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Tree in
Inagua forest
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Testimonials
Below are a few words from fellow hikers who have regularly
enjoyed trekking around the Gran Canarian magnificent mountains
( see also the page
hikers reviews of the Guide: 'Don’t
leave Gran Canaria without seeing it' ).
Frank Corless, with over 30 years journalistic experience
writing for British national newspapers, now publishes articles
as a travel writer. Here are Frank's impressions of the
real Gran Canaria - click on the link below to read the full
article:
"It was all thanks to Roger my eyes were opened to Island gems"
( Article published in the Birmingham Mail newspaper, 1st April
2009 ).
 Roger
and Eileen opened our eyes to the beautiful parts of
Gran Canaria, beyond the beaches, that we did not
realise existed. Their expertly guided walks took
us to such incredible places, inland lakes, waterfalls,
valleys and challenging peaks, quite unique in natural
beauty. Roger's extensive knowledge of the island
makes the walks so interesting and fun with his amusing
anecdotes and warm sense of humour. We shall be
eternally grateful to them both
Pauline and Mike Williams, West Kirby, Wirral, England
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I
have been hiking with Roger for over a year now and
enjoyed every single walk. He knows Gran Canaria really well and goes
out of his way to design the most fascinating hikes. I
especially appreciate the variety of his walks in terms of
length and degree of difficulty. He has something to offer for
everybody |
Franz Miltenburg,
Discovery Gran Canaria, Playa
del Inglés
Geführte Wanderungen . Guided Hikes . Caminatas guiadas
Gran
Canaria has a significant number of walking paths in a
wide variety of scenery. Many paths are now being
maintained and new ones created. They can vary
from a well maintained cobbled ‘camino real’ to a narrow
foot track that blends in well.
The mountain scenery includes sculptured cliffs and
rock faces with deep gorges called barrancos but also
some lovely alpine type meadows. Huge areas are
unspoilt and as nature intended and large parts of the
island are protected reserves. There are many cave
houses, pretty villages and small fincas or farms. All
walks give stunning views across the island and I
consider a camera essential!
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Gran Canaria has a number of different microclimates
ensuring not just changing scenery but also changing
vegetation.
By walking in different areas it is
quite possible to see the same type of plants emerging,
growing, flowering and dying back!
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Roger and Eileen know the islands and it’s pathways
very well. Safety is always at the forefront and
walks are sensibly graded. Each walk is carefully
thought out and researched and they even go so far as to
encourage working parties to maintain some of the lesser
used paths!
The real bonus to walking here though is that in the
rare event of bad weather marring one area you normally
only have to travel only a few kilometres to be able to
walk in sunshine!!!
A Nonymous
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I
have now been walking regularly in the mountains of Gran Canaria
over the last 5 years. It is an amazing island - it is
truly a miniature continent - so varied, that you never get
tired of walking on the more than 1200 km of footpaths, that the
locals claim the island has.
And maybe the most important thing: The weather - it
is said to be spring all year long and that is ideal for
walking.
I can't think of any better place to walk
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Jens Ole Jespersen, Agüimes |
While
the beaches, coastal restaurants and bars have their
allure, the true beauty of Gran Canaria is to be found
in the majestic mountainous scenery of the centre.
Over the years, Roger and Eileen have explored every
Camino Real and almost every track up there, in order to
compile a dossier of mostly circular walks, of
unequalled quality. Roger prides himself on
keeping off tarmac as much as possible and also on
providing you with the bus times you require to reach
the start and get back from the end of each walk -
essential details which are omitted from all walking
books I have seen for this island.
Gran Canaria
has a wide variety of beautiful scenery - mountain top
views, forests, lakes, glistening reservoirs, waterfalls
and streams, not to mention peasant agriculture, cave
dwellings and animal farms. To create interest,
Roger tries to incorporate as many of these different
types of terrain into each of his walks.
You will need
to be reasonably fit and used to walking on rough ground
to enjoy his walks, but you will not find any of them
endurance tests, nor will you find jaw dropping cliff
ledges to encounter.
You will be tired on their completion, but they are all
safe and enjoyable and have a guaranteed a feeling of
achievement, with memories of views and characters met,
to last you all your days.
I have been coming to Gran Canaria for twelve years
and walking with Roger and Eileen for the last four.
Whether you want the highest peak of Roque Nublo, the
still beauty of Embalse de Chira or the cool pine woods
of Tamadaba, Rambling Roger's your man.
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Roque
Bentayga, Tejeda
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In these days of instant gratification, it is rare to
find anyone so devoted to a task, which for him has been
a true labour of love. He is Gran Canaria's
Wainwright and deserves similar recognition
Roger Vokes ( Feb 2008 )
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Having
been winter visitors to Gran Canaria for the last ten years my
wife and I have spent many hours driving around the Island and
admiring the scenery.
However, eighteen months ago we were
introduced to Roger Bradley and his wife Eileen who
organise and
guide walks in the mountains and decided to join their group.
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The walks are strenuous but not overly so and both my wife
and I found that we easily coped after one or two attempts.
We are both in our sixties and were not experienced walkers
prior to this time. |
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We have found that all the walks have been geared to seeing
and admiring the many views available on the Island and although
there is always some uphill walking involved in order to gain
the necessary height to fully appreciate what can be seen it is
always worth the effort. |
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We have seen more and learnt more of Gran Canaria than we
could ever have done by road and have had the additional benefit
of making new friends at the same time
David and Linda Spong, East Sussex,
England
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Stuart Peak,
Oxford, England |
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Under
the watchful eye of Roger our experienced guide, we
hiked through ravines, pine forests, along mountain
ridges covered with almond blossom, occasionally
stopping to admire the incredible views of this
beautiful island. We meandered through small
unspoilt mountain villages, some with original cave
houses, Rogers knowledge of the local flora & fauna is
matched only by his enthusiasm for hiking. A must do trip whilst visiting Gran Canaria
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I've
been holidaying in Gran Canaria annually for the last 10 years -
and on my visit in 2006 a flyer in a magazine fell out.
This had Rambling Roger's home telephone number on it and as
they say the rest is history. Living as I do a few miles
from Loch Lomond National Park I had been admiring the mountains
on every visit, but I needed a way of getting to them. A
phone call to Eileen and the meeting place and time were set.
Roger has an infectious enthusiasm for what he does. I
have met only a handful of people in my life that have been able
to live for their job. Roger has a knack of giving you an
insight into his new adopted home which he loves with a very
evident passion. WALKING AND GRAN CANARIA ARE 2 OF THE
THINGS CLOSE TO ROGER - YOU WILL LEAVE ROGER WITH A HANKERING FOR
MORE! I'm LEADING A PARTY OF Rotarians BACK TO Gran
Canaria this year ( 2008 ) for Roger to work his magic.
I'm a self
confessed cynic, I think quietly I was daring Roger to impress
me - boy did he ever! I have experience of the
sombre majesty of Glencoe, the sheer magnitude of the
Nevis range, the Mamores, Skye and the Cuillins, The stark
sheer Welsh mountains and having walked the Wild Wall in China
and seen the single-mindedness of the builders to follow the
highest ridge no matter how difficult the terrain. I've
wandered about the Sierra Nevada, and the Rockies, and the
Samaria Gorge in Crete.
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There were
moments when I was walking with Roger I felt that I should have
taken more pictures to reinforce my memories, the sights that I
was privileged to have been shown by Roger equalled anything
that I'd ever seen.
Roger was able to show me places that
the casual tourist would miss in the blink of an eye. He
always MAKES HIS choice of walk match the ability of the
walkers. I have accompanied Roger when he has had a group
of about 20 both male and female within age range between late
20s and early 80s all of whom enjoyed the experience. |
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Mountain
walking in Gran Canaria
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I soon
discovered that the number 18 bus opens up a vast number of
walks for the independent traveller to enjoy. Roger has
written up several routes that begin and end by catching the 18
bus! One day found us testing one of Roger's theoretical
routes that he had heard a local TALKING ABOUT - we were soon
struggling through bushes and thorns that blacked out the sky,
then we met locals that were growling at us about trespass, it
was all dealt with by Roger and soon we were back blazing a
trail for you future walkers to follow without fear of getting
lost. The regulars to Rogers group get tasked with leading
the group on walks that they know or by using a route that Roger
has written up with both GPS waypoints or the old fashioned way
of observing and noting down fixed points.
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I was
astounded at the numbers of "stone men" that we had to
look out for by the wayside.
A
stone man is a collection of stones that are piled on on
top of the other to form a pillar that would not
normally not be found in nature and are used to mark the
way for following walkers
John Stuart |
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25 great hikes
THE ultimate
guide
for hikers by
Rambling Roger,
resident in
Gran Canaria, Spain
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'Don’t leave Gran Canaria
without seeing it'
I
believe that our local knowledge of routes and
transport links can make this Guide the most
essential item for anyone wishing to hike in our
magnificent mountains
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Don't delay,
buy your copy today...
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Buy the Guide
Why come Hiking in Gran Canaria?
The Terrain and Hiking Maps
Transport
Gran Canaria Weather
Safety & Tips
Hiking Equipment
The Environment
Accommodation
The Walks/Routes
Testimonials
Example of a Walk
Description
Photo Album
Disclaimer
Join a Walk with Roger’s Ramblers
Misc. Links
Contact Rambling Roger & Eileen
Homepage
© 2010 Rambling Roger |
Page Updated:
14/03/10 |
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Contact us: Eileen & Roger Bradley, Finca Britanica, Avineda La
Corte 24, Fataga, 35108,
San Bartolome de Tirajana, Gran Canaria, Spain Email Eileen & Roger
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