Ireland day 1236. Saturday 15 February 2025- Fuerteventura Day 05

Today’s summary	Continued our journey south on the GR131 today, covering another 21km to Vega, near Betancuria. A really nice day, with more desert but a good steep climb thrown in too. Superb views along the way. Arrived at our destination at Vega in plenty of time for dinner at Don Antonio’s before he closed at 5pm. Unbelievably it started raining while we were eating (although only briefly). Accommodation in a nearby self catering apartment then a quiet evening digesting out late lunch / early dinner.
Today’s weather	Dry and sunny all day except for a brief shower late afternoon. Calm at first but strong north westerly wind later. Appx 22c

Today’s overview location (The blue mark shows the location of our route)		Close-up location (The blue line shows where we walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): GR131 Day 04 Tefia to Vega Betancuria

Commentary

I expect that by the time I am about 108, I might start to get tired of waking up to blue skies and sunshine every morning. But thankfully that day is some way off still, so the idea of alfresco breakfast on our patio this morning, courtesy of our host Carla, had considerable attraction. And even though it was served at the ungodly hour of 8:15, it proved to be the perfect way to start our day.

We managed to resist the temptation to sit there and enjoy the sun all day, so as soon as we had eaten we retired to our room to pack our gear ready for transportation to our next night’s accommodation. Then we set off on the next stage of our GR131 adventure at the incredibly early hour of just 9:05 am.

We were sorry to leave Villa Celilio – it had a perfect rural charm and an enviable simplicity which we really liked. Though I have to say some of the nearby accommodation facilities have a slightly less appealing story to tell.

We passed the second molino and then headed off into the desert wilderness once more. Once we reached the top of a nearby rise, we could just make out our first main destination for the day. The bump on the top of the distantly visible southern skyline was the mirador at Morro de Velosa – and we hoped to gain the col just to the right of the mirador by early afternoon. So we plodded on heading ever southwards, with the hilltop slowly growing in our field of view as we progressed.

We stopped briefly at Valle de Santa Ines for refreshments courtesy of the tiendita (luckily we weren’t there on one of its closed days), which is conveniently situated at the foot of the 300m / 1000ft climb up to the col. Fortified by the KitKat no doubt, we made light work of the climb and were at the top by soon after 1pm – a good hour sooner than I had expected. From there it was a short hop down to Betancuria – a tourist mecca, thronging with day trippers and hire cars when we passed through. We stopped briefly in a convenient bus shelter for our lunch – basically just some crisps and coffee from the trusty Thermos – but then sped on quickly.

At this point, we should actually have been staying overnight in Betancuria but our tour company had had difficulty finding suitable accommodation. So instead, we had to walk another 5km / 3mi down the valley to the hamlet of Vega de Rio Palmas, where we’re overnighting in a small self catering apartment (which is just perfect, by the way). Strictly speaking, from Betancuria we should have re-ascended via the GR131 to the tops of the mountain ridge to the east of the valley, and followed that lofty route down to Vega. But neither of us were terribly enthusiastic about that idea (and moreover the only restaurant in Vega closes at 5pm and we didn’t think we would have time). So I found an alternative track down the valley floor and we rather effortlessly followed that instead.

We rocked up on Vega at about 3:30 and after a quick change into more suitable clothing, piled into Don Antonio’s restaurant for cervezas and tapas. Delicious and the perfect end to the day – and not too expensive either. Though I really struggled to believe it when the camarero said it was raining outside. I had to go and see for myself and indeed it was! A downpour had appeared out of nowhere and was dousing the church square and surrounding countryside in much needed rain. Fortunately for us – but possibly not for Canarian farmers – it disappeared as soon as it came, leaving a fine and dry but quite cool evening.

Now we have a whole evening to ourselves in this tiny quiet spot. I might even find time to get my book out. This is almost like being on holiday!

(By the way if you were wondering what “vega” means in Spanish – it’s a meadow or fertile lowland in a valley floor. Las Vegas, in the US, got its name from a series of river plains that used to converge there)

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


Alfresco breakfast at Tefia this morning. I could get used to this way of life (especially when someone else does the preparation and tidying up afterwards)	*The second of the two molinas* at Tefia**

Val pointing out the way! Our first destination was the dip between the two hills centre-left on the far distant horizon. That’s the Morrito del Rincon, below Morro de Veloso	The second of the GR131 shelters we’ve spied along the way. A bit basic but I think they are angled to protect against the prevailing easterly trade winds (not so much use today when the wind was from the north west!)

*Very welcome tiendita* mini-mart at Vale de Santa Ines – luckily we weren’t there on a Tuesday or Wednesday, when it’s closed (there is a nearby bar though, which always seems to be open)**	At the top of the 300m / 1000ft climb to the Morrito del Rincon col, with the whole of the north of Fuerteventura laid out behind us (if you look carefully at the right hand horizon, you might even be able to see the distant mountains of Lanzarote)

*Iconic statues of native guanches* at the col. I must say they look improbably triangular**