After the Lanzarote International Marathon: La Graciosa

The Route: Costa Teguise → Órzola → Caleta del Sebo (La Graciosa) → Órzola → Costa Teguise Logistics: Drive north to the port of Órzola, about 40 minutes, then a passenger ferry across the strait of El Río. Flat sand tracks on the island. Marathon Month: December Duration: Day trip

Costa Teguise ──(about 40 mins by car)──> Órzola ──(ferry)──> Caleta del Sebo ──(ferry)──> Órzola ──(40 mins)──> Costa Teguise

The Lanzarote International Marathon finishes in a busy resort. La Graciosa, off the north of the island, is the opposite: a few hundred residents, two small villages and no asphalt anywhere. The streets of Caleta del Sebo, where the ferry lands, are sand, and the handful of vehicles on the island are four-wheel-drive taxis. After a race on hard roads, walking on soft sand is not a bad idea, as long as it is kept short.

December on La Graciosa is warm in the sun and breezy, usually around 20°C. It is the quiet season. The beaches are empty, though swimming is for the hardy and the currents off the island's north coast are dangerous. The main risk to the day is the sea: the strait of El Río can be rough, and sailings are occasionally cancelled in strong wind. Check the forecast the evening before.

Órzola is at Lanzarote's northern tip, about 40 minutes' drive from Costa Teguise. Two companies run ferries to Caleta del Sebo through the day. Biosfera Express lists nine sailings a day from Órzola in its winter timetable and charges €29 return for non-residents. Book the outward and return sailings together, and note the time of the last boat back.

Caleta del Sebo

The village is a grid of low white houses with blue or green doors around a small harbour. The main streets are packed sand, level and easy to walk; a slow lap of the village, the harbour and the small beach beside it takes under an hour. Cafés and fish restaurants face the harbour.

Beyond the village

Tracks lead across the island to its beaches. Playa Francesa, a sheltered bay facing Lanzarote's cliffs, is about 2.5 km from the village along a flat track of sand and gravel. It is a manageable walk on the second or third day after the race, less so on the first, since loose sand works tired calves hard. Bicycles can be hired near the harbour, and four-wheel-drive taxis take visitors to the beaches and back for a fare agreed in advance. The island's northern beaches, such as Las Conchas, are further and better visited by taxi.

The island and its islets are part of a marine reserve, and the view back to the Famara cliffs on Lanzarote, rising more than 400 m straight from the sea, is one of the finest in the Canaries.

Lunch and the return

Grilled fish and seafood are the island's food, served in the restaurants around the harbour. Aim to be back at the quay 20 minutes before your return sailing. From Órzola, the drive back to Costa Teguise takes about 40 minutes.