The best cycling routes in Majona

This viewpoint belongs to the old route of the GM-1, next to the Aguajilva Tunnels. If you come down from above, you will find a metal gate: the old section was closed after the construction of the modern road and can no longer be fully traversed. The only way to get there today is from below, via a small track that leads to the viewpoint and the old rest area. And precisely therein lies the charm of the place: it seems like a forgotten fragment of the old Gomera. Here, the curves carved into the rock, the silence of the old road, and the brutal views towards the inland ravines and the Chejelipes area are still preserved. While cars pass through the mountain via the modern tunnels, this corner remains frozen in another era. It is one of those hidden places that almost no one visits by chance... and for that very reason, it retains so much personality.

Vallehermoso was for decades one of the most important and richest municipalities in La Gomera thanks to agriculture, especially bananas, tomatoes, and the cultivation terraces that still cover a large part of its ravines and slopes today. It exceeded 10,000 inhabitants during the 20th century, although emigration to Tenerife, Venezuela, and Cuba greatly reduced the population, leaving a quiet and almost timeless atmosphere today. The village was born linked to water and the fertile ravines of the north of the island, something very unusual in the Canary Islands, where drier landscapes normally predominate. Precisely for this reason, the valley received the name “Vallehermoso”. The area retains a very rural and authentic identity, with isolated farmhouses, ancient royal roads, and one of the most spectacular agricultural landscapes in the Canary Islands. Furthermore, this entire north coast is full of maritime stories and shipwrecks, such as the famous sinking of the French corsair La Mosca in 1801 off the village beach. Above all this rises the impressive Roque Cano, an enormous volcanic plug that has become the absolute symbol of the municipality, visible practically from any point in the valley like a gigantic stone head watching over the Atlantic.

La Mosca, or La Mouche, was a French privateer sunk off Vallehermoso in 1801, during the naval conflicts between France and England. According to local history, the ship arrived pursued by three English warships, and its captain, finding himself cornered, decided to run the corvette aground on the beach rather than surrender it intact to the enemy. Anglo-French sources cite the pursuit by HMS Diamond and link the episode to March 6, 1801. For years, the shipwreck left real traces in the area: cannons, bullets, metal fragments, and wooden remains documented on Vallehermoso beach; in 1969, two large bronze cannons, each weighing about a thousand kilos, were even recovered. Between history and legend, La Mosca remains one of the most powerful tales of this northern coast: a pursued ship, a captain with no way out, and a sea that still today seems capable of swallowing everything.

Small volcanic beach located below the northern cliffs of La Gomera, in a much wilder and more authentic setting than a tourist one. Here the Atlantic enters with force and the coast combines black sand with large pebbles polished by the sea, creating that characteristic landscape of the island. Even so, the area is very well equipped, with umbrellas, a beach bar, restrooms, and a quiet atmosphere perfect for stopping after a hike. Very close to here, ancient storms and shipwrecks caused by the harshness of this northern coast are remembered, where the ocean and the wind have always marked the life of Vallehermoso.

Laguna Grande is probably one of the best starting points on all of La Gomera to explore the upper part of the island by bike. Many people arrive here by van or car precisely to start their routes from this point and avoid some of the toughest climbs from the coast. From the recreational area, you can easily link up with routes towards San Sebastián, Valle Gran Rey, Alajeró, or the entire central ridge across the humid forest. The advantage is enormous: you start already at over 1,200 meters altitude, within the laurisilva, surrounded by practically traffic-free tracks and roads. This allows you to enjoy the long, scenic descents and high mountain routes much more without draining all the battery or your legs on endless ascents from sea level. Of course, the climate here changes radically compared to the coast. Fog is very common almost all year round and humidity is constantly present, even when it's sunny down below. It is essential to bring a good rain jacket, a serious windbreaker, and some light thermal clothing, because the feeling of cold increases considerably when you enter the more humid areas of the forest. It is also advisable to bring lights or reflective elements if you are going to ride for many hours in fog and shade. For e-bike tours, Laguna Grande is simply a spectacular base.

The Laguna Grande Recreational Area is one of the most important and visited points in the interior of La Gomera. It is located in the high zone of the island, within the Garajonay National Park, at an altitude of over 1,200 meters and surrounded by the famous laurisilva forest, considered a UNESCO World Heritage site. More than just a picnic area, Laguna Grande functions as a meeting point for hikers, cyclists, and visitors exploring the island's humid heart. Several well-known routes begin here, and it is also one of the best places to stop to rest, eat, or simply contemplate the forest amidst the fog. The climatic difference compared to the coast is enormous: while it can be hot and sunny below, here it is common to find humidity, cold, fine rain, and fog even in summer. The place also has a significant symbolic and popular charge in La Gomera. There are ancient legends related to witches and nocturnal gatherings in the central clearing of the forest, stories that are still part of the local imagination and fit perfectly with the mysterious atmosphere of the place when the fog rolls in among the trees. Today, it is one of the great nerve centers of Garajonay and a practically essential stop to understand the landscape, climate, and the more humid and green personality of La Gomera.

This trail runs through one of the high areas above San Sebastián and offers a very different perspective of the Gomera capital. From here you can perfectly understand how the village became wedged between volcanic ravines that descend directly towards the port and the Atlantic. The altitude and the open orientation towards the east allow you to enjoy enormous views over San Sebastián, the sea and, on clear days, even Teide in the background. The trail usually combines open sections, constant wind and summit vegetation, with that very typical La Gomera feeling where in a few minutes you can go from humid forest to dry, volcanic landscapes looking towards the coast.

The so-called Castillo del Mar is not a historical or defensive castle, but a large structure built on the coast of Vallehermoso as part of an old recreational and maritime project. For years it functioned as a leisure area linked to the sea and the natural pools in the area, becoming one of the most recognizable places on the northern coast of La Gomera. The most striking thing is its location: built practically over the Atlantic and constantly battered by the sea and storms. Strong waves damaged the structure greatly over the years, and it ended up becoming almost a kind of "modern ruin" facing the ocean, much photographed for the contrast between concrete, waves, and volcanic cliffs.