Tour guide David Penney highlights a short but exciting walk for families, dog-owners, and plane spotters.
Most of my walks over the past years, have been between two to four hours in duration. Occasionally, I receive a message asking for longer, more challenging routes (the longest walk I have done while here on Lanzarote was 50 km, which took 10.5 hours of continuous walking).
But I also need to provide walks that are suitable for those who may have mobility restrictions, or families with buggies for the young ones. This one is easy for most people and very short in duration.
There are two options to enjoy this experience. You can park at the big car park at Playa Honda, between the secondary school and Guacimeta Beach, then follow the pedestrianised path past the boundary of the airport, keeping the ocean on your left. The coast is surprisingly wild and beautiful here.
This path is also popular with cyclists, electric scooters, and mobility scooters, which have a special path which is marked out for them. It can be busy, so keep to your lane. This route will also take you past one of the island’s two dog beaches, where pooches can play in the sand and sea. You’ll still need to bag any mess, though, and be sure to keep Fido under control on the path.
Continue until you reach the structure reaching out to the sea, which is maybe 10 minutes’ walk from the car park. This structure carries the landing lights for the airport, and on a normal day this is where the planes swoop down to land (when the wind comes from the south, planes often land over the mountains). It’s always a thrilling, noisy experience.
A much shorter way is to take the coastal path from Matagorda just past the Beatriz Spa Hotel. This is only about 4 minutes to walk, so it’s easier for anyone who has mobility restrictions. Just follow the path, keeping the ocean on your right-hand side.
This attraction is popular with families with children as it will keep them occupied for an hour or so and it’s free of charge.
There is plenty of parking at either end which you choose to start from and loads of cafes and restaurants in Matagorda and further along the path into Playa Honda. If you are not able to drive there then take the bus to either Matagorda or Playa Honda – unfortunately, neither bus stops are close to the start points.
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