Lanzarote GR131 Walking Route Updates
Lanzarote GR131 walking route updates May 2016
Lanzarote GR131 Walking Route Updates
Walk! Lanzarote with the newly opened GR131 Long Distance Walking Route
Spain’s Gran Recorido (GR) long distance hiking
routes have arrived in the Canary Islands with just Gran Canaria still waiting
for its GR131 to be decided and signage installed.
Lanzarote now has a hiking trail, GR131, traversing 70 kilomertes across the
island from Orzola to Playa Blanca. This is exciting news for hikers and bikers
on the island but don’t get too excited as the route generally takes the line of
least resistance making for easy progress.
Early reports describe the GR route as ‘boring’ and ‘easy’, the one exception
being the leaving of Haria where the GR131 takes our ‘Forgotten Trail’ donkey
trail up the escarpment.
The whole GR131 route is highlighted on our new Lanzatore Tour & Trail
Super-Durable Map 4th edition published in May 2016.
Generally the GR131 is divided into five ‘day
walks’. Day 1 Orzola to Haria, Day 2 Haria to Teguise, Day 3 Teguise to Montana
Blanca, Day 4 Montana Blanca to Yaiza, Day 5 Yaiza to Playa Blanca.
In the north of Lanzarote the GR131 soon starts making use of our Walk!
Lanzarote routes by coming onto Walk 35 just 3.6kms from its start in Orzola.
GR131 then follows the route of walks 35, 36 and 34 into Maguez.
From Haria the GR131 follows Walk! Lanzarote routes for all but a small section
all the way into Teguise.
Teguise to Montana Blanca is all on tarmac lanes, well made dirt roads and
streets, with a surprising loop after San Bartolome that you can easily short
cut using your Tour & Trail Map.
Out of Montana Blanca the GR follows country lanes and tracks to come onto Walk
25 Alternative Finish above Tegoyo and just before La Asomada, after which you
are on Walk 25 all the way into Uga after which the GR has a short section of
trail, dirt road and streets avoiding the main road to finish in the centre of
Yaiza.
Leaving Yaiza the GR131 follows Walk 12 and 13 (in reverse) towards Las Brenas.
Where Walk 13 has an open ground navigation between the dirt road and the
streets of Las Brenas there is now a manicured trail which has been swept across
the open ground before bringing you into the centre of Las Brenas, and its two
café/restaurants.
We recommend that when walking Walk 13 you now continue down into the centre of
Las Brenas, rather than turning off the LZ-703 road, to pick up the GR131.
Out of Las Brenas a new trail has been swept across the Rubicon waste lands for
you to arrive on the outskirts of Playa Blanca from where it is an easy stroll
on pavements to the end of the GR131 at the main roundabout at the end of the
LZ-2 main road.
If that final section sounds easy remember that it is over 5 kilometres of
rather featureless desert between the two civilizations.
Using the GR131 with Walk! Lanzarote
Walk 13
When we first pioneered Walk 13 Yaiza – Las
Brenas – Yaiza we had to cross the malpais north of Las Brenas as open-ground
navigation. Now the GR131 has simplified our route.
After reaching the LZ-703 and turning right down towards Las Brenas continue
down past the ‘Artist’ houses on your left and then take the first street
forking right to come down to the centre of the village to connect with the
GR131.
We then follow the GR131 on its manicured trail across the malpais tp pick up
the dirt road taking us to Yaiza.
Walks 29 & 31
GR131 uses a dirt track and trail to
curve around the military radomes occupying the island’s highest point (675
metres altitude).
You can use this section as an extension on Walk 29, possibly taking in the
Ermita de las Nieves.
On Walk 31 the GR131 offers an even more countryfied alternative than the tarmac
lane serving the Ermita de las Nieves.
Playa Blanca
across the Rubicon NNE of Playa Blanca
the Rubicon desert plain presents a bleak prospect.
Well it hasn’t got any prettier but at least we now have the manicured GR131
trail to follow for just over 5 kilometres to arrive on the outskirts of Las
Brenas giving us the opportunity to link with Walk 13 to continue on to Yaiza.
Las Brenas has two café/restaurants suitable for lunch and refreshments (closed
Mondays but check with the Tourist Office).
You could return across the Rubicon, technically downhill but you will hardly
notice it, but our choice would be to continue on into Yaiza and then bus back
to Playa Blanca.
Biking the
GR131 As the GR131 is mostly on dirt
tracks, country lanes, and easy trails it is reported to be easily rideable
along most of its length.
One exception is scaling the escarpment out of Haria on ‘The Forgotten Trail’
where you will have to push your bike up the donkey trail.
If you are based in Playa Blanca you could hire a mountain bike and escape
across the Rubicon to Las Brenas and Yaiza without having to brave the traffic
on the LZ-2 or LZ-701 fast roads.
Fit mountain bikers might consider the “GR131 in a Day” challenge of completing
the full Orzola to Playa Blanca route of the GR131 during daylight.
Hopefully this supplement has given you some ideas for extending your Lanzarote adventuring.
David & Ros Brawn