Lanzarote - Is This For Real?

Spain Land Based

Jonathan Ross

Saturday, 10 August 2013

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How do you describe a place on Earth, in the middle of the Atlantic, where spotting a tree is a big event? Welcome to Lanzarote, what I imagine the moon might have looked like to Neil Armstrong. A hot. desolate, mountainous wasteland fringed by warm sea and beautiful beaches. Somewhere they actually manage to cultivate grape vines and produce wine!

My First Visit to Lanzarote
September 2013

I'm not too sure how I ended up on Lanzarote but a big reason was to visit my niece Sophie who had been selected as part of the all female Volvo Ocean Race team SCA. SCA had their training base on the west coast there and we were joined by my brother Bub, sister Liz and brother in law Joel, (Sophie's parents). We spent a few days touring the island, looking for some waves and generally just taking it all in. Some of the coastal scenery was truly spectacular.

Inland is a totally different story, Lava fields and the most inhospitable terrain you can imagine. I borrowed Sophie's bike and did quite a bit of riding around the mountains behind Puerto Carlero where the team was based. That's when I was playing spot the tree. Didn't have much luck there I'm afraid. I returned to Lanzarote a few years later and had a real riding adventure but that's another story for later.....