One of our most remarkable walks on Tenerife was through the area known as Las Arenas Negras, to the west of Puerto de la Cruz. The last major volcanic eruption here was in 1706, and the black ash over which we walked for much of the day sparkled in the sun and crunched under our feet like a million crushed Crunchie Bars. There are trees growing in places - you can see some wonderfully green little ones to the right of the photo, beyond the line of the Canal Vergara, a covered canal about the same width as a Madeiran levada. But around the central ash desert are forests which have been recently burned, and it was amazing to see how the new growth shoots out from the charred trunks, so that the trees resemble these hilariously disguised telegraph poles and communications masts that you see on the way to Perth.
If you're interested, there are more photos of this day on Flickr - just click through on the photo here.
Have you seen the Rosa de Piedra? It's at the left-hand (I think) side of the road on the way up from Puerto de la Cruz to the Teide parador.
ReplyDeleteIs that the rock rose? It's among my Day 5 photos - I'll be putting them up on Sunday!
ReplyDeleteChris, I looked through the photos last night, but was so overwhelmed by a rotten headache, I did not comment!!!
ReplyDeleteThat volcanic ash looks so wild and your description had me nearly hearing you tread along...crunching all the way!
The photos are fantastic. It is truly incredible the way trees can grow in spite of adverse conditions. Amazing tenacity.....
Katya, I hope your head is better now. More pics to follow shortly...
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