Artenara

Possibly our favourite trail on Gran Canaria. All the steep climbing is out the way in the first half mile, and after that the path undulates with views in every direction.

Start from the on street parking that leads up to the GAMA mini supermarket on the right. There is ample on street parking on both sides of the road. You have almost certainly driven a long way to get here, so stop for a coffee at one of the cafes in the plaza on the right, soak up the sun and plan your hike.

From the plaza, head uphill in a northerly direction, past the police station, on a steep brick paved road. Pass the public toilets and take a left hand bend until you come to a junction with a wooden signpost for S90 to Cruz de Tejeda. Take the left fork here and continue north on a concrete road until you come to a large rusty steel monument at the Mirador de los Poetas. Time for a breather and admire the view over the town.

Leaving the mirador behind, continue up the concrete road, walking SE until you reach the junction of paths know as El Toril with an information board and signpost. We will be doing thus part of the loop anticlockwise. Continue climbing east to the next signpost and shortly after take the right fork. You will be returning down from the left one.

After a few hundred yards you will come to a t junction. Turning right will take you to a viewpoint, but we'll go to a better one later. Turn left and continue up the trail until you emerge onto a broad track on a hairpin bend. A sign to the right leads up to a fabulous viewpoint which is a great space for a lunch stop if you have any sandwiches left.

Returning to the trail, take the left hand fork which leads gently down hill to a road, where you turn left. Around the left hand bend, ignore the path with a chain across which is a private driveway and continue until you reach a less prominent path, initially cobbled with a low wall on the right. This is the S05 to Antenara with great views towards Tenerife, and after about 20 mins you will be back at El Toril which you will recognise from earlier.