Route 4: Llano de la Mosca
LLANO DE LA MOSCA
Route type: Circular
- Distance: 10,24 Km.
- Maximum height: 1594 m.
- Minimum height: 1372 m.
- Height of the exit: 1462 m.
- Height of the arrival: 1462 m.
- Accumulated descending level: 221 m.
- Accumulated ascending level: 247 m.
- Maximum speed: 1730m/h
The only circular route of its Category, which allows you to start and finish at the Refugio del Pilar without retracing paths. The route circumscribes the pine wood next to the picnic area.
The environment that surrounds the Centro BTT of La Palma is a matrix of pinewood and prehistoric volcanic cones (that is, several thousand years old). The closest one is Birigoyo (1807 m), on the skirts of which the leisure area is located. Bordering it on the south end we find the Montaña de la Barquita (1809 m). And to the east of both, although at a lower height, the Montaña del Caldero (1624 m).
This path goes around the spaces between these three peaks, avoiding the larger slopes and allowing sporadic views of its peaks. In its entirety it runs through a replanted pinewood, with a humid undergrowth of Myrica faya and tree heather, common to the eastern side of La Palma.
The high density and slenderness of the trees are indications that this is an ecosystem in which humans have intervened, although with native species in this case. Unlike the other islands in the Archipelago, the reforestation with the California pinewood (Pinus radiata), which happened in the 1950s, never reached any great extent. The few surviving specimens from those practices, which today we would consider mistaken, are found in the immediate environment of the Recreational Area.
As for the path itself, there are no major difficulties. The signposting is also double as the bicycle route runs along walking trails. The IMBA’s codes are joined by those the paths PR LP 16, SL VM 124 and PR LP 17. For that reason it’s advisable to keep to a moderate speed and keep an eye out for the possible presence of hikers on the route.
