Spain by boat

Charter a yacht or hop on a ferry to get a fresh perspective on the many islands said Simon Calder

(Spain Tourism)

(Spain Tourism)

Sea breezes, swooping birds and viewing some of Europe’s most beautiful isles from a fresh perspective: these are a few of the many joys of Spanish island hopping. Whether you charter a yacht in the Balearics or take advantage of the network of Atlantic ferries connecting the Canaries, sea level is the ideal way to compare and contrast the diverse scattering of Spain’s islands.

Through a fim such as Sunsail (020 3811 1613; sunsail.co.uk), qualifed skippers can charter a bareboat from Mallorca’s capital, Palma. A fourcabin catamaran starts at £1,925 for a week, allowing up to 10 people to explore the hidden coves of Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera, before returning to base guided by the handsome cathedral that dominates Palma. Or if you prefer someone else to do the navigation, construct asingle, multi-faceted Canary Islands trip between the distant cousins of La Graciosa and El Hierro, along the way combining the city buzz and mighty mountains of the two largest Canary Islands, Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Besides the opportunity to easily combine destinations, the voyages themselves off™er ever-changing seascapes – with added bonuses, such as the chance to take a pre-lunch dip in the warm Mediterranean, or standing on deck of the ferry between Tenerife and La Gomera watching frolicking dolphins accompanying.

So why do so few British visitors to Spain take advantage of the island-hopping possibilities? Partly because standard package holidays, while they deliver formidable value, are based on staying firmly put. But it may also be because of a lack of knowledge of Spain’s opportunities to learn how to sail, and the wealth of interconnecting sea links on off™er for those relying on public ferries.

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Menorca Sailing (00 34 660 647 845; menorcasailing.co.uk) is based in the fine harbour of Mahon, which provides a safe and rewarding environment for the two-day RYA Start Yachting (from €315) or five-day Competent Crew (from €710) courses.

Planning a trip is part of the fun. You can, of course, sail to Spain: Brittany Ferries (0330 159 7000; brittany-ferries.co.uk) operates from Portsmouth to Bilbao and Santander, with the latter also served from Plymouth. The drive from Spain’s north coast to one of the ferry ports is a bonus to an island-hopping holiday.

Mainland Spain’s maritime gateway for the Canaries is Cadiz – now under four hours from Madrid by train. Enjoy a port of good looks and deep history (our recent 48 Hours In guide to the ocean city is available at bit.ly/Cadiz48), then take to the ocean to reach the Canaries – in the wake of the great explorers of the New World.

The leading operator for ferries to and within the Balearics and the Canaries is Trasmediterranea : (00 34 902 454 645; trasmediterranea.es/en). From Barcelona and Valencia, it operates yearround services to the capitals of Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, and some inter-island services. From Cadiz, Trasmediterranea sails to Las Palmas on Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz on Tenerife, Arrecife on Lanzarote, and the island of La Palma. There is also a wide range of links between these ports, and to Puerto del Rosario on Fuerteventura. The ships are well-appointed, with free wi-fi and comfortable cabins on longer crossings. For example, the eight-hour overnight sailing between Barcelona and Palma for immediate departure costs €140 per person based on two sharing a stateroom. Taking a car adds €105 to the cost.

Between Cadiz and the Canaries, journeys are much longer – for example 49 hours to Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The per-passenger price booking three weeks ahead is typically €279 one way, with an extra €225 for a car.

Other operators compete enthusiastically. Fred Olsen Express (00 34 902 100 107; fredolsen.es) o™ffers a busy network around the Canaries, as does Naviera Armas (00 34 902 456 500; navieraarmas.com) – which has the distinction of being the only ferry line serving the seventh member of the Canaries, El Hierro.

Baleria (00 34 966 428 700; baleria.com) competes with Trasmediterranea on Balearic routes, and adds some extra links on the short sea crossings from Denia to Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera.

You can book these and other ferries online, or – particularly for short hops – turn up when it suits and sail away to your chosen island escape. For more information visit spain.info/uk.

East Canaries

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Low-cost, one-way fares mean you can string together various Canary Islands with ease. Fly to Lanzarote with one of many airlines, then use the ferries of Fred Olsen Express to play island hopscotch.

It’s a journey packed with highlights, starting as soon as you touch down on Lanzarote. The low-key capital, Arrecife, is complemented by fresh, raw rock – sometimes bubbling up through the earth’s crust, and wonderfully harnessed by the local hero, artist-architect César Manrique. At the southern tip of the island, Puerto del Carmen is a pretty …shing port with lovely ocean views – and the bene…t of a boat to Fuerteventura.

The wildest and breeziest island (the name means “strong wind”) Fuerteventura is all about the wind and the waves, whether in the shape of windsur…ng, paddle boarding or mountain biking. Rosario, its port, has regular ferries to Gran Canaria and the urban hub of the archipelago, Las Palmas. This is a proper Spanish city – the shopping-and-dining capital of the Canaries, with the added bonus of a fine city beach and a spectacular late January/early February carnival. The cobbled colonial core is Vegueta, decorated with colourful cafés and churches. From here you can head a few miles south for the island’s airport and a fl“ight home. Or, to continue the island-hopping, go east to Agaete for one of the frequent ferries to another …fine city: Santa Cruz, queen of Tenerife.

West Canaries

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Santa Cruz de Tenerife is back on the fl“ight map, thanks to the Iberia Express link from Heathrow to Tenerife North, which has opened up the city and its surroundings. Most notable is the colonial village of La Laguna – a blueprint for New World settlements, connected to Santa Cruz by a 21st-century tram.

Fast, cheap buses run south to Los Cristianos, which besides being a popular resort is also a maritime hub. Ferries scoot across the strait to La Gomera, which is basically a volcano draped in luxuriant vegetation. The tiny airport has not aff•ected the ambience of an island to escape to, for hikes and homely accommodation.

The last link takes you to La Palma’s luscious capital, Santa Cruz de la Palma, which presides over an island whose many enticements include a mile-high National Park at its heart. And from here, scheduled flights to London (with Norwegian, 0843 3780 888; norwegian.com) will bring you happily home.

Cruise control

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An eff•ortless way to visit a number of Spanish islands is to sign up for a cruise. It is particularly worthwhile in the Canaries, where distances are signi…cant. A cruise also provides a fl“avour of each island, which can whet your appetite for a repeat visit.

Cut-price Canaries cruises were …first launched 20 years ago, with a leadin price of £399 for a week. Amazingly, off•-season prices have hardly changed. Thomson (020 3451 2682; thomson.co.uk) has a winter Canarian Flavours cruise that embarks from Santa Cruz, Tenerife and takes in La Gomera, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria. Flying from Bristol on 8 December costs only £428 per person, based on two sharing.

In the Mediterranean, there are countless cruises that include the Balearics – such as MSC’s Armonia itineraries next summer, which include both Mallorca and Ibiza; from £599 for a week excluding flights (020 3426 3010;msccruises.co.uk)

Grace and favour

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The closest populated Canary island to the UK, but the trickiest to reach? That’ll be La Graciosa, which pops out of the Atlantic just a couple of miles north of the port of Orzola at the northern tip of Lanzarote. Getting to the port is half the fun of a day trip to La Graciosa. Make a steep side trip to Mirador del Río, a dramatic restaurant viewpoint carved from a lava escarpment by César Manrique. From this perch 1,500 feet above the sea, look down upon El Río (“the river”), the narrow channel between Lanzarote and La Graciosa.

The passenger catamaran ferry (00 34 928 842 585; biosferaexpress.com; €20 return) departs every hour or so from Orzola to the pretty port of Caleta del Sebo. Like on any far-fl“ung island town, the pace of life on Caleta del Sebo is gloriously slow. Beyond it, Playa Francesa is a lovely beach, its soothing sand promising serenity

Hippy haven

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"Houses iced in whitewash guard a pale shoreline, cornered by the cactus and the pine”; while Mallorca has welcomed noted poets Robert Graves and Brian Patten, the fourth of the Balearics, Formentera, is celebrated in verse by Pete Sin…eld. He is the former travel agent turned lyricist of King Crimson’s classic prog-rock album, Islands, and the man who brought the world the song Formentera Lady.

It paints a picture of an idyllic island far from the cares of the world: “Here I wander where sweet sage and strange herbs grow, down a sun-baked crumpled stony road.” Nearly half a century on, this small and weirdly shaped island remains a land apart, thanks to the absence of an airport.

The ferry (00 34 670 771 279; mediterraneapitiusa.com; €21 for the 25-minute “Jet” catamaran) from Ibiza Town drops you close to the main town of Sant Francesc Xavier. Pick up a rental bike and make your way across the gently wooded plain, with an extra surge taking you uphill to El Mirador, the restaurant with a perfect view of the island rolling out to the west. Two miles further, a lighthouse marks the eastern extreme and in between, the village of El Pilar de la Mola hosts a hippy market twice a week. You might even meet Pete Sin…eld there.

Distant cousin

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El Hierro is the far end of Spain – the southernmost and easternmost point of both the Canary Islands and the country as a whole. That explains its former status as Prime Meridian: Europe’s line of zero longitude, still celebrated by the Monumento al Meridiano 0.

The best way to explore this geographical marvel is on foot, ideally taking the 22-mile course of the GR 131 trail, which climbs to the 4,925ft summit of Malpaso – higher than Ben Nevis. Then get a diff•erent view from beneath the surface at the Mar de Las Calmas, a protected bay where the water is clear, full of marine life and where the volcanic origins are visible.

You can fi…nd friendly places to stay in the hilltop capital, Valverde, but the shoreline Parador (00 34922 558 036; parador.es), shaded by dragon trees and coconut palms, is my favourite. Like all the properties in the state-run chain, it celebrates the local cuisine, such as a tasty white fi…sh found only in the Canaries and known as la vieja.

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