The best road cycling routes around Agulo

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.

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.

This black sand and pebble beach hides one of La Gomera's most curious stories: the shipwreck of the ship “La Mosca” at the beginning of the 19th century. According to documents and oral tradition, the French vessel ended up running aground on this coast while fleeing or seeking refuge from English ships and Atlantic storms. For years, cannons and wreckage appeared on the seabed and some were even seen embedded in the old walls of the breakwater. Today the area is much quieter: sunshades, a relaxed atmosphere, and a wild beach surrounded by enormous volcanic cliffs. And right next door, it is highly recommended to stop at Bar Pirata for a bite to eat after the route. Simple cuisine, local produce, and that kind of place where a cold beer and any dish taste even better facing the Atlantic.

Camino de La Quintana It is not the most famous humid forest of La Gomera, but it is one of the most authentic and least frequented. While many visitors concentrate on the classic areas of Garajonay National Park, here you can still feel a quieter and more natural laurisilva, with fog entering between the curves, moss covering the trunks, and that constant smell of humidity and wet earth that defines the island's peaks.

Mirador de La Retama From this viewpoint, the wild dimensions of the ravines of La Gomera are perfectly understood. Directly opposite, you can see ancient caves dug into the rock, used for generations as shelter, storage, and even housing by the island's inhabitants in times when moving between valleys was much more complicated than today. The new road and tunnel have completely changed the connectivity of this area, but from here you can still perceive what the more isolated and rugged Gomera was like.

anyone looking for quite comfortable and joint-friendly paths - amidst all the steep trails of La Gomera - will find them here - and "incidentally" there is also the island's "roof"... an area for relaxation...