Mountain biking in Lanzarote: Off road in search of Hot Rocks

Mark Pawlak    mountainbikingholidays     Canary Islands, Lanzarote, Money for a Mac, mountain biking, Mountain biking holidays, Mountain Biking in Lanzarote, Mountainbiking in Canary Islands, MTB

If you’d rather take it off road than face the monotony of the road, mountain biking in Lanzarote has much to tempt – and a testing variety or surfaces, tracks and tough tundra to push you and your ride.

Off road in Lanzarote. Image: Flickr/ malc_smith

Lanzarote is favoured by small groups of lycra clad roadies enjoying the miles of sticky black tarmac – but not exclusively; the MTB scene here is alive and well.

And while its volcanic days are long since over, Lanzarote still has it’s share of hot rocks and routes – here’s more info about the Canary Islands for off-roadies.

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Kayaking through the microclimates of Gran Canaria

Guest    Kayaking Holiday Ideas, kayakingholidays     Canary Islands, canoeing, Canoeing holidays, Gran Canaria, Kayak, Kayaking, kayaking holidays

Now that autumn has taken its cold hold in England, there are lots of cheap holidays to be had in the still warm climates of Europe. Holidays in Spain and particularly holidays to Gran Canaria are a superb option for those looking for a quick but exotic watersports getaway.

The jagged coast of Gran Canaria Flickr/Rafael Tovar

This sensational island is packed full of activities and stunning scenery, making it a brilliant choice for kayaking enthusiasts and families alike.

What makes Gran Canaria particularly extraordinary as a kayaking destination is that the island has a rich variety of microclimates.

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Top 5 Locations for Last Minute Windsurfing Holidays in Europe

Jeff    windsurfingholidays     Canary Islands, Europe, Lake Garda, Last Minute Holidays, Last-minute deals, locations for windsurfing, Rhodes, Sicily, Tarifa, Travel Zoo, Windsurfing, windsurfing holidays, Windsurfing Holidays in Europe

Work week got you down? Jonesing for some wind and waves when your local spot is flat and listless? Searching for last minute holidays in Europe can range everywhere from exciting to excruciating.

A surfer in Canary Island gaining momentum. Image: Flickr/ catlovers

Some places need to know you’ll be arriving months in advance. Other hotels offer incredible rates to fill their unreserved rooms in the coming weeks.

But in order to stumble upon a sweet deal you’ll need to focus on a destination first. After all, you are going primarily for the windsurfing and will be spending your days out on the water.

So here’s 5 best spots for last minute windsurfing holidays Europe has to offer. Get packing!

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Windsurfing in the Canary Islands: Top 10 spots

Alice Cuninghame    Top 10s, windsurfingholidays     Canary Islands, Windsurfing, windsurfing holidays, windsurfing in Canary Islands, Windsurfings spots

Strong, consistent winds make windsurfing in the Canary Islands a year-round activity. Winds are at their strongest in summer, but winter brings some challenging ocean swell for wave-sailors to enjoy.

Endless, sparkling blue ocean to explore. Image: Flickr/ Llolker

Daytime air and water temperatures rarely dip below 20 degrees, even in mid-winter, making the islands a comfortable and pleasurable place to enjoy a windsurfing break.

Conditions are varied, with some spots offering world-class challenges for the more advanced, but beginners also being able to find their place in the more sheltered spots.

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Sailing Gear: Buying boat shoes

Mark Moore    Sailing Gear, sailingbreaks     Boat shoes, Canary Islands, Deck shoes, Sailing, sailing gear, sailing holiday, sailing shoes

I just spent the past month sailing on a 52-foot luxury catamaran in the Southern Caribbean. It was an epic trip with a great crew of friends and a very lenient captain.

Relaxing on deck. Image: Flickr/ drcuddy.

Besides a few urchin spines and reef kisses, the worst injury that I sustained was from not wearing boat shoes – also sometimes called deck shoes.

Now, while I didn’t go to the Caribbean to wear shoes, there are advantages to having protection and grip on your feet while walking on board.

Based on this, here’s what’s on the market for people looking at buying the right boat shoes to protect their feet.

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Top 10 Surf Spots in the Canary Islands

Jeff    surfingholidays, Top 10s     Canary Islands, Spain, Surf, Surfing, surfing holidays, Surfing spots

Enjoying warmer water and sunnier weather than the UK, the Canary Islands is a great surf holiday destination. The Canaries pick up swell from all directions and their craggy coastlines convert the ocean’s energy into a variety of waves capable of satiating every type of surfer.

Serious surf potential: Image Flickr/ El coleccionista de instantes

From heaving lefts to peaky beach breaks to long, peeling right points, these islands provide such a vast array of choices you could surf the entire winter without surfing in the Canary Islands and visiting the same spot wave twice. But, in the interest of fine tuning your holiday plans, the following is a list of the top 10 surf spots in the Canary Islands.

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Beach Holiday: Why black sand is sometimes the best sand

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     beach, beach holiday, Canary Islands, hawaii, puerto rico, Scuba Diving, Surfing, Windsurfing

Most people’s idea of a beach holiday includes time spent wasting time on a white sandy beach. Well, there are plenty of spots around the world that serve up exactly the same beach experience, just without the white sand – and why waste time when there’s wind and waves in which to play?

Here are three destinations with black sand beaches to go on your next travel itinerary.

Canary Islands

As well as the miles of pristine light sand, these islands have a dark side. On the north shore of Tenerife, there’s La Grañosa and Los Roques (the later very popular for scuba diving) as well as several bays and ways to the sea that are dusted in black sand.

Gran Canaria also offers beach life in black and white, as does the east coast of Fureteventura, an island that’s one of the windsurfing capitals of the world.

Black sand beauty Image: Flickr/Ryan Devenish

Hawaii

One of the most beautiful, and sought after island holiday resorts sports a black sand beach. Visitors swim up to 800 miles to rest on Punalu’u beach – that’s the sea turtles that come to lay their eggs here. The black sand is so prized it’s illegal to remove it, so stick to wandering and marvelling at the scenery.

Puerto Rico

If surfing is your sport, you may have heard of Playa La Boca in Puerto Rico. Just east off this black sand beauty is a great point-break best suited to experienced surfers. The beach here runs west from the mouth of the river, and runs for miles till it whitens past the distant headland.

Black sand beaches are formed as boiling larva meets the ocean. So, if you’ve black sand under foot, you know that where you’re holidaying was once a bubbling, flowing mass of volcanic sludge (the heat you feel searing through your toes just comes from the sand’s absorption of sun rays – in case you were getting worried for a minute!)