Relax by the sea in El Tamaduste

El Tamaduste is a small costal village in the municipal district of Valverde.It doesn’t have a Hotel yet, but there are numerous apartments and houses for rent all year round. If you are lucky you can rent one with views over the Bay or as it’s known locally, El Charco which translates as “The puddle”. The unique thing about El Charco is that you can swim in it all year round, even if the seas are rough due to the narrow entrance it stays quite calm.

Tamaduste offers many activities for you depending on how energetic you feel. If you are just wanting to totally relax and chill out for a great sun tan then go down to the Charco. There is a board walk all the way around where you can lay and sunbathe. Steps lead down into the sea or at low tide you can go and paddle on the little beach. The braver ones throw themselves of the end and into the deep crystal clear blue waters of the bay. The bottom is of golden sand in most places with rocks and boulders at the edges. It makes for ideal snorkelling and there are a wide variety of brightly coloured fish, eels, crabs, the occasional octopus and limpets. The limpets make for good eating on a hot griddle with traditional green Canarian mojo sauce drizzled over them, delicious. Why not try some next time you see “Lapas” on a menu.

There are other little coves around the coast for those wanting peace and solitude.

If feeling more energetic you can take the costal path SL-EH3 which starts at the end of the road above the sports field. If taking this walk I would recommend a good pair of shoes. The path is made of volcanic rocks which can cut into your shoes if in flimsy flip flops.  It follows the coast round and rises and falls with the cliffs. The sun reflects of the dark rocks and can make for warm walking on an afternoon. There are some beautiful rock formations as you make your way along the path. All caused by the force of the Atlantic Ocean.   

There is a little viewpoint or “ Mirador” in front of Roque de Las Gaviotas,or seagull rock.  You can see why, as its covered in guano giving the impression from a distance that it could be covered in snow. Sometimes the rock is full, on other occasions there might just be the odd gull watching over you. 

The path carries on a little further, straying a little further from the coast before dropping back down into a little bay with a pebbly shoreline. The colour of the sea here is a vivid bluey green and the crashing of the waves against the rocks and pebbles is quite mesmerising.  You can explore little rock pools and look for the urchins and other creatures.

Take a rest before retracing your steps back to the start. The views on the return are completely different over the area known locally as Malpais or “bad lands”. One visitor wanted to know why they had dumped lots of rocks there. It was pointed out to them that the area was unspoilt and had been formed many millennia ago by volcanic action. As you get nearer to Tamaduste you are in direct line of the airport runway and if there is a southerly breeze the planes will fly in over your heads. In the summer months you may get more than the normal maximum six planes a day, but the first one never arrives before 08:30 hrs. And the last plane leaves before 19:00 hrs. 

Back in Tamaduste you can get a refreshing beer in one of the two bars. One is called Bar Tamaduste or Casa Pujol. What is unique about this little bar is that each afternoon a kestrel comes and sits on the telephone line behind, waiting to be fed. One of the staff will come to the open window with either a lump of raw chicken or meat in their hand and the kestrel will swoop down and take it out of their hand. It then sits and enjoys its feast on the telephone wire.

The other bar is called El Bimbache and is set further back from the coast. In the summer months there is also a little kiosk that opens near the Charco selling beers, ice cream and snacks. There is also a little Italian Pizza takeaway El Tomatero open most days.

For the more adventurous and energetic amongst you there is another walk to try. All the local youths do this walk at least once in their lives and every August they hold a race to see who can get to the top the fastest. The path is called Al Jorado. If you walk as though leaving Tamaduste and walk past the little village church on your right, do not follow the road round to the left but walk straight on. The climb starts almost straight away but is fairly easy until you pass the little electric substation. The path then becomes steep and made of loose volcanic scree. The young ones put either shoes or socks on their hands so they can scramble up on all fours. It took me about 50 minutes to reach the wall at the top of the scree slope. It is very hard work as you take 1 step forward and slide back 2 steps. The views at the top are well worth it and you can see the whole of Tamaduste and the local airport Los Cangrejos (The crabs).   

The descent takes just 5 minutes and its best just to keep running.

And back at the bottom, there’s nothing better than running straight into the sea to cool off and wash of all the dust.