Edge of the "Western World".

Before Greenwich pinched the meridian, El Hierro was known to every sailor as the edge of the western world. This fascinating, most westerly, Canary Island is found by few, but when you do find it!!!! For such an isolated island our El Hierro Walking Guide includes two of the Canary Islands best restaurants. The walking is simply brilliant. You have to go to believe it, volcanic cones in a range of pastel shades, abandoned villages, ancient aboriginal sites, genuinely friendly people but negligable nightlife except enjoying a good meal with the best white wine produced in the Canary Islands. The El Hierro cheese is something special, made from a combination of goat, cow and sheep milk; most of it is flown straight to Madrid to appear in high priced restaurants. Take lunch at the famous bar restaurant in San Andres and then an afternoon of exploration will take you to one of the world's most spectacularly sited top-class restaurants for dinner - ask them to ring for a taxi back to Valverde. If you haven't been there then you must go. David Brawn - joint author.