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El Hierro
If you are looking for bars where you can throw back the lager until dawn, greasy spoon cafes serving the best of British fry ups, busy beaches or trance nation clubs then please steer clear of the smallest island in the Canary archipelago, El Hierro.
This idyllic mysterious island from Ptolemy 100 to 1888 was believed to be the end of the world until Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas and the zero meridian was moved from Punto Ochilla to Greenwich. The island is only 287 kilometres square, yet offers a breathtaking landscape protected by the National Spaces Act. Spectacular cliffs reaching 1,200 metres in height, Canary Island pine forests, thousand year old junipers and twisted lava formations are just some of the islands treasures that have earned El Hierro its reputation of a magical island. Sometimes shrouded in mist and in a lush green valley complete with orchards and colourful gardens is the only capital city in the Canary Islands not to be situated on the coast, Velvedere, picturesque and red-roofed this city is inhabited by about 1600 islanders the “Herrenos.” Walkers are drawn to this island for the sheer beauty of the routes available. In the heart of lush wine territory is Echeda, a quaint hamlet said to produce the best wine in the Canaries called the Frontrera Blanco. Isora is a pretty cheese producing village one local cheese is made from an interesting combination of cow, goat and sheep milk.. Old abandoned villages blend in amongst ancient sites and volcanic cones in a range of colours. On this island colour is not restricted to land. La Restinga, a beach at the southern most tip of the island is well known for its spectacular sea beds and a rich marine life of black coral, trumpet fish, shoals of black sea bream and big rays. During the summer months divers are treated to the sight of hammer head sharks, tuna and grey trigger fish. Magical? Yes but then so is the legend of the eighth island San Borondon which is said to appear in the mists off the cliffs of El Hierro only to disappear, many a Herreno will talk of their experience of having seen the island on some occasion. However this is a legend that has been spoken of since the Canaries were conquered throughout the 15th century and sailors spoke of an eighth island seen to the left of El Hierro When the island was approached the island was shrouded in mist and vanished. Interestingly old maps chart the existence of another island, today however it is a myth and referred to as the ghost island. Not only famous for its mystery island El Hierro can boast the world’s largest landslip when 300 cubic kilometers of land fell into the Atlantic creating the amazing El Golfo region and also making El Hierro the smallest island in the Canaries but still perhaps the most magical.
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