VILAFLOR – gateway to MOUNT TEIDE

At 1446 metres (4744 ft), Vilaflor is the highest town on Spanish territory. It also has a small football stadium which is presumably also the highest in Spain. For centuries nothing changed here, as the town lived a world of its own. According to Living Tenerife glossy magazine, “it's a close-knit rural community whose lives above the clouds have changed little over the centuries”, but that cannot be true for some of them, as over a million tourists pass by the town on the way up the mountain. A few kilometres before Vilaflor, there is even a roadside cafe advertising English breakfasts in rather too large writing!

That said, this is a proper Spanish / Canarian town with narrow streets and neat balconies, very clean, and of which the natives must be proud. Formerly known as Charneros back in the 17^th century, it sits amidst the beautiful pine forests which are a feature of this altitude on the island. The town itself has magnificent greenery surrounding it and its economy is based on agriculture, in particular potatoes and vines. Prickly pear trees abound.

Most tourists do not bother to stop but time spent wandering the quaint streets leading to the Plaza San Pedro, with its three dark fir trees and 16^th century church, can be rewarding, as walking in Tenerife's hidden places is anyway. It is also worth seeking out the smaller tapas bars in the town rather than those on the main road. One such is camourflaged by fruit trees and very inviting. Change has brought new hotels and on the higher side of town by the football stadium is the 4 star Hotel VillAlba. Some tourists do stop!

One very pleasant memory is of being invited for coffee by an old lady as we trekked along the town's streets at the end of a long 17 kilometre walk down from the Parador Hotel on the Las Canadas, the national park below Mount Teide. It said a lot about the character of the town. Do stop for a visit.