Las Palmas, Gran Canaria

Having not been abroad for the best part of two years I was beginning to wonder where I’d like to go if I suddenly had the freedom to do so.

The northern half Gran Canaria is high on the list. 

Think green. Think boundless mountainsides covered in flowers. Think running water tinkling through pretty villages perched on the sides of dramatic gorges. Think almond blossom gleaming all white and lovely in secret coombes two thousand feet above the sea. And, higher still, conjure an image the cool green scented zone of coniferous cloud forests wafting in the warm breeze.

Having said all that I stayed in the in somewhat unlikely location of the capital city, Las Palmas.

A great many northern Europeans will probably not have heard of this place but, with a population of nearly 400,000, it’s one of the 10 biggest cities in all of Spain.

Or to put it another way, it is the largest European Community city outside Europe. Located just over 90 miles off the Saharan coast and more than 830 from the Iberian peninsula, it does at times feel more African or South American than European.

Unlike its neighbouring mountain range, you could in no way describe Las Palmas as beautiful or even handsome – it’s a sprawling community built across a great isthmus between volcanic cliffs and what would otherwise be a small island.

However, I loved the place. It has a pounding vibrancy that I’ve not seen in other European cities for some while – and the South American link is relevant. In 1492 Christopher Columbus anchored here and spent time on the island while on his first trip to the Americas. He also stopped on his way back, and the city has a museum dedicated to him in its charming old Vegueta quarter.

Aside from teeming streets lined with the usual tapas bars and restaurants this city is seems more in tune with the sea than most. That’s not really surprising as one side of the downtown area plays host to a large port, while the other is dominated by an even larger beach.

It’s to this beach that the entire population seems to decant in the evenings and at weekends. The tower blocks spill their human content and what does that spillage do? It surfs the giant waves. It promenades along the seafront. It preens, looks, admires, laughs, talks, preens again, and eats. 

As I say, I loved it - but I loved getting out of the city just as much and enjoyed some of the finest hiking routes on the island.

They call Gran Canaria the “miniature continent” because of its amazing array of different climates and landscapes. The round, dart-board of an isle is built around a massive volcano system which rises, at Pico de Las Nieves, to an impressive 6,390 feet.

Just about half the land area, 667 square kilometres, falls under the Canary Islands Network for Naturally Protected Areas. In total Gran Canaria has 33 protected areas including a couple of large national parks.