As I unexpectedly found myself without much to do for a week on Fuerteventura, I trawled the internet to find viable hiking routes I could access without a car from where we were staying.

I massively lucked out as the PR FV-54 path to the tallest peak of the island, Pico La Zarza, started just around the corner from our flat, so there was no question that I would be tackling it on my week “off”.

I already caught glimpse of Pico La Zarza from a distance when we visited the incredible Cofete beach earlier in the holiday:

Walking the length of Cofete, feeling the utter isolation and wildness of the place as I crawled along for sandy kilometres of the coastline at the feet of the mountain range, I felt like a speck of dust, tiny in the landscape.

But all the while, my eyes kept turning towards La Zarza, imagining the view from the top.

So the second day of my Week of Freedom, I set out to climb it:

The way up was relatively easy, the intense heat of the day and the lack of shade being the only real challenges. A straight climb from sea level to 813 metres, the path was well graded with a slow climb right until the last bit, a straight up section of stairs cut into the mountainside.

The view from the top made it all well worth it.

Looking down the length of Cofete beach, I settled in, put on some warmer clothes (a sharp wind blew over the precipice) and started on my picnic lunch.

Giant crows coasted lazily in the thermals, clouds ran across the landscape with surprising speed, and all I could hear was the roar of the waves 800 metres below.

Feet up, enjoying the view.

It was a fun mind-game, recalling in vivid detail the experience of walking along that wild wide beach, while studying it from the peak above. I spent over an hour just taking it all in, though I think I could have stayed longer, had it not been for the ferocious winds.

The way down was uneventful. Blisters for souvenirs, and many new memories to treasure.