4-Xtremes – Part 46: Magical moments on El Hierro

This year, we are on record course when it comes to ferry passages. That's what a Canary Islands expedition like the one we're currently doing with our Axor entails. Since the last article on RoadStars, our list has grown again by three crossings: from La Gomera to Tenerife, from Tenerife to El Hierro – and finally from El Hierro back to Tenerife.

But for now, let's stay on El Hierro, the smallest and most western Canary Island, which can only be reached by ferry via Tenerife. And while Tenerife is over 2,000 square kilometres, El Hierro is less than 270 square kilometres. In the Puerto de la Estaca, we roll ashore in the dark, spend the night at the harbour and are immediately fascinated by the rugged landscape the next morning. An impression that will deepen in the coming days: the blue of the Atlantic, the black lava stones, red, extinguished volcanic craters, lush green vegetation and in the midst, white houses – El Hierro is small and remote, but all the more spectacular and almost magical.

Metre-high waves.

Our first destination is the valley of El Golfo, formed as a result of landslides more than 15,000 years ago. Today, the valley is fertile and pineapples and bananas are cultivated here. And of course the Atlantic is close, and extremely wild. Waves, some metres high, hit the coast. A small house made of dark rock is particularly buffeted by waves around it: a small hotel. Can guests sleep well there?

At the far end of the valley, the previously two-lane road becomes narrow. But El Hierro is quite thinly populated and traffic is sparse. So there's no reason to get nervous. After a short journey, we reach the Arenas Blancas beach. "Blancas" – white – gives an indication of what is special about the island. After all, in most places one would rather highlight a black beach. But since everything on the island is made of lava, a white beach is an attraction. There is also a red beach here.

Powerful gusts.

On another excursion, we learn what "storm-tossed" means for El Hierro. We follow a narrow road zigzagging up the mountain when strong gusts of wind hit us. We seek refuge in a dormant volcanic crater and want to take pictures of how stormy it is. I, Andrea, can hardly stand up straight when taking pictures. Climbing back to the road, I have to hold on with every gust of wind. You can't see much of this in the pictures. But later we capture a juniper tree with the lens, which the regular downslope winds have bent so far that the crown touches the ground.

We visit a special place in the southwest of the island: Punta de la Orchilla. Until the late 19th century, it widely defined the prime meridian, i.e. the 0 degree longitude for numerous nautical charts. It was not until 1884 that Greenwich prevailed as the prime meridian at the instigation of England's maritime power. What remains is a modest monument.

Unpaved roads.

A track leads there, signposted "Sólo 4×4" – "only with all-wheel drive". For the first time in a long while, we are reducing the pressure in our tyres from 6 to 3.5 bar. Although we've driven through lava fields in the days before, it feels much more adventurous on an unpaved track. As we explore the area, we discover a lava canal as smooth as a slide, we can't resist...

From here we drive upwards, the highest point of El Hierro is about 1,500 metres above sea level. On the road, things get really narrow – on a section that runs parallel to a steep slope. But somehow there's always a way: pull in the mirrors, drive slowly – and the passenger holds her breath as she looks out the side window into the abyss. The summit is suspended in cloud cover. We drive on very carefully, because a vehicle could be coming our way. But we remain on our own. In general, we encounter only one truck on the island, but the same one several times. It's the garbage truck whose path we cross in different places. In the end, the guys in the cab even wave to us.

Photos: 4-Xtremes