Gran Canaria i’M HAPPY I HAVE LOLITA’S BAPS to keep me warm. Before you get excited, Lolita is a grandmother who doesn’t speak a word of English, but is a one-woman riot of limitless energy, nonetheless. She’s welcomed us with open arms into her hole-in-the-wall bar in Cercados de Araña while the heavens have opened above us in Gran Canaria’s interior. The baps are the delicious bread rolls that’s she prepared for us, filled with freshly made tortilla, which serves as a hearty early lunch as we wait for the rain to pass. This is not the Gran Canaria that we were used to seeing in the brochures. First of all, we were about 45 minutes away from the bright seaside towns of the south that stretch from Puerto Mogan to Playa del Inglés. And secondly, without prior warning, the heavens decided to open up directly over as we arrived. ‘We’ were myself and my two sons, Dani (12) and Alex (nine), along with Brits David Beecham and Derek Maude, owner and guide of Carp Gran Canaria (carpgrancanaria.com), respectively. Our destination is nearby Presa de Chira, one of 69 stunning reservoirs on the island and arguably the best place to fish for carp. I hadn’t been fishing since I was a kid, while Alex and Dani were more used to splashing in rock pools with a net and bucket. As for my wife, she was happily indulging in spa treatments and sunbathing back at our hotel, the Lopesan Costa Meloneras (thomascook.com) – and where we’d be spending the rest of our holiday enjoying the fabulous dining and fantastic seafront location next to the wind-swept Maspalomas sand dunes. Even if you’re not travelling with kids, there are quieter resorts along this tourist stretch, like San Agustín, where you’ll find the adults-only Iberostar Costa Canaria (thomascook.com). It still benefits from sea views and all-inclusive dining, but is an oasis of calm with its manicured gardens and Thai Zen spa. Activities for families are rife in this area and the white-sand beaches of Maspalomas are both stunning and safe, so we had no trouble keeping Alex and Dani entertained here with pedalo boat rides and paddling in the warm sea, and a nearby go-karting track and waterpark really sealed the deal. But would the fishing trip be a winner? The island’s been a firm favourite with carp anglers since the late-1950s, when the fish were introduced into its reservoirs by the local council to chomp on the aquatic weed that was causing a mosquito problem. But little did they know 66 THOMAS COOK TRAVEL ”I WASN'T EXPECTING TO BE SITTING AROUND MOST OF THE TIME BUT ALTHOUGH I LOVE THE BEACH, IT WAS GREAT TO BREATHE IN SOME MOUNTAIN AIR.“ Dani A REEL GOOD TIME: ALEX (NINE) AND DANI (12 GET HOOKED ON FISHING that their underwater lawnmowers would start breeding and thrive in population – which David estimates to be in the thousands – making it the most prolific reservoir on the island for fishing. The drive up had taken us from sandy beaches through to the rural village of Fataga, where the cobbled streets are a maze of unexpected activity and the Barranco de Fataga, a ravine as verdant as a Welsh valley. Only we weren’t expecting the weather to be quite so Welsh. Back at Lolita’s Bar Vista, David, Derek and I lament the end of our day trip over a beer, while the children happily play with some of the local kids. It’s that sort of a place where the informal hasta luego (‘see you later’) is used in preference to the more final adios – despite the fact you may well never see these people again in your lives. The short outburst of rain has baffled one of our fellow anglers for the day, another Dave, a paper salesman from Dublin. “I’ve been on around 15 day trips and it’s never rained once,” he tells me. “It’s a glorious place to fish, though, isn’t it?” I can’t help but agree, especially as the mist on the water gives the area a certain Celtic magic. It’s one of the first things you notice about Presa de Chira: it’s not the Gran Canaria you expect. If the sand dunes of Maspalomas are akin to the Sahara, then Presa de Chira is close to the Alpine wilderness in summer, minus the snow-capped mountains. Even if you don’t see yourself as a keen fisher – though Carp Gran Canaria caters for absolute beginners as well as more professional anglers – it’s a refreshing day trip for any family holiday to the island.
THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM HERE: TOOLS OF THE TRADE; EXPLORING THE ISLAND’S VERDANT SIDE; SPECIAL TIGER NUT FISH BAIT; SEA AND SUN IS GUARANTEED BY THE COAST 67
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