Port terminal to be finished soon

Above plans for the landscaping and finishing of the recently constructed harbour terminal in the port of Vueltas in Valle Gran Rey were published by the government of the Canary Islands. The terminal will be connected to all services and car parking, a taxi rank and bus stop will be provided. Green areas and trees to provide shade and shelter will be planted and public lighting with solar panels will be installed. The estimated cost for these improvements is close to 214.000 Euros and the works will take three months to complete. Let's hope they didn't forget public toilets.

The terminal in its present state

Further harbour improvements

The terminal building in Vueltas, Valle Gran Rey

The recently constructed terminal building in the outer harbour of Vueltas, Valle Gran Rey, is to be brought into service soon, according to the island's president Casimiro Curbelo. He announced a further investment of 310.000 Euros for the harbour yesterday and the terminal will get the necessary connections to services as well as landscaping and furnishings. 

Lets hope there will be public toilets open at all times as currently there are none in the whole Valle Gran Rey area which serves a population of around 5.000 and is the main tourist attraction of La Gomera. Public toilet facilities are extremely scarce in La Gomera in general and should be provided a.s.a.p. to avoid further unhygienic 'wild toilets'.

Passenger terminal planned for port

The planned terminal building  (Image source: eltambor.es)

The director responsible for infrastructure of the Ports Authority of the Canaries (Puertos de Canarias) has unveiled the design for a planned passenger terminal building for the port of Valle Gran Rey in the outer harbour of Vueltas. The large 392 sqm terminal is to be built and finished next year at a projected cost of 444.000 Euros. 

The modern concrete building will house a cafe/cafeteria, public toilets, offices, waiting areas and more. It will serve the travellers on the expectedly reopening ferry connection between V.G.R., P. Santiago, San Sebastian and Tenerife and will also provide facilities for the anticipated increase in visitors from cruise ships visiting the port as well a the general public visiting the popular harbour area.

It is expected that the contracts for building the terminal will go to tender soon and will be adjudicated before the end of this year.

Approximate location of planned facility (red arrow)

Ferries Canaries '13: More Rumours, Rumblings, Runs.

Watching the  Fred. Olsen ferry from the Naviera Armas ferry in the  port
of San Sebastian de La Gomera a few days ago. Both ferries were full and
arrived almost at the same time in Los Cristianos causing tailbacks there.

Uncertainty about ferry routes and departure times seem to be an annual feature in autumn just before the peak season winter schedules are finally established. Now it has been announced that the ferry company 'Naviera Armas' is to introduce a new fast catamaran service on the route between Los Cristianos and El Hierro and according to some rumours this service is to stop-over at a harbour on La Gomera, possibly Valle Gran Rey. The council of the town have once again complained about the lack of a connection and called unanimously for the re-introduction of the so-called 'interior line' connecting the three main ports on La Gomera. According to some officials another  company wants to apply for a licence to connect Valle Gran Rey with a smaller boat capable of carrying about 80 passengers. A persistent and seemingly well-informed rumour meanwhile intimates the re-introduction of a  'type of Garajonay Express ferry service before Christmas'.

A further hot issue is the schedule of connections between Los Cristianos and San Sebastian de La Gomera, where often the sailings of the two companies arrive at the same time, leading to traffic congestion in Los Cristianos. Some sailings on the same route have been cancelled leaving less options for travellers especially at weekends, and meetings were held between officials and representatives of the ferry companies to improve the schedules which lead to some amendments having been made now. Keep checking  timetables regularly (see links on sidebar) if you intend to travel.

More rumours not worth mentioning here are doing the rounds and it remains to be seen what will emerge when reliable winter timetables and possible new routes have been established. If you don't need to book very soon it may be worth waiting until the last minute, but remember that all schedules remain subject to change anyway - and the same goes for the prices.
In the eastern Canary Islands the Fred.Olsen ferry line has promised to 'become market leader of ferry connections in the Canaries' by introducing a new connection between Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura with 22 weekly sailings between the two islands. The port of Corralejo on Fuerteventura will to connect to Lanzarote with 80 weekly sailings. Before we applaud too enthusiastically, let's bear in mind that the Canarian government has approved subsidies for inter-island travel services provided to residents by the Fred.Olsen ferry line to the tune of nearly 2.5 million Euros for the first three month of 2013 alone. 
Great and well done - but can we have a very small slice of that cake in Valle Gran Rey, Señores, pliiiiisssss ?!

Update: NEW ferry connection proposed.
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