(Which is a small obscure island off Tenerife.)

Just booked a fortnight in October here. Seen some videos and there’s a couple of decent looking hire shops* there, just wondering if anyone had any recommendations or advice?

* Flying Jet 2, hiring a very small car and getting a ferry so dragging one of my bikes over wouldn’t be economic.

Went there in 2010, beautiful island with lots of potential but…

Had a look in a hire shop that had looked goof online and found a collection of poorly maintained BSOs.

I may have been unlucky and things may have moved.

Where are you staying?

Thanks drofluf… Stopping at Jardin Tecina Hotel, on the south of the island.

Been looking at hiring from this place… gomera-bikes.com they seem to have some newish Scott bikes and do some excursions.

Are you okay to cycle on footpaths? Because I’m tempted to buy a map and find my own way! 🙂

Wonderful place, largely because you can’t fly there! Many of the footpaths are indistinct, steep, and hard to access. Some good track on the tops though, getting up from sea level will be a heck of a slog though. Take walking boots and get the Walk Gomera book, it’s brill.

Thanks csb – just ordered that book and a map. Really giddy about going… not least because until Saturday I thought we’d end up in Playa de las Americas!

Gomera is a beautiful island, but BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU RIDE. Most of the island is now classified as a National Park. In Spain (and the Canaries) it is illegal to ride in the National Parks and there is a risk of big fines if you get caught.
Its also a small steep sided island so the tracks and trails are steep down with an equally long b*st*rdly push out of the other side.
Oh, and don’t forget to learn Silbo while you’re there 🙂

The trees are amazing

You’ll have a good laugh with that book, the directions match the terrain and fauna, bizarre. Written by a mad bloke who lets his dog do the route finding.

Walk number 26 is great, like something from a cowboy movie. Hot though!

Think the numbering has changed, Barranco de Guaranet is the walk I mean.

Cheers for all the advice. I’ll get the maps, do some walking and go on a few guided routes, avoiding the national parks.

Thanks again everyone.

Just a word of advice if you are hiring a car in Tenerife and taking it over to La Gomera – not clear from your post if that is what you are doing so ignore me if not but…most of the hire companies do not let you take cars off the island (Tenerife), AFAIK only CICAR let you do this and even they used to want prior notice (they might have dropped that now). If you do take a car over the good news is that it costs you very little more than two foot passengers and it is much more convenient. But with Jardin Tecina I expect transfers are included anyway?

Otherwise I echo everyone else (not that I have been on a bike for about 30 years)- the walking is wonderful but even on foot some of it is a bit hairy so be careful on a bike! A popular activity is to hire a bike in Valle Gran Rey which is then transported, with you, to the top of the island from where you can have an effortless and speedy descent through dozens of hairpins back down to the sea. No idea of cost or quality of the bikes though.

Good luck (a veteran of over 25 visits to La Gomera)