Thursday Morning, it was a mackerel sky, "What does that mean then",said a curious Mrs Db



"Well rain really, it's when the clouds look like a pattern on a mackerel's back, us fishermen say its a warning of rain coming, we could go for a walk?". "Well let's sit on the balcony for a while to see what happens", said Mrs Db

Well the coastline at Playa Blanca is over 6 miles long and many questions have been asked, as to where accommodation is, so thought is was a good idea if I did the walks and putting times to each walk

Well it was 10.45 am and the weather was still undecided so Mrs Db said, "I'll go and get changed again, I know you would like to do the walk". (That's a woman's, 'on your head be it' answer)

so it's from the Marina to the Lighthouse approximately 4.5 miles walk "We could get the bus back", I suggest.

The lighthouse is that little white blob sticking up in line dead centre to those two yachts



and zoomed in, on an earlier shot, love the camera



so at 10.43am we set off



Passed the two derelict wind fan structures which must be a listed site by now, the salt used to be gathered from the surf on the shoreline and dried by those fans (the fans on top don't exist now). There is still a salt farm working and can be seen from the right hand side of the coach coming into Playa Blanca



So it's up the pathway, heading towards the Hesperia hotel



100 metres further



looking to the right between the Pueblo Marinero and the Hesperia hotels at this position is the vast land which has had foundations dug for some large project some two or three years earlier and has come to nothing



(same area taken on another day)



Further up the pathway we have a pitch and putt golf course owned by the Hesperia Hotel



and next to the golf course is a new cafe, that has opened in the last two years



beyond the cafe is what I call the back entrance to the beach from the Hesperia Hotel (front entrance is displayed on another walk). We are 5 minutes into the walk at this point



Just a few metres further down the pathway and on the left, the resort has built a mini type of gym for all to try



I often chuckle, as many an elderly person like myself, can be seen giving the apparatus a try, still wanting to know if they have it, whilst hoping it doesn't bring on that unwelcome cardaic arrest



passed the little gym area, we come to the start od Dorado Beach IMO the best beach with all facilities



The beach is approximate 250/ 300 metres long with nice sand



at this next point we reach the centre of the beach and at this point we have taken 10 minutes

This picture was taken on another day but gives the beach view


will do this later

This again taken on another day, shows the cafe above the beach, run by the Princessa Yaiza



above the beach is the five star Princessa Yaiza Hotel which is central to the beach, at this point we are 12 minutes into the walk



By this time the weather had picked up and the clouds were clearing and it was warming up we can go back Mrs Db, "No we have started now", was the reply



as we headed to the Papagaya Centre I thought Mrs Db might have the hump, but it was just the back pack she was carrying. Now I'm not sure why its called the Papagaya Centre, as it's no where near Papagaya and must cause all kinds of confusion

It is really a complex of pubs restaurants and bars with a few shops inside. It has two side alleys going up to the main road either side of it leading up to other Hotels including the well placed Lanzarote Princess (more on that on another walk)



more on the centre itself on the walk done on the town itself, at this point 13.5 minutes on the walk


now we head towards the town and restaurants





and round the corner all the restaurants start, these tend to be cheaper to eat in than the Marina



at this point we are 20 minutes into the walk, Jumbo's Chinese, Tipico Canaro and Volcan de Timanfaya (the latter being our fav this year, for quality and price)



Now the town has also a small beach which disappears at high tide but must say it have never looked better, not sure whether the restaurants have helped improve it but and advantage to them if they have





heading up to the harbour now, not to be confused with the marina which we started our walk from





just took the prices here I can zoom in





and so to the harbour, this is where you can get the Armas Ferry or the Fred Olsen seacat to Fuerteventura



so 25 minutes to reach the harbour



The harbour area is rough stones and wheelchairs etc would have to go up on the road



the Armas ferry just leaves



Then the otherside of the harbour the pathway continues 30 minutes into our walk





soon we were getting near the start of the Ibero Star



It's an enormous hotel with thousands of guests, they have made attempts to make little beaches amongst the rocks and on their land



at this point we were 40 minutes into the walk



now as mentioned the hotel is so big that it takes a full 5 minutes to walk the length of it



so it depends on what end you are staying in to whether your nearer town or Flamingo Beach

So now 45 minutes into the walk and Flamingo Beach just 3 minutes away



so here we are ant Flamingo Beach with extra bits of sand areas added around it



years ago, this area was just a small patch of sand



The pathway around the beach have little plant islands in them



at this point around 50 minutes, we reach the restaurants and a few shops, there are only a few restaurants here



This was turning out to be the hotest day of the hoilday which Mrs Db was reminding me (about this mackerel sky) and we stopped of a bottle of water





then up a small hill at the end of the shops



Is the Thomson newly named Blue Village complex at about 51 minutes into the walk



at the end a viewing point looking over the beach, which has stones at this end of it





so just a look over the Blue Village complex before we move on



so we head down to the next hotel the Timanfaya Palace Hotel



looks a luxury hotel from the outside





again they have made small sand areas in the rocks as they have no beach outside



reaching the entrance at 56 minutes on the walk





so now we move on to the Natura Palace



a small piece of rough beach here, which would disappear with the tide



so long pathway





looks very nice, but they didn't take any notice of Manrique who suggest no building should be more than two storey's high



and at the entrance the walk has now taken 1 hour and 8 minutes



so we head on to the Hotel Rubican but in a sideway is the dead Volcano Roja which you can climb



before the Hotel Rubican is about four restaurants



at this point in the walk the time is 1 hour 10 minutes



Then it was a walk up a small hill



before arriving at the Rubicon hotel entrance at the time of 1 hour 16 minutes



To me, the hotel at the back had a tired look about it



Then it was on to the lighthouse but Mrs Db was looking tired too, I said we can get a bus back from the Hotel Rubicon





Then coming down to a small resto /bar, time of the walk at this point 1 hour 21 minutes



There was another hotel with a few sand areas surrounded by walls on the rocks



again the pathway ran out for 20 metres, looks like someone wanted a through way to the sea





but the pathway came back again and the target was in sight



then it was rough ground to the lighthouse, would I be able to go to the top



but it was all locked up



I went round the back there was an old lighthouse with smashed windows and graffti looking sorry for itself



and the new one looking majestic in the sky, time of walk 1 hour 44 mintues



I returned to Mrs Db who was patiently sitting on the wall, "was it worth it", she said

well there wasn't even a cafe around, so it was decided to head back passed the Rubicon to one of those four restaurants for lunch

we both had pints that went down well and the chef's special burger and chips



mine was a bit all over the place but there was egg, bacon, cheese, burger, ham, tomato and lettuce all for 3.70 euro's, much better value here



a tidy Mrs Db shows hers



and after an hour rest, Mrs Db said she was game to walk all the way home. About 9 miles what about me, I would have caught the bus