New to Van Clarke? Subscribe to our newsletter for 15% off your first order. Start your haircare journey today.
Think of the Canary Islands, and binge-drinking, beer bellies and bingo wings may come to mind. And despite some local protests of over-tourism, sales to the English football-terrace demographic remain one of their biggest exports.
But these concentrated colonies of the working-class English abroad feature in only a tiny part of the Canary Island landmass on just half the islands. Away from those fringe towns it’s mostly empty panoramas of untouched nature with sparsely dotted settlements of local culture. The islands are steeped in history and display a whole world of landscapes save for snow, each having a distinctly different personality and feel, both in the topography and the people.
On land there are temperate and sub-tropical forests, the highest mountain in Spain – I’ve climbed to the top of Mount Teide at 12,198 ft (above) and it has extraordinary views, hundreds of other volcanoes, seemingly endless desert, unique indigenous flora and fauna, four of the islands designated totally as UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, extensive national parks with organised hiking trails, and the clearest skies for star gazing.
You needn’t venture far from the coast to see dolphins, finback whales, pilot whales and sperm whales. The archipelago has become a key European destination for spotting sea life.
As global warming isn’t coming fast enough to the UK, we still need a fix of warmth and sunshine to see us through the grim wet winters. On the same latitude as the Western Sahara, temperature remains pleasant through the winter months making the Canaries an attractive year-round destination. I visited all eight islands to get a feel for what’s going on.
Captured by the serene nothingness of the desert panorama I’ve returned to Lanzarote. This immediate sense of emptiness from the vast lonely expanses dotted with low rise buildings, aides the journey into peace and solitude, the silence being an enigmatic part of the landscape. Lanzarote is strikingly different from its neighbours—more lunar than lush, more artful than commercial. It offers a captivating blend of volcanic topography, architecture, art, and epic coastlines.
The island, along with others, emerged from the sea after the breakup of the African and the American continental plates around 15 million years ago. The massive 18th Century eruptions lasted six years, with 32 more volcanoes emerging along an 18-kilometer stretch, burying 11 villages, fertile land, and smothering a quarter of the island under ash and lava, with some flows being up to 100 metres thick. Most of this eerily beautiful, lava-covered Martian-like landscape is now contained within the Timanfaya National Park.
Lanzarote has over a hundred volcanoes, but Timanfaya is the only one that is currently active and so the island is constantly monitored for eruption risk. The volcanoes offer a great hike and climb with stunning views if you make it to the top.
The mineral rich volcanic soil produces some world class wines. The vines are protected from the winds by these horseshoe walls of lava rock.
We stayed at the César Lanzarote, the former home of César Manrique's family, now a boutique hotel. It moves on from the safe blandness of so many hotels with thoughtful design cues pointing to its heritage, and surrounded by the imposing volcanic scenery, it offers a different experience on Lanzarote. It’s part of the tourism upgrade the island is working towards – swapping beer drinkers for wine lovers as the hotel manager explained to me.
While temperatures rarely get too cold, there are times of the year when the winds are strong. We visited last February and the gusting wind for much of our first day made for a more rugged experience than we were planning. Next day was settled.
Local artist and architect César Manrique transformed the island with his tireless work. Whilst he did not hold office, he wielded considerable influence over planning and aesthetic development on his native Lanzarote.
Famously advocating for traditional low-built architectural styles, sustainable tourism, and the integration of art with the natural environment, no developments are to be more than three stories high. No neon signs or billboards appear along roadsides. All houses are to be whitewashed with blue woodwork and shutters in coastal areas and green inland. The architecture offers a peace and stillness which doesn’t dominate the landscape.
His key buildings include:
César Manrique Foundation: His former home built into lava bubbles—now a museum.
Jameos del Agua: A volcanic tunnel turned into an underground cultural centre.
Cactus Garden: 1,000+ cactus species in a beautifully designed amphitheatre.
Mirador del Río: A stunning cliffside lookout built into the rock.
Long after Manrique’s death in 1992, the spectacular natural heritage has been protected by the people of Lanzarote and the island became the first in the Canaries archipelago to be declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1993. In 2015, it became the first destination in the world to receive a Biosphere Responsible Tourism certification. Great for cycling, hiking, diving, and surfing. Quiet roads and lunar views make it popular with triathletes and fitness retreats.
Thought to have been the first Canary Island to be settled, possibly by the Phoenicians, the first known records are by the Roman author Pliny the Elder. Ptolemy, the Greco-Roman astronomer, geographer and mathematician gave the precise locations of the islands, and they were settled by the Majos tribe of the Guanches with links to the Berbers of North Africa. There are no records after the fall of the Western Roman Empire until 999 when Arabs arrived, then Portuguese in the 14th century and the gradual conquering of the islands by the Kings of Castille from the early 15th century. Then latterly absorbed into the unified kingdom of Spain.
This long steep mountain trail in the north of the island leads down to a beautiful deserted 2km long sandy beach. Even more deserted in the distance is the 8th recognised island, La Graciosa.
This tiny, car-free island just off the north coast of Lanzarote takes me back to my childhood holidays on the Greek islands before mass tourism. No proper roads or streetlights, just a few rows of simple low-built houses by the harbour with sand drifting in the streets between. I wouldn’t have noticed as a child that the accoutrements were pretty basic or that the locals were intermarrying. Such is island life.
The few restaurants on the seafront means no time wasted sifting through endless chaff. There isn’t any or much of anything. It’s all very simple but the food is good: fresh fish, local tapas, and Canarian wine.
There aren’t many landscapes where you can make a five-hour trek without seeing a soul. Just observing and absorbing the wonder of nature. La Graciosa is such a place. Its totally unspoiled vibe is ideal if you're looking to unplug and disconnect. It’s the quietest and least developed Canary Island—the last of the eight to be recognised and with just 700 inhabitants.
You get around on foot or with a rented fat-tire bike and enjoy no traffic noise—just the sound of the ocean and wind. It has some of the best beaches in the Canaries, which are often empty. With no light pollution and wide-open views, sunsets are epic, and stargazing amazing, but even in the middle of the desert landscape or atop the 800ft volcano, you get 5G on your phone.
Michael Van Clarke
This juicy orange cake is soft, tender and deeply fragrant, with a bright citrus flavour that tastes fresh rather than sugary. The crumb is light but moist all the way through, thanks to lots of real orange zest and juice. When you cut into it, it almost glistens...
