The best traffic-free bike rides around Frontera

Not all areas are suitable for swimming at all times.

For centuries, people didn't come here for the landscape. They came for the water. Legend has it that the mineral waters that spring up in this corner of western El Hierro had healing properties and that many people traveled long distances to drink them or bathe in them. Thus, the name Pozo de la Salud was born. Today the place still has something special. Between the cliffs, the ocean, and the isolation of this part of the island, it's hard to imagine a more remote place to find a spring that would become one of the best-known spots on El Hierro. Some come looking for the spa, others for the sunset or the views over the Golfo. What many discover is a hard-to-explain feeling: that of being at the edge of an island that seems to end right here, between rock, sea, and silence.

La Dehesa is not simply a field with cows. It is one of the most important historical territories of El Hierro and for centuries has been used communally by the island's inhabitants. While much of Europe divided land among owners, here a huge shared space for grazing was maintained. Generations of shepherds from El Hierro with sheep, goats, cows, and horses have passed through these plains. The wind, the fog, and the isolation have shaped both the landscape and the way of life of those who worked here. Very close by is also the Sanctuary of the Virgen de los Reyes, the patron saint of El Hierro. Every four years, the famous Bajada de la Virgen is celebrated, one of the most important traditions in the Canary Islands. The image travels around the island accompanied by thousands of people, following paths that precisely cross part of La Dehesa. The curious thing is the contrast: on one side appear the junipers twisted by the wind and the pastures; on the other, the lava fields that fall towards the Atlantic. Few places show the two souls of El Hierro so well: the volcanic and the pastoral.

The landscape that extends towards Punta de la Sal is formed by ancient lava flows that descended from the eruptive centers in the west of El Hierro. Although many of these eruptions are prehistoric and do not have an exact known date, they were what built much of this coast. What today appears as an immense expanse of black rock was once lava slowly advancing towards the Atlantic. Erosion has done the rest, creating one of the most spectacular and best-preserved volcanic landscapes in the Canary Islands.

Very close to the Mirador de Lomo Negro is El Sabinar, probably the most emblematic landscape of El Hierro. Here grow the famous "sabinas" (juniper trees), trees shaped for decades by the trade winds into twisted forms that seem impossible. The curious thing is that none are twisted by chance. The constant wind has slowly bent the trunks over generations, creating one of the most spectacular examples of nature's adaptation in the Canary Islands. The area also has a very special atmosphere: low fog, open pastures, stone walls, free-roaming livestock, and enormous views towards the Atlantic. There are days when it looks more like Ireland or Scotland than a volcanic island. It is one of those places where it is worth getting off your bike, walking for a few minutes, and simply observing. The sabinas have been resisting for centuries the exact same wind that is hitting your face at that moment.

The Cueva del Caracol was once the first chapel of the Virgen de Los Reyes.

“El Pastor”: a statue in honor of the shepherds.

The chapel of the island's patron saint. She is said to have provided rainwater during droughts.