Hoyo de Barrio

Most of El Hierro gets pretty dry in summer, but the picnic and barbecue area at Hoyo del Barrio (near Valverde) always seems to stay green.

As you can see, there are tables and chairs. And you can just spot the barbecue grill in the middle of the wall at the the back.

And if you want a walk after your lunch, there's a very pretty path that wends up through the woods.

Video of the Bajada

Apologies for the delay, but here at last is the video of the bajada, taken at Raya de la Mareta.

The Bajada

The procession leaving Isora

I'm better informed now. The main procession with the statue of the Virgin of the Kings leaves El Dehesa at 5 am, and travels 28 km to Valverde, the capital, arriving at 10:30 pm. But there are lots of side processions. For example, I saw one procession leave Isora with their statue of St. Joseph at 7 am, to meet the main procession at La Cruz de Los Reyes.

It was still dark to begin with, and half light when they danced away up a steep lane out of the village. I was only walking, and I couldn't keep up.

They only have three musical instruments: rather high-pitched flutes, castanets and big, deep drums. When I heard Herreñan music on the telly, I didn't like it at all, because it was far too shrill. I hadn't appreciated that my TV wasn't reproducing the low notes. In real life, the glorious WHUMP! from the big drums balances the flutes perfectly, and you want to dance.

And they do dance. They have people dancing all the way, in shifts. The costumes and dance steps are a little reminiscent of English morris dancers. I believe the tune and costumes vary a little from village to village.

In fact, five processions meet the main one La Cruz de Los Reyes, each with their own statue. It's also where people stop for a picnic lunch.

Then they all travel together, with the villages taking turns for the honour of carrying the Virgin and dancing for her. I caught up with the procession at La Raya de la Mareta, where El Pinar hands over to Isora.


The procession at La Raya de la Mareta

The sun was baking, and I was amazed to see the dancers still going at it with gusto. These people are really fit! Of course, they must have been practising for months, and I expect a lot of them have physical work anyway.


The bajada dancers

Even in the middle of the procession, the crowds were huge. I would have liked to see the arrival at Valverde, where they dance inside the big church, but I didn't fancy my chances of getting a parking space within a couple of miles of the town centre.


The huge crowd at Raya de la Mareta

Juniper Trees

The famous juniper tree

One of the things El Hierro is famous for is the juniper forest at the west end of the island. Go to the Hermitage at El Dehesa and either walk or drive along the dirt track behind it. You soon reach a cross-roads, where you take the left-hand track marked "El Sabinal". I found the track in surprisingly good condition, and we were able to drive the whole way, which is 3.5 km from the chapel to the little car park.

And from the car park, you can see the tree that's on a millon post cards, fridge magnets and T shirts. It's even on the cover of a Brian May CD.


I loved it. These Phoenicean Juniper trees (Juniperus phoenicea) obviously survive tremendously strong winds and it twists them into the most photogenic shapes. And the famous one isn´t the only one worth photographing.
While you're there, take the other fork to the mirador (viewpoint) at Bascos, where you get a fantastic view across the Golfo all the way to La Peña.

View from the mirador de Bascos