La Crucita
Time to escape the ever changing wintery climate of the Northern Hemisphere and go in search of some winter sunshine, IMB contributor Pete Scullion, has done just that on a recent trip to the Canary Islands.
This trail is know as ‘La Candelaria’, a pilgrim route that connects the two sides of Tenerife island over a tall ridge, the summit know as ‘La Crucita’. Legend has it a statue of the Virgin Mary appeared to natives on a beach in the town of the same name, with a baby in one hand and a green candle in the other, hence La Candelaria. The trails starts at 1950m, just on the northern edge of the Pico del Teide National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and took us back to the car in Aguamansa, just over 1000m above sea level.
La Candelaria starts off high above the clouds under a hot sun, with the ever-present Mount Teide looming in the distance. This trail offers untold variety of conditions along its length. Grip comes and goes with every corner and attacking this trail wasn’t really an option. A fast run would see you back at the car in 20 minutes, but your hands would be screaming at you by the time you got there. You would have already climbed the height of Ben Nevis to access the the road to get here, 3 hours at least in the climb, but you’d certainly have warmed up beforehand!
Big thanks to Moi at Vadebicis in Puerto de la Cruz. More than happy to help sell Miles a new helmet when he left his in my Focus, and also showed us how to find the best stuff.
Filmed and edited by Miles Mallinson. Song is ‘Man on the Silver Mountain’ by Rainbow.
