Stage 8: Playa de Santiago - San Sebastián de La Gomera

This stage begins where the Playa de Santiago promenade ends, a town centre with a large beach and an important maritime port. The traveller walks through the right pavement of the avenida Marítima, crossing the Santiago gully and leaving family vegetable gardens and banana trees behind.

When the trail arrives at the town of Tecina, the traveller leaves the pavement and begins to climb some stairs, first among houses and then in open lands, while admiring the spectacular view of Playa de Santiago. After this stairs stretch ends, the trail continues going up through the right pavement that runs in parallel with the GM-3 road. Later, it passes a 'guaguas`' stop and, shortly after, it turns right through calle Hotel, so that the traveller can cross the pedestrian crossing. It keeps going through the left pavement during a flat stretch, which is surrounded at both sides by the hotel complexes of Tecina.

After the trail passes kilometre 109 of the Shores of La Gomera Nature Trail and coinciding with a light curve on the right, the traveller begins to go down to the gully of Tapahuga, where it goes through the right pavement.

Once the trail goes past kilometre 110, the traveller must cross the paved street known as Playa de Santiago, where the trail takes a dirt path that goes through the riverbed of the gully of Tapahuga. Later, the trail begins an uphill stretch that goes past the hill of Tecina and then it continues down to the houses of the Joradillo through a paved track. This track leads to a narrow path which winds up to the aforementioned houses. When the trail arrives at the houses, it turns left and, a few metres later through a paved road, the trail becomes a narrow path again. It continues running among terraces which were cultivated in the past and where today grows the Canary Island spurges.

While going down, the traveller passes kilometre 112, from where it continues through a wide path in the bottom of the gully of Chinguarime. Shortly after, the trail turns right in order to run among banana crops. Once the trail has passed this crop fields, the traveller takes a narrow path that crosses the gully’s ravine to begin a hard uphill slope.

After reaching kilometre 113, going through different uphill stretches, the trail leaves several cattle constructions behind. These constructions are part of the houses of Contreras, which now are in ruins. Shortly after, the trail arrives at an old stately house, where two other island trails meet.

Once the Guincho gully has been passed in kilometre 116, the stretch leading to the old Seima settlement (also known as the houses of Morales) begins. This settlement is now in ruins and it has an old stone oven the traveller can admire.

The trail’s route gives the traveller a break and begins a downhill stretch that enters the Natural Monument of the Cabrito. After passing kilometre 120, this downhill descent becomes steeper and the trail winds down the slope until the trail reaches the Hotel Finca El Cabrito, which is located next to the namesake beach. When the beach stretch ends, the trail turns left through a wide path that takes the traveller away from the coast. A few metres later, the trail crosses the Juan Vera gully and begins to go up again, entering the Natural Monument of the Cabrito perimeter.

Shortly after the trail passes kilometre 122, it begins to go down the Guancha gully to the namesake beach, where the traveller will be able to admire the dazzling beauty of the environment. Once the beach of La Guancha buildings and kilometre 124 have been passed, the trail goes up. A few metres after, the traveller leaves the Natural Monument of the Cabrito behind and the trail runs these last kilometres close to the coastline, where the beautiful panoramic view of the Atlantic ocean and Tenerife island can be admired. In clear days, the traveller will also be able to see the distinctive profile of the Teide.

Shortly after reaching the Higueral hill highest point, the traveller will be able to see San Sebastián de La Gomera for the first time. After the descent, the traveller enters the capital of the island through the industrial estate. The trail goes specifically through the paved road known as gully of La Concepción, which runs through the right pavement next to the GM-2 road, until the trail crosses La Villa gully and arrives at to the roundabout where the GM-1 and GM-2 roads meet, already in the town centre of la Villa. Up to this point, after more than 20 km, the eight stage of the Shores of La Gomera Nature Trail ends.