Off on my bike : Fuerteventura

The largely deserted interior of Fuerteventura.

This is a very short boat trip, I've hardly had time to sit down before we're passing the little Isla de Lobos, and into harbour at Corralejo, on the northern tip of Fuerteventura.  Still a way for me to go though, over thirty miles south and it's nearly 4pm.  I could take the island's major road, the FV-1, but have heard it gets a bit windy - Fuerteventura does mean 'strong wind' after all.  So inland it is, slightly longer, a lot hillier but I'll get a proper feel for the place.

Actual open water.

The feeling is one of isolation, there really is not a lot here, a dry, deserted landscape, bare, rocky hillsides, little sign of life, human or otherwise.  I get the impression not many people lived here before the modern tourism boom.  Still, dramatic to ride through, and after a good rest I feel strong and the miles go by quickly.  I'm booked into a classic tourist complex, 'beach bungalows' at least two miles from the beach, but really it is quite nice, and oh yes, all you can eat buffet dinner.

It's another miniature castle built inside a roundabout!

When in a tourist resort... on my free day I lounge by the pool, swim, eat copious amounts of inclusive food, some of which is actually OK.  I do visit the beach, proper golden sand, guess it is imported, and there is a little castle, must have been something here before the tourists.  I even find some music in the evening that isn't just a singer plus karaoke machine - of all things there is also a cellist.  Shame about the shouty Scotsmen at the back but there you go...

A hearty breakfast in the morning - I avoid what must rank among the most dubious sausages I've ever seen, but there is cereal, cheese, figs, even cake - and then back on the bike.  Just a few miles back up the coast, to Puerto del Rosario, biggest city on the island I think.  All aboard the Volcán de Tauce - all the Naviera Armas fleet are named for Canarian volcanoes, the other day I was on the Tindaya.  It takes a good while to circle around Fuerteventura before reaching open water, but then, Gran Canaria beckons.

Puerto del Rosario.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.