Tenerife's La Guancha is a town full of roses

From the Mirador El Lance, just outside La Guancha, there is a view over the valley and coastal plains that is almost like being up in a plane. It is truly breathtaking. Not surprisingly people go there and stop just to admire the amazing views.

La Guancha itself has just about everything you could want from a large town, and includes a church and square, a bank, a police station, a school, as well as plenty of bars, restaurants and shops. There is also a Red Cross building.

The church is dedicated to the Virgin of Hope, the patron saint of La Guancha, but bears the name El Dulce Nombre de Jesús (“The Sweet Name of Jesus”). It was built in the 17^th century.

La Guancha’s main street has an amazing display of roses in all shades blooming in the flower and shrub borders besides the tall Canary palms. The northern climate of Tenerife clearly suits them well.

The pine woods on the outskirts of La Guancha are probably some of the most beautiful on the island of Tenerife. Mt Teide can be seen standing majestically in the background.

The La Guancha coat of arms depicts a Canary pine with Mt Teide behind it, there is also a stream, and ears of corns and bunches of grapes on the edges of the shield as well as two Guanche women on both flanks.

The Guanche women remind us of a tale from local folklore in which at the time of the Spanish conquest a captain fell in love with a Guanche maiden who he saw collecting water at a well. The young woman ran off and the soldier was left heartbroken afterwards.

This was said to have taken place at an area known as Fuente de la Guancha, and this gave the name to the main town that stands there today.

The picturesque village of El Pinalete is just outside La Guancha on the road heading in the direction of Icod de los Vinos. Surrounded by luxuriant pine forests, it has a hermitage, a square, a roadside bar and a restaurant.

This popular beauty spot also has a recreational area where barbecues and picnics can be enjoyed. Just outside the village is a large reservoir and a water source runs through El Pinalete.

The bus route from Icod de los Vinos to Los Realejos and then down to Puerto de la Cruz runs through La Guancha and it is probably one of the prettiest journeys on the island. I often choose to take this bus route because the scenery along the way is so picturesque, even if it takes longer to get to where I'm going!

Copyright © 2012 Steve Andrews. All Rights Reserved.

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