(S) Teguise is dominated to the East by a large volcanic crater, on which sits a castle called the 'Castillo de Sante Barbara'. An access road goes up to the castle from the main road (LZ10) which skirts the western side of the town. This is the starting point of the walk, and follows the tarmac track up the hillside, and towards the castle for about 1/2 km. This is quite a big uphill gradient at first but is, rest assured, easy going and is in fact the only uphill section of the walk. Looking back, there are tremendous views over Teguise and across the South and East of the Island. This walk doesn't go up to the castle itself, but that is an option if you want to get the best views.
(1) Shortly before the road takes a very sharp left turn, you will see an obvious fingerpost signing a track which branches off to the right on the shoulder of the ridge and is marked 'Teseguite', which is the next village on the route. Follow this strong track around the side of the crater and you will soon see the pretty village of Teseguite appear below you. Although the track winds right and left in a few places, the village will always be in sight and is your aiming point. The track drops down gradually until it eventually leads into the village on the Calle San Leandro. Follow this down to the main road (LZ404), passing the church, Ermita de San Leandro, on the right.
(2) At the main road, turn right and follow this downhill for a few hundred metres keeping to the side as it can be quite busy, until the road veers sharply to the left.
(3) Take care here to keep straight on down a side road (opposite a ceramics shop) called Calle Terrero. Keep following this minor road, ignoring left and right turns and it soon becomes a track leading down and out of the village.
You now follow this track over open country, descending gradually until you meet the main Arrecife coast road, the LZ1. This is the most difficult part of the route, not because of the terrain (which is gentle downhill all the way), but because the track is not as clearly defined as you go lower. However, if you aim for a point five or ten degrees to the left of the big volcanic corona in front of you then you can't really go wrong. The other aiming point as you go lower is a small, green plantation near to the main road which you want to pass on the right where a larger track then leads down to the main road itself.
(4) Once at the main road, great care should be taken! There are in fact two roads to cross, firstly the old main road which is fortunately relatively quiet, but then you need to get over the busy LZ1. To do this directly, you should look for a gap in the metal barrier slightly to the left of the track you've just come down and then cross to the other side (fortunately it is a long straight road so you can see traffic coming from a distance, but patience may be required!).
A safer alternative option is to turn left on the old road, go on for about half a kilometre and there you will come across a tunnel under the main road. Go under this and then follow the vehicle track on the other side back in the reverse direction.
Whichever route you have followed to get across the LZ1, you will meet the vehicle track by the main road on the other side which quickly turns sharp left and heads off downwards towards the left of the corona again (following the general direction of travel all the way from Tesiguite). Follow this big track for a couple of miles across flatter country, crossing some other tracks but always keeping straight on and aiming to pass by the big corona on your right.
Eventually, you will pass a couple of remote villas beside the track. Keep going past them but about a hundred yards beyond the second watch out for a fork where a strong track heads off to the left. At this point keep right, following the contours around the corona (Montana Corona). The track gets a little narrower as you drop further down, but is distinctly stronger than some smaller paths that branch off (these should be ignored) and this should be followed for about half a mile until you are nearly past the crater.
(5) At this point, the modern buildings of Costa Teguise have come into view and there are many tracks that lead towards the big Beatriz hotel in front of you. However, the best route is to head down towards the sea to the left of the main built up area and then go into town along the seafront. To do this watch out for a smaller track heading off to the left towards some derelict buildings. These are built on a small ridge above the coastal plain. Pause a while here to enjoy the view, but also look out for the rocky track that descends down towards a low wall which runs directly seawards. You can see your route to the sea clearly from here. Descend to the long, low wall and follow the track next to it, past a large roundabout and continue in the same direction until meeting a short road that leads down to the sea-front.
(6) Now turn right and follow the sea-front path into the centre of the Costa Teguise resort where the walk finishes and plenty of bars are available to quench your thirst! This is either the end of your journey, or the point where you can catch service buses to the other island resorts, Arrecife, Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca etc.
