damage in September 2017.

March 2018 updates

I have just received information that there is a landslide blocking the S 66 near La Data. (GPS N 27.56.150 W 15.38.275) This is approx 1 KM east of where the S 66 meets the GC 605. This means that the Three Lakes Circle - Volume 2 - Walk 4 can not be completed at present.

There has been some bad weather recently in all of the Canary Islands, strong winds, colder than normal temperatures, heavy rain in the north and even some snow in the Cumbre. This bad weather was at the end of January and the end of February. In the last week of February there was approx 200mm of rain in the S.W. mountains, giving a much needed boost to the water levels in the reservoirs

After this heavy rain there could be problems crossing some of the usually dry barrancos (river beds). One problem could be on the Fataga Circle (Volume 2 - Walk 9) where you cross the barranco near the "hippy houses".

Road Closures

The GC 210 from Tejeda to Artenara has had a major landslide, this road is expected to be closed for the next 6 months.

The GC 500 from Puerto Mogan to Taurito is still closed .

I am not aware of any other road or path closures at present.

February 2018 updates

I have not received any new information this year about new signposts or path problems following last year’s forest fire in the Cumbre.

There has been some bad weather recently in all of the Canary Islands, strong winds, colder than normal temperatures, heavy rain in the north and some snow in the Cumbre. There have been a few minor road closures due to snow or ice, below are details of a few problems on the roads.

Road Closures

The GC 210 from Tejeda to Artenara has had a major landslide, this road is expected to be closed for the next 6 months.

The GC 605 from Pueblo Mogan to Ayacata is closed about 4km south of Ayacata, this should be a short term closure.

The GC 305 between Firgas and Valleseco is also closed due to a rockfall, this should be a short term closure.

There have also been rock falls reported around the San Mateo area, but I am not aware of any road closures, except for the GC 153.

In Volume 1, in the S.W. information section, on Page 6, a construction project has closed the coastal path from Pasito Blanco to Pasito Bea. At present building contractors are preventing access to this area.

December 2017 updates

Firstly I will explain why there were no November updates, basically there was nothing new to report. As far as I am aware the GC 500 coast road is still closed at Patalavaca and between Taurito and Puerto Mogan. I have not seen any new signposts been erected or replaced due to fire damage. I have seen a lot of workmen cutting down damaged trees after the fire, but nothing to affect any of the walks. I still would not recommend Walks 27 and 29 in Volume 1 because of fire damage. I live in the village of Fataga, today (December 2nd) we have had the first measurable rain since April, there has been a bit more rain in the north, but basically most of the island is still very dry.

October 2017 updates

As from today (October 25th) the GC 60 is open to all traffic.

Road Closures

The GC 60 (The main road from Maspalomas to Tejeda) will be closed at El Sequero from Monday 16th October for several days for road works. The closure will be between 08.30 and 19.00 every day, and is between San Bartolome (Tunte) and Cruz Grande. This road closure means that you cannot access Tejeda or Roque Nublo from the south until the road works are completed.

The GC 605 from Pueblo Mogan to Ayacata via Presa de las Ninas is now open

The GC 500 from Pueblo Mogan to Taurito is still closed and is not expected to re-open until November.

I have not received any new information this month about path closures following last months forest fire in the Cumbre. The main comments I have received refer to the amount of ash and burnt trees on or near the hiking routes in the Cumbre.

Volume 1 - Walk 19, The Valsendero Circle can now be walked, but there is a small amount of scambling needed to get past a rock fall between GPS points 2 and 3

September 2017 updates

Forest Fire (Cumbre) September 2017

The fire started in the early afternoon of Wednesday September 20th. It started just below Cruz de Tejeda near the junction of the GC 15 and GC 156, with strong winds it spread very quickly, after our usual long hot dry summer. The winds took the fire across the top of the island, badly damaging most of the high Cumbre from Cruz de Tejeda eastwards to Degollada Becerra, and onto Pico de las Nieves. To the south and west of Cruz de Tejeda there was little or no damage. The Parador at Cruz de Tejeda was damaged, and will be closed for the next few weeks, luckily the nearby rural hotel “El Refugio” and Café Yolanda were undamaged. The only footpath that is officially closed is the SL 1 from Cruz de Tejeda down to Tejeda, this was the area were the fire started and is badly damaged. There is no official website for walkers/hikers giving details of the damaged or closed paths, so I have decided to publish details of the walks in my guides that are damaged, and then details of the numbered Cabildo footpaths that have been damaged.

Walks not recommended in Volume 1 of my guide, until at least after the New Year.

• Walk 27 – Cruz de Tejeda to Tejeda. From GPS point 1 to 1A is officially closed, and as far as GPS point 2 is badly damaged.
• Walk 29 – Degollada Becerra Circle. This walk is very badly damaged almost throughout its length.
• Walk 30 – Pico de las Nieves Circle. The higher parts of this walk are badly damaged.

There has been a rockfall near Valsendero. This has blocked the path on Walk 19 in Volume 1 (The Valsendero Circle) between GPS points 2 and 3. This walk is not achievable at present, even though this is not a signposted path I do expect it to be repaired in the near future as several farmers need this path to access thier fields etc.

Walks not recommended in Volume 2 of my guide, until at least after the New Year.

• Walks 20, 22, 23, 24 and 25. All of these walks have extensive damage in the higher mountains, I am not aware of any path closures but there will be a lot of burnt trees, and also burnt signposts.
• The Roque Nublo area is undamaged, so this is the best area in the Cumbre to walk at present.
• Walk 10 – The Santa Lucia Circle, may have some fire damage near GPS point 6.

I am sorry if this all sounds a bit negative. There are still many parts of Gran Canaria offering excellent walks untouched by this forest fire. I would recommend walking in the Artenara/Tamadaba/Agaete areas in the N.W. The San Bartolome/Santa Lucia/Guayadeque area in the S.E. The El Aserredor ridge, the 3 lakes and Mogan in the S.W. The Firgas/Teror/Tenteniguada areas in the N.E. The Roque Nublo/Tejeda area in the Cumbre.

Signposted and Numbered S routes with significant fire damage

Most of the names below are on the Discovery Walking Guides map of Gran Canaria, and on signposts. It is still only a few days since the fire was extinguished, so the extent of the fire damage is approximate. I will update this list as more information becomes available. There will of course be many damaged or destroyed signposts on the routes mentioned below.

• S 10 / S 14 Out of Cruz de Tejeda, up to the GC 150 (approx. 15 minutes).
• S 15 Down as far as El Estanco
• S 16 Down as far as Pataburro
• S 19 Down as far as La Siberia
• S 20 Down from Pico de las Nieves to Lomito Blanco
• S 21 From Corral de los Juncos towards Mantaniales
• S 37 From Pico de Nieves west for about 30 minutes
• S 50 The section from Corral de los Juncos to Cruz de Tejeda
• S 51 Most of the section above Llanos de la Pez to Pico de las Nieves
• S 85 Up from Finca Isa to Cruz de Tejeda
• S 90 / S 9 Above Cruz de Tejeda for the first 10 minutes

Forest Fire Update September 23rd

The forest fire is now extinguished. The fire was thought to have been accidently started by workers working near the SL 1 close to Cruz de Tejeda, this work was mentioned in an earlier update this month (see below). The Parador has suffered some damage, and there be will a lot of burnt trees and bushes on most walks in the Cumbre (Centre of the island). I will publish details of any closed paths (if there are any) as I receive the information. The "new" hikers signposts are made of wood, so many will have been burnt in the fire, therefore some of the signpost information in my guides may mention signposts that may have been damaged or destroyed.

Some good news. The GC 605 from Ayacata to Pueblo Mogan via Presa de las Ninas has now been re-opened after been closed for road works for the last 6 months.

Forest Fire September 20/21

There is a serious forest fire in the Cumbre (Centre) of Gran Canaria as I write this update (September 21st midday). On the TV there were horrible pictures of the fire at Cruz de Tejeda, we could see from our house at 8pm flames just east of Pico de las Nieves and above Risco Blanco. The residents of the village of Cazadores were evecuated. Officially the fire is still out of control but luckily the weather in the north and centre of Gran Canaria is cool (15 degrees) and damp, so I expect the fire to be under control before midnight today. There will be a lot of badly burnt trees etc. on most of the routes in the Cumbre, but at present I do not know of any path closures. There is no official website etc. to inform hikers of closed routes. I will be updating this page as soon as I find out more information about any closed routes or blocked paths.

Road Closures

The GC 605 from Ayacata to Presa de las Ninas has been closed for a few months, it was supposed to re-open before the end of June, I was then informed that it will remain closed until August. The latest news is that the road should be ready for re-surfacing this month (September) and should re-open in October.

The GC 500 had a serious landslide near the Km 44 sign in July. This road is closed between Taurito and Playa de Mogan, access between these two resorts is at present only possible by using the GC 1 motorway. The latest news on this repair is that the road should re-open in late September.

There has been a rockfall near Valsendero. This has blocked the path on Walk 19 in Volume 1 (The Valsendero Circle) between GPS points 2 and 3. This walk is not achievable at present, even though this is not a signposted path I do expect it to be repaired in the near future as several farmers need this path to access thier fields etc.

July 2017 updates

I have not seen, any newly signposted S routes this year. I have seen more newly signposted SL Routes (Local Routes) in Firgas.

I have just discovered that the PDF for Volume 1, which was updated on February 25th 2017, is missing Walks 2 and 11. Previous editions were complete. If you have purchased the Volume 1 PDF since February 25th please contact me and I will send you word files for Walks 2 and 11. I am very sorry about this omission.

Road Closures

The GC 605 from Ayacata to Presa de las Ninas has been closed for a few weeks, it was supposed to re-open before the end of June, I have now been informed that it will now remain closed until sometime in August. The GC 500 had a serious landslide near the Km 44 sign this week. This road will be closed for several months between Taurito and Playa de Mogan, access between these two resorts is at present only possible by using the GC 1 motorway

May 2017 updates

I have not seen, any newly signposted S routes this year. The S 73 and S 79 have been extended, both routes being near La Aldea de San Nicholas. There have been a lot of new arrows on existing S routes, replacing old information arrows showing their age. Quite a few counties now have new signposted SL Routes (Local Routes) such as La Aldea, San Bartolome, Valsequillo, Valleseco, Las Palmas etc.

The new part of the GC 200/GC 2 between La Aldea de San Nicholas and El Risco is now open. There is still work to be done near La Aldea, but the road is now open. The new tunnel is just under 4Km in length

There is not yet a solution to the access problems in Puerto Mogan, walking up to the lighthouse. There is now a petition that can be signed for those wishing to object to this closure. For more details about this petition please send me an e-mail.

March 2017 updates

There is still very little to report so far this year. I have not seen, any new S signposts, just a new local short route in Cazadores and some more new local signposts between Caldera Marteles and Valsequillo.

The new part of the GC 200 between La Aldea de San Nicholas and El Risco is still not open.

There seems to be no solution to the access problems in Puerto Mogan to the lighthouse. For more details on this problem feel free to send me an e-mail. There are now also access problems to Coastal Walk C in the Zone A information. Access to this walk must now be through Pasito Blanco Harbour, due to the old access being closed because of some serious construction work.

February 2017 updates

There is very little to report so far this year. I have not seen, any new S signposts, just a new local short route in the Cazadores area. I have been advised that there will be new signposts in the Presa de las Ninas/Mount Tauro area, and the Santa Lucia area this spring. There was some serious bad weather in the North of Gran Canaria in early February, but I have not received any news of any footpaths being badly damaged or closed.

Recently I walked the Lugarejos Circle - Volume 1 - Walk 24 and found one path very badly overgrown, I have therefore decided to shorten this walk, following the S 97 signposts, until the original route has been restored. Please use the following notes for section 5 to end, rather than the original notes until further notice.

5:- From the rocky outcrop, labelled on the signpost as La Degollada, retrace your steps slightly uphill to soon come to a clear signposted path the S 97 to Risco Caido and San Pedro on your left, this path heads gently downhill N.E. This path I believe is one of the most fascinating paths on the island, it was restored a few years ago but can get rather overgrown, especially as you approach Risco Caido, this footpath has great views into what I consider to be one of the most interesting barrancos on the island, “Barranco Hondo”. There are a great variety of cave houses here as well as a large amount of terracing, unfortunately much of it now falling into disrepair. After approx 25 minutes from La Degollada you reach an S 97 signposted junction, this is Risco Caido. Turn right to reach the caves, which are in the process of being restored, after exploring them you must return to the signpost to continue the walk.

Approx walking time 2 hour 15 minutes : Altitude approx 930m : GPS 6 N 28° 02.640' W 15° 39.670'

6:- From the signpost for the S 97 to El Hornillo and San Pedro head North and steeply downhill on some stone steps, which can be slippery in places. Ignore all minor turn offs, after about 5 minutes you pass house No.3 on your left, again going down some steep steps which can be slippery in places. A minute or so later, at a T-junction, turn left onto a ribbed concrete path, to now descend less steeply. About 5 minutes later bear left at a fork, soon after you will pass a yellow finger post where you bear left onto a grassy dirt track, soon passing a bridge on your right. In under 20 minutes from leaving Risco Caido, you come to a quiet asphalt road, (GPS 6a N 28° 02.700' W 15° 39.800') turn right on the road to cross over the barranco on a bridge, head N.W. and walk on the left hand side of this road. After 10 minutes of walking on the road you will return to the small bar where you parked your car. When you have completed the walk it is worth visiting the small shop / bar, which is open most weekends and a few days during the week. It is worth going inside for some refreshments, it is like stepping back in time.

Approx walking time 2 hour 45 minutes : Altitude approx 850m : GPS 1 N 28° 02.950' W 15° 40.070' Approx Assent and Descent 300 metres : Approx Distance 8 Km

From Risco Caido to the end is an amended route from the original route, which was approx 45 minutes longer. The original route continued past the caves at Risco Caido, down onto to the barranco floor, then up to a tarmac road the other side of the barranco. If the path past the caves looks to be in good condition please let me know, as the original route was better than this amended route, but the path down into the barranco was becoming too overgrown and dangerous to keep in this guide.

December updates

There is very little to report this month. I have not seen, or had any reports of, any new signposts.

In Volume 1, in the North West information section, please note that on short walk 5 there is a major change. The walk to Charca Azul is still good, the path up to Tamadaba from El Risco is still good, but the path linking these two routes is now in a very bad condition. This means that doing the short 6km circle is no longer recommended, in parts this link path is now dangerous.

One minor update is that the 4 crosses have disappeared off the path up from Cercados de Arana to Cruz Grande, this path is near the reservoir at Chira in the SW zone.

Most of Gran Canaria is very green at present, we have had a lot of damp weather but little serious rain to top up the reservoirs. I have had no reports of any paths being blocked or closed.

November updates

I have seen the first new signposts since the summer recently. The route is the S 18 from San Lorenzo to Teror via Lo Blanco, San Jose de Alamo and El Roman.

The GC 200 from La Aldea to El Risco on the west coast is now closed. After heavy rain in the area there were several serious rockfalls blocking this road. The authorities have announced that this road (the GC 200) will now be permanently closed. The new road from La Aldea to El Risco, which uses tunnels, is due to open in January 2017.

The hunting season (with guns) finished on November 1st for this year.

Volume 2 - Walk 13 – The Firgas Circle - Good News, I was in the Firgas area in Mid-October and saw a small team of “Cabildo workmen” cleaning and repairing the descent from Firgas town to the Azuaje barranco, this path was damaged and closed earlier this year. I had some clients walk it recently, they informed me that the path is now in mostly good condition.

Volume 1 – Walk 17 – The Finca Osorio Circle - Officially you have always needed a permit to enter Finca Osorio, but in practise only large groups usually applied for one. This summer the authorities have put up new signs with information (only in Spanish) about how to obtain a permit to enter the grounds. Applying for a permit is strongly advised on weekends and fiesta days, as there is often a man on entrance gate, who has been known to refuse entry to hikers etc. who do not have a permit. Midweek is not usually a problem. A permit (which is free) can be obtained by ringing (0034) 928 630 090 or by e-mail to . I have been informed that the system for obtaining permits will be fully operational by mid-November, I can not guarantee it will be a multi-lingual service, if you need help with obtaining a permit hopefully your apartment/hotel reception would be willing to help you.

Volume 2 - Walk 11 - The Teror Circle – The same permit is needed for this walk as you do pass through the grounds of Finca Osorio. Please follow the advice above especially if you are doing this walk on a weekend or a Fiesta.

Discovery Walking Guides have published a 3rd edition of their Tour and Trail map for hikers in Gran Canaria. The publication was in October 2016. This new 3rd edition matches the walks in my updated 2016-2017 guides. My walking routes are in a wide red/grey line, signposted routes not in my guides are in a wide green/grey line and dotted grey lines show other possible walking routes. Where the red and green routes go along a dirt track or a road, the track or road is edged in red or green. The 3rd edition will be in all outlets in Gran Canaria before the end of this month.

September 2016 Updates:

Gran Canaria, as well as the other Canary Islands, has had a hotter summer than usual. Luckily we have had only 4 small wild fires this year, all brought under control quickly, none causing problems anything like the damage suffered in La Palma or Madeira. Even though no-one likes walking in the rain the island is desperate for some real rain, several reservoirs are at dangerously low levels meaning that in some places the farmers have no water for irrigation. Please be advised that from Sunday September 11th hunters may use guns to hunt rabbit and partridge, on Sundays and Thursdays. The hunting season usually lasts until mid-November.

I have just completed updating both guides for the 2016-2017 season. Last year most updates were in Volume 1, this year most of the updates are in Volume 2. If your copy of my guide(s) is over two years old, I would recommend that now is a good time to update. All walks in both guides now have much better maps than 2 years ago, all maps are now based on the Discovery Walking Guides Map. The information sections in both guides now include more walking possibilities. Several walks have been replaced by better or more accessible options. All of the latest signpost information is now included in each individual walk.

Discovery Walking Guides will be publishing a 3rd edition of their Tour and Trail map for hikers in Gran Canaria. The likely date for publication is October 1st. If you are travelling to Gran Canaria from October onwards please be advised that the red routes on the map are routes used in my updated 2016-2017 guides. My walking routes are in a wide red/grey line, signposted routes not in my guides are in a wide green/grey line and dotted grey lines show other possible walking routes. Where the red and green routes go along a dirt track or a road, the track or road is edged in red or green.

June 2016 Updates:

I said in April that the newly signposted route S 37 is planned to go from the Guayadeque Valley (Montana Las Tierras and Cueva Bermeja) to Pico de las Nieves via Caldera Marteles, however at present there are no S 37 signs from Cueva Bermaja.

A newly signposted route is the S 54 from Maspalomas to San Bartolome (Tunte). The northern part of this route (from Arteara to Tunte via Fataga) is very good, but the southern part to Maspalomas is almost all on a dirt track in the Fataga valley. The opening of this route does create the possiblity of doing a 3 day coast to coast walk, all on signposted paths, for the first time. Fot the first day you walk the S 54 from Maspalomas to Tunte, stay over night at the Las Tirajanas hotel. For the second day you walk the S 50 from Tunte to Cruz de Tejeda, staying over night at either El Refugio or the Parador. For the third day walk from Cruz de Tejeda to Agaete on the S 90 via Artenara and the Tamadaba forest, staying in one of several hotels in the Port of Agaete.

I have walked in the San Mateo/Valsequillo area several times during May. Many of the footpaths in the San Mateo/Valsequillo areas are very overgrown at present, in fact I abandoned my attempt to walk the San Mateo Circle (Volume 2 Walk 11). I would not recommend this walk until the local authorities have restored some of the paths used in this walk. Another walk that was badly overgrown was the Las Lagunetas figure of 8 (Volume 1 Walk 28) but the local authorities were working on paths in this area when we walked it at the end of May.

The descent from Firgas Town to the Azuaje barranco still has not been repaired, but I did walk this path in May. The landslide is not as bad as I thought it was going to be, it can be walked by experienced hikers, at their own risk, but the path is in poor condition and overgrown. The S 13 from Barranco de la Virgen to Firgas has been improved considerably and is well signposted, this is on the final part of the Firgas long circle in (Volume 2 Walk 13). Hopefully the authorities will improve the damaged path down from Firgas shortly. I am taking the Firgas short circle out of my short walks guide for the 2016-2017 edition until this path is improved.

April 2016 Updates:

I knew it was a mistake last month to say I had not seen any new signposts yet this year, I have now seen the following during the last 10 days of March.

S 13 This newly signposted route runs from Firgas to Valsendero, much of it on the GC 305.

S 37 This newly signposted path runs from the Guayadeque Valley (Montana Las Tierras and Cueava Bermeja) to Pico de las Nieves via Caldera Marteles.

S 40 This signposted route used to run from San Bartolome to Santa Lucia, it has now been extended onto Aguimes via Cruz de Siglo and Temisas.

S 42 This newly signposted path runs from Santa Lucia to Los Cascajales via Lomo Guaniles.

S 43 This newly signposted path runs from Santa Lucia to Los Cascajales via Taidia.

Los Cascajales is on the GC 130, approx Km 4.5, between Caldera Marteles and Siete Fuentes. There are also several short paths connecting the S 37, S 42 and the S 43 making circular routes possible.

With so many new signs appearing within the last month, I do expect more, if you see any signposts not mentioned in my notes or on this updates page I will be very pleased to hear about them.

The repair work on the GC 200 has been completed more quickly than expected, so the GC 200 is now open. There are still obstacles blocking the route up from Puerto Mogan to the lighthouse, and the descending path from Firgas Town, down to the abandoned hotel in the Azuaje barranco still has not been repaired, it is still officially closed.

March 2016 Updates:

So far this year I have seen no new signposts, such as the S 80 but several old "Camino Reales" have been restored, such as near Cruz de Aserrador, the Tejeda Barranco and in the Fataga area.

The GC 550, which is the road from Santa Lucia to Temisas has now been repaired and is open.

During the second half of February there was some bad weather on Gran Canaria. There was heavy rain on the west of the island and a lot of snow in the central mountains. The snow has now all gone but there is a new road closure, the GC 200 between Kilometre 13 and 30, this is the road from La Aldea de San Nicholas to El Risco near Agaete. It is expected that this road could be closed for about 3 months.

The only footpath I am aware of that is closed is a section ot the S 60 which crosses the Dam Wall at Chira. I expect this to be a short term closure.

The path down from Firgas town to the Azuaje barranco is still officially closed. The authorities have not yet started any repairs, we have had reports of people risking walking the damaged path against official advice, but there is a chance of further landslides in this area.

The access from Puerto Mogan up to the lighthouse is still very restricted.

December 2015 Updates:

Volume 2 - Walk 20 - Cruz de Tejeda to San Mateo.

• I walked this route recently and found that the signposted route S 16 from Degollada Becerra to Santa Brigida varies from the route in my guide. Some paths used in my instructions for this walk are now seldom used and in a bad state of repair. I have therefore decided to change section 6 of this walk. The new route and walk details are below. The rest of this walk remains unchanged

Volume 2 - Walk 20 - Cruz de Tejeda to San Mateo - Section 6.

• 6:- This junction is known as Trigo Diego, to continue walk down this tarmac road heading N.E. it soon turns into a ‘leafy lane’. You are still following the S 16 to Utica and Santa Brigida. In just over 5 minutes turn sharp right heading East at an S 16 signposted junction shortly after your tarmac has turned into concrete, (GPS 6a N 28° 00.850' W 15° 34.015') unless you want to avoid a tricky section, details of the alternative route are in brown text. To avoid the tricky section, keep straight on, then turn right onto a tarmac road that will take you on asphalt all the way into La Yedra, where you turn right to rejoin the main route at Utiaca GPS point 7. There are very few S 16 signs on this section. Carry straight on at the next junction, the concrete road then starts to ascend, then descends past house No.69 on your right. Bear left downhill at a junction, pass an abandoned house on your right to continue onto a grassy footpath. You cross the barranco on a “bridge” continue on until you come to a steep descent (with some ropes to help you) to cross the barranco again, then proceed very steeply uphill, again with some ropes to help you. (GPS 6b N 28° 00.940' W 15° 33.785') You continue on a narrow path to come out on a dirt track where you bear left downhill, heading N.E. You soon pass a 2 story white house, No.18 on your left, your dirt track now turns into concrete, continue straight on past a house with a sign for “Perros Sueltos” keep on this concrete road until your reach a car park by Bar/Restaurant Guiniguada on the GC 42 (The Teror to San Mateo road) at Utiaca, there is also an interesting water collection point here. Approx 30 minutes from Trigo Diego, there is a bus from here to San Mateo at 14.45, if you wish to end the walk here.

Volume 1 - Walk 5 - Tasarte to Pueblo Mogan.

• The route from Degollada Veneguera to Pueblo Mogan is described as a Local Route "Ruta 1" in the walking notes, this path has been re-signposted as the S 73 the route itself has not changed.

• I have been notified that the footpath from Firgas Town to the Azuaje barranco is still closed, and no date has yet been given for the re-opening of this path. This footpath is used in both the short Firgas Circle (Volume 1 - Walk 20) and the longer Firgas Circle (Volume 2 - Walk 13) the path will remain closed until further notice. The closure is between GPS waypoints 2 and 3. I will update this advice as soon as I get more information, but I expect the closure to be for several more months.

It is still possible to do a long Firgas circle using my guides, if you have purchased both guides. My recommendation would be to do the short Firgas circle in reverse from the end to GPS waypoint 5, approx 1 hour 40 minutes, then turn left at the cave house with columns to continue with the long Firgas circle from the approx GPS waypoint N 28.05.570 W 15.34.730 to the end, approx 3 hours, making a total walk of approx 4 hours 40 minutes.

• The GC 200 from La Aldea de San Nicholas to El Risco, near Agaete, was closed due to storm damage, we have now been advised that the road is now open. The GC 550 between Santa Lucia and Temisas is still closed, it is expected to be re-opened in the New Year. The coastal walk from La Goleta to Las Salinetas in Volume 1, Section C, Page 3, Coastal Walk B is now available again.

Volume 1 - Walk 25 - The Lugarejos Circle.

• The path between Risco Caido, GPS waypoint 5a and the barranco floor GPS waypoint 6 has become overgrown and slightly eroded and must be walked with great care. I have notified the Artenara council of this difficulty.

Volume 1 – The SW section – Short Circle and There and Back walks – Walk No. 1 – Puerto Mogan to the Lighthouse.

• Access to this walk is blocked at present due to building work. This work could last until March 2016. If you are staying in Puerto Mogan and really want to do this walk please send me an e-mail for more details.

November 2015 Updates:

• In October there was an unusual amonut of rainfall all over Gran Canaria. I have just been notified that a footpath used in both the short Firgas Circle (Volume 1 - Walk 20) and the longer Firgas Circle (Volume 2 - Walk 13) is closed until further notice. This is the descending path between Firgas town and the Azuaje barranco, the closure is between GPS waypoints 2 and 3. I will update this advice as soon as I get more information.

October 2015 Updates:

26th October - We have been informed, this morning, of a landslip on the GC 550 , 2.5Km from Santa Lucia heading towards Temisas. This will affect the running of the No.34 Global bus service, this could well mean that Temisas will be without a bus service for 3 to 4 months. Please check the Global web site for the amended timetable and route, affecting Santa Lucia and San Bartolome. This road closure will affect several walks in Volume 1, the South East Zone, the latest news is that the GC 550 will not re-open until February 2016. The main walk affected is Walk 10, Temisas to Santa Lucia, due to the fact that there are no buses at present from Temisas to Santa Lucia. A good option, during the road closure, would be to park at Temisas Observatory, walk as far as Cruz de Siglo, returning to Temisas.

The Firgas Circle: Volume 2 - Walk 13

In February 2015 we discovered that there had been a landslide near GPS 6 N 28° 04.570' W 15° 34.610' on this walk. This landslide is about 5 minutes after GPS point 6, GPS N 28.04.670 W 15.34.490 just after Lugar El Rapador. There is now a good option to continue with the main route, so the options given in February are no longer needed, although option 2 is a good way to extend this walk by half an hour. The information below is the new updated Section 6 for the Firgas Circle.

Take this small path on your right that heads East through the trees. At the end, continue almost straight ahead onto a small tarmac road. Most of this section is on a route signposted R 2 to El Roque and Los Chorros by Firgas Town Hall. Walk uphill past Lugar El Rapador (No.92) and then between a couple of walls and orchards. Turn left at a junction and continue N.E. on concrete to a small house on your left No.71. Turn sharp right uphill here, then left to continue on a muddy path through some canes, your path then opens up as you ascend to come to a Y-junction 5 minutes from house No.71. Turn sharp right, signposted ,“R 2 to El Roque”, and head S.W. uphill. Follow this path, which can get overgrown, there are some information boards on it, to the top of the hill, (GPS 6a N 28° 04.730' W 15° 34.300') turn left at the signpost for PR GC 07 to La Laguna onto tarmac. 2 minutes later bear right at a Y junction, as you near the eucalyptus forest. A minute later turn left downhill onto a dirt track, where you must take as it can be quite slippery, and continue on for 10 minutes. Pass a house with some nice gates, continue up onto a small tarmac road. Within 5 minutes there is another left turn down onto a dirt track, which is badly eroded at the start, and can be rather muddy, follow this track for about 15 minutes to the main road, the GC 30, just over an hour from leaving the Barranco de la Virgen.

There has been a significant amount of heavy rain in Gran Canaria during the middle of October. The main road on the West coast, the GC 200, is closed due to serious landslides, and is expected to remain closed between Km 13 and Km 30 for several weeks. This is the section of the GC 200 between La Aldea de San Nicholas and El Risco. There is pressure from the residants of La Aldea to re-open the road as soon as possible. There has also been heavy rain between Las Palmas and the Airport, this has damaged the coastal walk from La Goleta to Las Salinetas in Volume 1, Section C, Page 3, Coastal Walk B. We have not heard of any footpaths being badly damaged or blocked in the mountains, but if you do come across any problems please do let us know.

The new 2015/2016 updated version of the Discovery Walking Guides "Tour and Trail" Map of Gran Canaria is now available. Both the printed and digital versions of the map have had major updates during the summer of 2015. The ISBN number is 9781782750093 for the new 2nd edition. All of the new maps in my walking guides are based (with the permission of Discovery Walking Guides) on this map.

August 2015 Updates:

The 2015/2016 updated version of my guides are now available. Both the printed and PDF versions of both guides have had major updates during the summer of 2015.

Volume 1 now has new maps of all the main 35 walks. This work has been done with permission from Discovery Walking Guides. Five of the original walks have been replaced with new hikes and the information pages in each zone have also been extended to give more short circles and there and back walks.

Volume 2 now has new maps of all the main 25 walks. This work has been done with permission from Discovery Walking Guides. There are now information pages in each zone detailing the newly signposted routes in each zone and suggestions for more challenging routes.

June 2015 Updates:

Signpost Updates

During the last few weeks more new signposts have appeared, especially in the Zone E –The Cumbre (Central Mountains).

There are now signposts for the S 20 from San Mateo up to Siete Fuentes, these replace the old PR GC 10 signposts for the same route. There are also new signposts for the S 16 this basically replaces the old PR GC 02, but with a different route into Las Lagunetas from Barranco de la Mina. There are now signposts for the S 21 which include the Mantaniales area (above Cueva Grande) which in my opinion is one of the nicest footpaths on Gran Canaria. Another newly signposted route is the S 19 which runs from Degollada Becerra to Las Lagunetas. In Las Lagunetas there is also an excellent new local “SL” route up from the village to the cemetery, and then around a ridge and back to the village, this is a super 2.7Km walk and signposted Las Lagunetas circular.

Also new is the S 9 from Degollada de las Palomas to Valleseco via Valsendero, this replaces the old PR GC 04 and PR GC 05, there is the odd sign for the S 9.1. I do not know why some signs are for the S 9 and others for the S 9.1 ?? There are still a few the old signs in place. There is also an improved local “SL” route near Valleseco.

The S 51 has now been extended to include a signposted route now from Llanos de la Pez to Pico de las Nieves.

There are proposals for more “S” routes and new signs in the Artenara area, and also for the area between San Mateo and Valsequillo, no new signs have appeared yet.

Another interesting development is the displaying of new maps by the Cabildo. There are three such maps at Cruz de Tejeda, these maps are good and show most of the “S” routes in the area and a few local “SL” routes. There is also a Cabildo tourist information office at Cruz de Tejeda, they have no information (descriptions, maps, or GPX tracks) to give out to hikers, so to use these maps you need a photographic memory, but they do give a good idea of the location of the newly signposted routes. There are also maps at places such as Las Lagunetas, Llanos de la Pez, Agaete, Carrizal and a few other locations, I expect more in the near future.

1. The Firgas Circle: Volume 2 - Walk 13

Important - The landslide which caused the diversion on the Firgas circle, (Volume 2 - Walk 13) is still causing this route to be diverted. See full information and details below in February 2015 updates.

February 2015 Updates:

Signpost Updates

Most of the new signposts erected since Christmas have appeared in the North West, around the Tamadaba forest and the Lugarejos area. There are now many S 93 signposts in the Tamadaba forest, and in the Lugarejos area S 96 signposts have replaced the old SL 10 signposts. There are also some S 97 signposts for a route from Las Cuevas to San Pedro, and I have seen 1 new signpost for the S 98 at Presa de los Perez. The old un-numbered route from Artenara to Teror via Fontanles is now signposted as the S 05 from Artenara to Fontanales, and there are also some new S 10.1 signposts from Lomo de la Rosa to Teror in the North East.

1. Volume 1 - Walk 18 from Valleseco to Zamora

This path has now been repaired, after a landslide caused it to be blocked in October 2014

2. The Firgas Circle: Volume 2 - Walk 13

There has been a landslide shortly after GPS 6 N 28° 04.570' W 15° 34.610' on this walk. This has made a short section on this walk impassable (see map image below). The following information explains 2 ways of how to complete this route:

The landslide is about 5 minutes from GPS point 6, and a minute or so from House No.11 and Lugar El Rapador. GPS N 28.04.670 W 15.34.490. If the landslide has been repaired you can continue with the main route.

Until the landslide has been repaired, turn left by the side of the Lugar El Rapador sign, and walk downhill on a steep ribbed concrete road to join the GC 305. There is an information board on your left. Turn right on the road, pass a few houses and a small bar and continue to walk on the GC 305 until you reach the entrance to the Firgas water bottling factory. Approx 100 metres after the entrance there is a footpath labelled Firgas Ruta 2 to El Roque on your right, GPS N 28.04.960 W 15.34.360, from here there are two options. This takes about 15 minutes from Lugar El Rapador.

• Option No.1 walks you on asphalt from this point to Firgas football pitch on the GC 305 for approx 4 Km, walk on left for the best views, be aware of the occasional large lorry coming to or from the Firgas water bottling plant. This will take just over 1 hour to rejoin the main route, by the side of the Firgas football pitch with its floodlights.
• Option No.2 takes you uphill to half way between GPS point 6 and GPS point 6a in just over a quarter of an hour, on a delightful camino real. You will pass a few small remote farms and Molino de Siglo, an old water mill. This path has a couple of small rock falls, resulting from the recent rain, and will take about 20 minutes to re-join the main route at GPS point N 28.04.760 W 15.34.360. This is probably a more interesting route than the original but is almost half an hour longer.

3. San Bartolome to Fataga: Volume 1 - Walk 7

We have had reports of clients meeting some unfriendly loose dogs, if they step over the chain mentioned after GPS point 5. At present it is advisable to continue straight on to the camino real at Cuesta de Fataga.

November 2014 Updates:

There has been a lot of new signposts erected this month, especially in the S.W. of Gran Canaria. Below is a summary of the effect of the newly signposted routes in the guides.

Volume 1 - Walk 1:The El Juncal Circle - Between GPS Points 1 and 2, you will find some S 60 signposts. At GPS point 2, your route leaves the S 60 route.

Volume 1 - Walk 5:The Soria Circle - From the car park at the start, before you reach GPS Point 1a, you will see an S 60 signpost pointing to a footpath going up on your right, please ignore this path at present as this path is still being restored. Please follow the notes here. You will join the official S 60 between GPS Points 1a and 1b and follow it until GPS Point 3. You leave the S 60 route before GPS Point 3a, looking carefully for the “2 large individual pine trees”, as described in the notes.

Volume 1 - The Aserrador Ridge - SW Introduction - Walk 4 of the there and back walks - There is now a good restored footpath directly from the car park on GC 60 Km 12 (This is on the Discovery map but is not signposted at present).

Volume 2 - Walk 1:The Cruz Grande Circle – The S 60 is your signposted route up to GPS point 6. The S 60 takes an improved path between GPS points 5 and 6, you still turn right at GPS point 6 (Lomo la Palma) to continue on the dirt road. Walking through Cercado de Arana there are no new signs, but the final ascent back to Cruz Grande is in the process of being signposted.

Volume 2 - Walk 4:The Three Lakes Circle – The S 60 is your signposted route up to GPS point 2a. The S 60 takes you on a different route between GPS points 1a and 2a, and again between GPS point 2a and the dirt road at Lomo la Palma. I expect more new signs for the S 66 further on this on this walk, especially across the Soria Barranco and down to Soria at the end of the walk. After Point GPS 10, when on the dirt track, a signpost invites you to turn left on a footpath, this path is still being restored so at present it is better to stay on the dirt track.

Volume 2 - Walk 5:The El Aserrador Walks – There are various new signposts for the S 60 and S 66, but many posts here still have no information. There is a good restored path (not signposted at present) between GPS point 12a and Cruz de Aserrador on the GC 60 Km12. Between GPS Points A to D and 7 to 9 you will find S 60 signposts. Between GPS Points 9 to 12, you will find some S 66 signposts. A nice footpath is in the process of being restored between GPS Point D and GC 661. There are also a couple of signposts for the S 81 El Toscon to El Juncal.

The route of the newly signposted S 60 is roughly from Cruz Grande - Chira - Soria - Casa de la Data – Cruz de Huesita – El Juncal – Cruz de Aserrador.

The route of the newly signposted S 66 is roughly from La Candelilla – El Aserrador – Cruz de Huesita – Casa de la Data – Soria Barranco – La Herradura – La Candelilla.

Volume 2 - Walk 8 - San Bartolome to Fataga via Santa Lucia - The route from Santa Lucia to Fataga is now signposted as the S 47. I recommend that you follow the notes in my guide rather than the signposted route between GPS point 6b and GPS point 7b, as this is a more intersting route.

October 2014: Important Update - Volume 1 Walk 18 from Valleseco to Zamora

We have been advised of a footpath closure because of a rock fall. The photograph shows the information you will see at GPS Waypoint 3c, the only way to continue this walk at present is to continue uphill on the GC 305 for approx. 30 minutes until you come to GPS waypoint 4, where you can re-join the described route.

We have been advised by the local tourist office that this path will repaired by the Cabildo in the near future.

September 2014: Important Update - Volume 2 Version 2013-14 - Walk 10: The Ayagaures Circle

I had been informed during the summer that the rock fall/landslide that blocked this path between GPS points 6 and 7 had been repaired and signposted.

I have now found out that this is not true and that the newly signposted path is actually the ascent we use from the start in Ayagaures to GPS point 5. This route is signposted the S 57 to Tunte (the local name for San Bartolome).

Walk 10 at present can only be used as a there and back walk. One option would be to continue as far as GPS point 5a, turn left on the dirt track to walk South for approx. 30 minutes to get back to GPS point 4a and then descend back to Ayagaures the way you came. See the map for more details.

August 2014: Important Update - Vol 1 - Walk 35: Cueva Grande to San Mateo

We have been notified that a new gate has blocked Walk 35 from Volume 1 – Cueva Grande to San Mateo - 10 minutes downhill from GPS point 5.

This walk can still be completed by following the PR GC 10 from GPS point 5 to GPS point 6a and then continuing with the route as normal. This is not quite as interesting as the original option but can be achieved, it will shorten the walk by approx. 15 minutes.

Sorry for the changes, but these things happen !

July 2014: New Signposts

During the last few months, the Cabildo (The Island Council) have been erecting many new signposts for walkers all over Gran Canaria. Some signposts are replacing old ones, others are on new routes, and in some places local names, such as Tunte are being put on the new signs instead of the name usually used on the maps, such as San Bartolomé de Tirajana. This work is on-going.

There are also many signposts erected without information at present, especially in the Tamadaba forest and in the area around the 3 reservoirs of Chira, Soria and Las Niñas. The new routes are all numbered - for example the S 50, these are replacing the old signs such as the PR GC 50.

If you have purchased one or more of my walking guides in the last 2 years (2012-13 and 2013-14) and wish to receive information on how this affects any routes you may wish to walk in the near future, please Contact Us.

The walking guides dated 2014-15 contain all the latest information available at present (August 2014) and these guides will be updated as new posts are erected and information is attached.

The below signposts are typical of what you will see if you are following a signposted route anywhere in Gran Canaria. The taller signposts have directions on them, such as in the photo, in my notes I call the posts with green or yellow marks 'finger posts'.

Autumn 2013: Rockfalls

During the Autumn of 2013 there were 3 paths closed due to rockfalls and landslides. The path from Santa Lucia to Cruz de Siglo has been restored and I have walked it since the repairs. The other two paths were between Las Tederas and Los Pilacones, near Ayagaures, this is part of the S 57 and the path between San Pedro and El Bibique, near Tamadaba. I have been informed that both paths have been fully restored but have not yet walked them myself.

Each year we make changes and improvements to individual walks and the guides in general. This year our main work has been trying to keep up with all of the new signposts being erected during the summer. If the route has been compromised by rockfalls, new fences etc. information on these items will be included on this update page.