The north

You will start on the highway passing Las Palmas to the coastal area of San Felipe, which is highly recommended for some of the best fresh fish available on the island.

Just after San Felipe in Pagador, the main road crosses the spectacular bridge of Barranco de Silva (Silva Ravine), which is the highest bridge in Spain and the second highest in Europe. Off to the left, on the old coastal road, we reach the Cenobio de Valerón), which is part of the township of Santa María de Guía, and is a primitive granary used by the prehispanic islanders to store their grain harvests. After the Puente de Silva, the highway leads towards the town of Santa María de Guía, at a distance of some 37 kilometres from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. One of the outstanding features of the town is its parish church which possesses several works of the Guía-born artist Luján Pérez, a figure sculptor from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

It is worthwhile stopping off in this town to try out the local "queso de flor" (flower cheese), so called because it is made using ewe milk and the flower of the wild thistle. A couple of kilometres further on you come to Gáldar, home to the guanartemes or original island rulers and rich in archaeological sites. The best known of these sites is the Cueva Pintada (painted cave).

From Gáldar, the road runs on to Agaete, where you can observe the pine forest of Tamadaba, perched at the top of the majestic cliffs which surround the town´s fishing port of Puerto de Las Nieves. These cliffs fall steeply into the sea which is guarded by a distinctive needle of rock, known as Dedo de Dios (The Finger of God, which was unfortunately destroyed in a storm). The Puerto de las Nieves was one of the few points along this rugged coastline which gave access to the island´s interior. Nowadays the port has a regular ferry service which connects it with Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Agaete is also home to the Huerto de las Flores garden, which contains a vast collection of American trees. The Valley, which enjoys a sub-tropical climate, provides perfect conditions for the cultivation of coffee plants, guava fruit, mangoes and avocado pears.