Stunning image of sacred mountain

Above a stunning aerial photograph of La Gomera's sacred mountain La Fortaleza, taken and published by ''The Piper Pilot'' on his Facebook page, where he showcases the beauty of the Canary Islands with shots taken from his aircraft. Below is an image I took some time ago. More about La Fortaleza can be found HERE...

The sacred mountain La Fortaleza

La Fortaleza, La Gomera's sacred table mountain just south of national park's forest near the island's former capital of Chipude, was once an important ritual site and later served as one of the last strongholds of the indigenous Gomerans against the Spanish conquerors. Seen here from the east (Mirador de Igualero) at sunset when mists often drift across the top. The Spanish word la fortaleza means strength, toughness or fortitude, but also translates as fort or fortress.

A similar view of La Fortaleza photographed in daytime. The mountain rises to 1.231 metres asl (over 4.000 ft) and the remote hamlets of Erque and Erquito lie in the deep valley below.

The ancient stone alignments and original religious sites on top were mostly destroyed by the Spanish conquistadores and what remained was further severely disturbed in the 1980's by a group of German esotericists who rearranged the stones and rocks they found to create spirals and other formations according to their own convictions. This happened before the site had been properly investigated and documented by archaeologists and consequently it could not be brought back to its original state. So there's no need to revere what you find there as it's not authentic, bar the rocks themselves, and there's also the addition of a modern Christian cross.

Above is a view of La Fortaleza taken from the western side about a kilometre from Chipude, with the village of Pavon, on the road to La Dama, at its foot. From there the table mountain top can be accessed via a slowly ascending winding path (signposted). However, the final ascent is demanding and not suitable for those suffering from vertigo. Bear in mind that you'll also have to climb down the same route as there is no other path back. In the past years some steps were hewn into the rock face that made the clamber up a bit easier, but you'll still need both hands and feet to do it. The spectacular views from the top are the reward for those who make the climb. As the late Tim Hart wrote in his excellent 'La Gomera - A Guide...' (ISBN 0-9547989-0-2): ''...to the top, where you feel as if you are on a giant altar to the god of the sky, as did the Guanches, and they called him Arahan''.

There's a petrol station and also the Bar Los Camioneros close by on the road to La Dama should you need to refuel, or indeed pre-fuel to muster courage and 'fortaleza' for the ascent.

Lovin' La Gomera

Below is an article which appeared in yesterday's Irish Independent:

''The Secret Canary Island: A holiday paradise beyond the brochures

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La Gomera is the Canary Island that time forgot. And that's exactly why you should visit, says Thomas Breathnach.

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Bienvenido to bliss!  

The lush, avocado-hued mountain terraces that surround me could be in Goa. The echoes of merengue from the sleepy hamlet in the valley could be the sound of Hispaniola. 

I've never experienced such exotica so close to home - and I didn't even change my watch to do it. I'm on La Gomera, second-smallest of the seven Canary Islands, delighting in the go-slow harmony of local time.

I was cast away on the island the previous night, via a crossing from its gateway neighbour, Tenerife. The larger Canary Island commands a sort of mainland status over La Gomera (900,000 residents live on Tenerife, versus just 20,000 for the latter). Ferries are the typical way to get here, so I caught the morning sailing from the bustling port of Los Cristianos. I was joined by passengers ranging from Germanic hikers and native weekenders to an on-board entertainment troupe, fresh off a red-button performance of España's Got Talent. 

With so few tourists reaching La Gomera's shores, however, there's still an air of pioneering travel to the place. Once at sea, memories of Tenerife's high-rises and karaoke bars quickly faded to end.

Just shy of an hour later, the charcoal cliff-faces of La Gomera finally parted for the verdant harbour of her capital. Home to half the island, San Sebastian feels positively downtown compared to what would follow. There's a lively indoor mercado, small financial centres and charming cobbled alleyways which buttress its punchy history: Columbus set sail from La Gomera to the New World in 1492, and its ties to the Americas have been buoyant ever since. In fact, locals will tell you the cultural gusto on the island is more like Venezuela than mainland Spain.  

From San Sebastian, I spring-boarded to Playa de Santiago, the pocket-sized coastal resort some 34km (translation: 90 minutes) away. The scenery en route is gasp-eliciting spectacular: from La Gomera's curb-kissing ravines and palm tree oases to the sight of Mount Teide, Tenerife's landmark volcano, looming across the sounds like a sun-scorched Mount Fuji. By the time I've traversed the island, I've met just two cars and a farmer's pick-up truck (a relief, given some of those hairpin bends).

The largest hotel on the island, my base of Jardin Tecina, is a cool and calm hermitage of white-washed villas clustered around a bougainvillea-brushed cliff-face. Beneath it, an abandoned beach cove is reachable by private elevator (only fitting that such a deserted paradise should have its James Bond touches). Beach-lovers, however, should not expect white sands on La Gomera: due to its volcanic nature, you'll be leaving footprints in the black, sole-scorching variety here.

Given the island's landscape - not to mention the dominance of Berghaus over bikinis, it's clear that La Gomera's main draw is hiking. The island is a Garden of Eden for all-level trails and I joined three-decades-a-local Gordo Wenk for a guided trek. Gordo, a silver-haired Stuttgarter with a thick accent, dovetails perfectly with the local demographic. La Gomera developed as a hippy commune for Americans and Continentals in the 1960s and today is said be Europe's last outpost of true boho living. "We still have a few folks who actually live in beach caves here," he says, as we wander through the flora-flecked surrounds of Garajonay National Park. Flower power,indeed.  

My hiking efforts are later rewarded with a local lunch at the panoramic Mirador de Abrante restaurant (+34 638 661490; above). El menú? Potaje de berros, a moreish watercress soup heartened with pork belly, fresh sea perch with buttery asparagus and an ice-cream dessert gilded with local palm honey. Delicious! 

Almost more impressive were the waiters and chefs who chat in El Silbo, the Gomeran, UNESCO-hailed whistling language (once used to communicate across valleys, now used to place my side order of patatas bravas). There are hidden nuggets of culture in La Gomera and this one is written in the wind.

 La Gomera is a switch-off destination with a refreshing lack of choice when it comes to activities: everybody is simply here for nature. For another taste of the wilds, I take a whale-watching trip with a local operator (excursiones-tina.com; €45 including lunch). True to Gordo's word, we've barely lifted anchor when the sights of nudist hippies inhabiting the caved coastline dominate our binoculars. But they're soon overshadowed by the sight of bottle-nosed dolphins followed by a hammer-head shark and a pod of pilot whales! That evening, I retire to the lounge at Jardin Tecina, where resident pianist Anne-Tina is reciting Ludovico Einaudi to an audience of one. This is high season on the island. As we banter, I learn that she is Danish, loves Dublin, and has voluntarily stranded herself on La Gomera for the past seven years.  "Why would I want to be anywhere else?" she asks. All but alone on what must be Europe's most beautiful island, I could only say Salud! to that.''