Paging Mick Whittingham - Gran Canaria (bit long)

Well you did say you wanted some info on my return, so here goes.

We looked around for bike hire places and, actually, there wasn't a
lot of choice where we were. We settled on the place that was
advertised in our hotel complex, ingeniously called Moto & Bike Hire.
It's just past the Chaparral Commercial Centre in Playa del Ingles
[1]. The little fellow who runs it seems fairly arrogant but
competent, it seems he was a mechanic in Argentina and has done some
motocross riding and currently rides an R-GS (although he says he is
now bored with it). Good range of bikes but not one for negotiating on
price - although he seemed to be doing a lot of business each day.

On the day we went most stuff was already booked (a big crowd of
Germans beat us there) so we opted for a pair of XT660s. They seemed
to be in decent nick with just a couple of scuffs but, TBH, I actually
found mine quite difficult to ride. I think some of that is that I'm
not used to riding single-cylinder machines. The bike seemed quite
fussy about getting the revs right and if I wasn't careful about
downshifting the back end would lock up - I guess they're less
forgiving than a flat four. We also hired a couple of bike jackets -
we ummed and arred about this but thought it was probably better to
have a bit of protection. They weren't bad actually, lots of zips for
ventilation.

As the island looked, on the map, to be slightly larger than a postage
stamp I thought we'd have time to circumnavigate the lot and then
zigzag across the middle to points of interest. "No," said the man,
"head to the middle first then come out to the coast and go this way
(anticlockwise) to get a decent view. And when you go out, don't use
this road (pointing to a tiny map that I couldn't read)."

So, taking his advice, we set off from Playa heading N on GC60 towards
Roque Nublo. For the most part, the roads up into the mountains were
beautifully paved. I was really surprised, given the state of our
apartments but the smooth surface really put our potholed efforts to
shame. I had no idea what their national speed limit is for single
carriageways so just went as quickly as felt comfortable. The mountain
roads are just a series of twisties with almost no straight bits but
there is good opportunity to look ahead and so little traffic and I
had a blast overtaking all the other tourists (in cars). My only worry
was fishtailing into bends when I got the downshifts wrong.

We passed through Fataga, which appeared to be a rather nice little
village (supposedly one of the most beautiful on the island) but we
didn't have time to stop. I'd been so stunned by the scenery already
that we'd had quite a few stops to look around. I'm not saying it's
the most picturesque place on earth, it's just that all the tourist
areas look like Blackpool or quarries, so I was just drinking it in at
this point.

Somewhere around Ayacata we turned off the main road and headed up to
Roque Nublo (on GC600) I think. This was even more winding and the
temperature dropped off rapidly with increased altitude. By this point
I had all the vents zipped up but I was still freezing. After parking
the bike we had to hike to the top. This was made more difficult
because only one of the bikes had a top box (the bloke who hired one
of our bikes the day before had smashed the box on his) so I had to
carry keep my helmet with me. The walk was quite hard work for me as,
generally, I don't do walking - it's so much harder than motorcycling.
Strangely, as we climbed higher it got warmer - and I don't just mean
generated body heat. I guess we were going through the mist and above
the cloud. When we finally arrived at the top it was worth all the
effort. The immediate vicinity was a kind of lunar landscape but the
views in all directions were beautiful. So we had a drink, had a
slash, headed back down. By the time we were back at the bikes we were
more than ready to eat.

We went back down the 600 and continued the journey on the 60 to
Tejeda. Somebody had recommended this as a lovely place but I was a
little disappointed. We chose not to eat at the bar/restaurant there,
with the flags of all the tourist nations, where the manager didn't
have a menu but insisted he would give us a lovely lunch for 12E50
each. We went back along the 60 a little way to a bar we had seen
earlier and had a lovely meal with a beautiful view. Unfortunately,
the vines on the wall had grown around the name of the eatery and all
that was visible were the letters "GAY," but if you fancy a nice meal
you know what to look for.

After lunch we pretty much got lost. We were going to take the 210 to
San Nicolas and then the 200 back to Mogan. The restaurateur suggested
that would take a long time and recommended the GC605 to Mogan. I got
totally confused when a road sign showed the GC606 and 607, the latter
not even indicated on my map (Berlitz - 1:150,000). We passed that and
took followed the sign indicating GC605. It looked promising as
another vehicle was heading down it. However, it was nothing like I
expected. I was first a little alarmed by the lack of armco and the
almost sheer drops off the edge of the road. Then the road quickly got
narrower and narrower, ending up just wide enough for a bike to pass a
car. The white van I was following went at a fair lick so I tried to
keep up. Unfortunately I got caught in the middle of leaving my mate a
long way behind and being left van's driver, who appeared to know what
he was doing. I decided to slow down for my mate. At this point the
roads were becoming more twisted and, as if to add excitement, they
now had a sprinkling of gravel. I would say the main GC60 was almost
like a race track with added fear of death. The road we were on lacked
the feeling of racetrack.

Eventually we came to a sign for El Carrizal one way and San Nicolas
the other - what the...? So it looks like we were on the 606 after
all. This was, I suspect, the road that the bike hire man told us not
to take. Bugger! I was almost soiling myself by this point. Yet,
strangely, my mate, who had been a good deal slower than me for the
whole journey, suddenly seemed to be in his element. It seems that
smooth, twisting but flowing roads are not his bag. No, it appears
that he likes nothing more than narrow, slippery, opportunities to
die. At one point he was riding holding the bike with his left and (no
need for acceleration) and his mobile phone in his right while he
videoed the road. I put it down to him actually owning a traillie type
bike and not, definitely not, down to me being crap. Whatever. At any
rate, he put his phone away and, for the first time, led the ride to
the next junction. At some point, near an impressive dam I think, we
joined the GC210 to San Nic.

Once again I was back in the front, overtaking all in my path without
pause for thought. That was until I came to a bit where this
relatively main road seemed to go through a dry river bed. I wandered
if we had inadvertently left the 210 but, no, this was it. So onward,
through what appeared to be some kind of shanty town till we got to
the GC200 to Mogan. This was more like it, but maybe not. More riding
through mountains but this time with lots of speed restrictions. By
now I was tired, mentally and emotionally, and just wanted to get
home.

From Mogan we kept on the 200 to Puerto Mogan. At this point we joined
the GC500 and were riding along next to the sea, a lovely change and
quite pretty. We decided not to take the first opportunity to join the
motorway (GC1) but, rather, to have a look at some of the other
beaches. We had a quick detour to check out the beach at Almodores
(which did look beautiful and considerably nicer than Playa). At some
point we got stopped by the coppers, at what appeared to be a routine
checkpoint, who wanted to see driving licenses and hire documents.
They were reasonably friendly and, after being wished a nice holiday,
we set off to join the motorway. The bike cruised effortlessly at 150
kph but, having been warned about radar traps by the General Galtieri
with the Napoleon complex, we took it steady back to our home from
home. The hardest part of the trip, apart from the 606, was trying to
find our way around Playa del Ingles to get petrol and return the
bikes to the shop.

All things considered, it was a great experience. The hire was E68 for
the bike and E4 for the jacket. There was a E400 deposit but he made
out a credit card slip for that which he tore up and gave us back on
return of the bikes. We probably spent E15 on petrol, food and drinks.
Would I do it again? I'm not sure. I've done it now and would probably
rather try something else if we hit GC again. Also, for 20 quid I
could hire a car and take the whole family into the mountains. OK it
may be less fun for me but a fairer use of family resources.

If you are interested, here are some links.

Bike hire place: www.motorent.eu

Some pics off my phone: http://www.flickr.com/photos/innybiff/sets/72157604647981049/

If you want info on other aspects of holidaying in GC just ask and
I'll do my best.

 

Bad form and all that.

[1] I would not recommend this resort to anyone - especially not
families with small children. I think it's pretty much everything
that's bad about tourism. There are much nicer places just along the
coast.

 

It's a shithole, as is Puerto Rico further up the coast. Maspalomas is
far more pleasant though still entirely artificial. The only vaguely
authentic feeling resort I've seen on the entire South/Southwest coast
is Puerto de Mogan which still has an active fishing port as well as the
obligatory man-made beach. Good grub, too.

 

Is that the one that is crescent shaped and almost entirely enclosed,
the beach I mean? Does the water get warmer at those sort of beaches -
with it being shallower and mostly still.

Didn't you recommend Almodores as well?

 

You're probably thinking of Playa de los Amadores, between Puerto Rico
and Puerto de Mogan. It's a crescent shaped beach at the bottom of a
cliff with sea walls extending round from each end of the crescent
leaving a small aperture out to the sea.

Maspalomas is the big dune complex at the south of the island extending
over to Playa del Ingles. The beach at Puerto de Mogan is fairly small
(again with the sea wall) but it's only part of what the town has to
offer and there aren't a huge number of hotels there anyway (cf.
somewhere like Playa del Ingles which is Benidorm on steroids)

I'd be surprised if it didn't. I've been to similarly shallow beaches in
Sardinia and they were warm enough.

Yeah, but only from sight - I was too busy out doing stuff to spend any
time at the beach (which generally bores me rigid anyway).

 

PS.

Puerto de Mogan:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&h...722&spn=0.006502,0.008562&t=h&z=17&iwloc=addr

Playa de los Amadores:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&h...665&spn=0.006502,0.008562&t=h&z=17&iwloc=addr

Maspalomas/Playa del Ingles:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&h...215,-15.581961&spn=0.052034,0.068493&t=h&z=14

 

(Effin Google Groups, tried to tell me Puerto Rico was Puerto de Mogan -
I knew something looked wrong)

PS.

Puerto de Mogan:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&h...722&spn=0.006502,0.008562&t=h&z=17&iwloc=addr

Playa de los Amadores:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&h...665&spn=0.006502,0.008562&t=h&z=17&iwloc=addr

Maspalomas/Playa del Ingles:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&h...215,-15.581961&spn=0.052034,0.068493&t=h&z=14

 

Is it me or did you post the same links twice? I really like the look
of Almodores and would consider stopping there next time, that or PM.

Anyway, I've been looking on Google Earth to try and find the road we
took between Roque Nublo and San Nicolas - it isn't even marked as a
road on there. The GC606 stops at El Carrizal but we continued past
there on what appears to be just a track. If you ask GE to plot a
route from El Carrizal to the GC210 next to Embalse de El Parralillo
it takes you back all the way round to Tejeda and Artenara. I'll just
put that down to experience.

 

Yeah. I tried to correct the first one and my cut'n'paste buffer did the
nasty on me - the link was for Puerto Rico, but I was aiming further up
the GC-500. My last trip to GC was at Playa Taurito, in between. Nice
enough, very quiet, not much to do there.

Hopefully not - the first time I posted the wrong link for the first
one.

I'd consider popping there for the day, but not staying there - being
where it is, all the hotels (other than the one right on the beach) are
at the top of the cliff and there's sod all there but the beach.

I've done the GC-605 from Mogan up into the national park in a buggy and
it was a hoot. Probably be a bit hairy on a bike though.