Finding my way around Isla de La Palma: Sunday 18th October

I woke at 7 am and walked 5 minutes down to Santa Cruz beach to watch the sunrise. 

It was a partially cloudy morning and I could see the island of Tenerife in the distance where the sun rose. 

From the beach I could see the steep hills and laurel forests rising behind the town which were shrouded in cloud. 

I brought breakfast from the supermarket and returned to the pension to search online for apartments to rent longer-term.  After breakfast I drove to the other side of the island to explore a bit and to check out the location of some accommodation I had seen online.  The other side of the island was very sunny and much warmer than Santa Cruz. I drove down into the base of the Caldera (large crater) where a hostel was located in a remote location. 

It was a great location so I booked three nights for later in the week.  I looked for somewhere local to eat but most of the restaurants where closed due to the lack of tourists and also it was a Sunday.  I drove back to Santa Cruz where I found a small restaurant near the pension which was serving a menu of the day for 7€.  I had tuna salad as a starter and then a pork chop with chips and season veg for a main course.  It was great value.

In the evening I drove to the local beach of Cancajos where some owner of the pension said I would find small sheltered bays for swimming which are protected from the strong currents that run along the coast.  I found one of the bays and went swimming and chatted with the locals about places to visit on the island.  I had a snack in a local bar and checked out online some hikes that I might try tomorrow.