Our Canary Island competition winner, Kira from Cambridge, chose our Walking Lanzarote - The Island of Eternal Spring holiday to embark on with her friend Sue after winning £1,500 off any KE Canaries adventure. Kira and Sue set off to soak up the winter sunshine in December and enjoyed a wonderful week traversing the diverse and beautiful landscapes of Lanzarote. Read on to hear more about Kira's first KE adventure.

Day 1 - arrival!

Goodbye foggy Britain, hello warm Lanzarote! We had an easy transfer to the holiday villa where we met our Tour Leader, Erik and we were soon settling in and meeting our fellow trekkers. Later, Erik took us to a pre-arranged meal in a nearby restaurant which made for a really easy and sociable end to our first day.

Day 2 - First steps

It was soon clear we were a pretty evenly matched group and we settled into an easy walking rhythm as we began to move through the volcanic landscape. Starkly attractive rather than pretty, we learned how the island was formed by a succession of eruptions over millennia and the key role of Cesar Manrique, from the 1960s, in safeguarding the landscape from development. We finished the day with a visit to Jameos del Agua which was so interesting! It was fun to imagine it in its original incarnation as a discotheque in the 1970’s but also to learn more about volcanoes from the exhibition. In the evening we chanced upon an Italian restaurant that was so good we quickly decided we’d be back!

Day 3 - Onwards and upwards!

Today’s walk included quite a bit of ascent - it made me puff a bit but it was so worth the fantastic views! We ate our lunch at the church on the highest point of the island where Erik produced a picnic feast that included tabbouleh, local cheeses and chocolate. Today’s culture treat was a visit to the Cactus Garden designed by Manrique. The Italian was closed that night, so we tried its neighbour, an English restaurant with good food.

Day 4 - Steady as we go

Up early for a swim in the sea before breakfast which was just fab! By now we were in a settled routine: pick up at 9am, picnic lunch at a church, a drink at a bar at the end of the walk and then a change of pace with the visit to an attraction. Today’s walk introduced us to the history of Teguise and the establishment of the capital of Arrecife and concluded with a visit to the Cesar Manrique Foundation. A very special building, truly evocative of the hedonistic 1970s party scene. In the evening we returned to the Italian with several of our fellow trekkers - it got the thumbs up from everyone!

Day 5 - The volcanic landscape

Today took us through a truly unique landscape of Lanzarote vineyards, where hundreds of pits have been dug into the ash surrounded by dry stone walls that shelter the grape vines. It wasn’t my favourite walk of the trip but it was nice and felt good to have done the distance with no blisters in sight. The restaurants were busy that night so some trekkers chose to eat in the villa.

Day 6 - The last leg

After the pretty villages of Uga and Yaiza, we walked through the lava fields from the most recent eruptions which brought to mind scenes from Mad Max and The Lord of the Rings - there’s truly a sense of an ‘end of the world’ desolation and drama to them. It was an easy day’s walking, with minimal gradient and we arrived at Playa Blanca at the end of our traverse of Lanzarote with time for a swim and a drink to celebrate. Later, a group of us went back to the Italian again!

Day 7 - Bunking off

The group headed off to Isla Graciosa today but I really wanted to explore Costa Teguise. Following a discussion with our leaders, I took the day away from the group, swam in the sea and enjoyed coffee and people watching at one of the cafes along the promenade. When everyone returned, the week was rounded off with a meal out with the whole group and our Tour Leaders, Erik and Marie.

Day 8 - Homeward bound

After a super week walking, we had a smooth transfer to the airport and an on-time flight departure which drew this particular KE Adventure to a close. We look forward to the next one!

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