The catwalk, which would unfold over spectacular views of the historic center of Garachico and Isla Baja, would fulfill the function of a new attraction, which will be completed with the provision of a parking area and some access system for people with reduced mobility and goods.
Esther morales He explains that “various options are considered” to solve access difficulties, such as an elevator that, in the style of a funicular, allows access from the street to the viewpoint, saving the winding cobbled path.
The three main problems of the La Atalaya viewpoint are remoteness, accessibility and lack of parking. To get to La Atalaya from Garachico it is necessary to drive for almost nine kilometers along the winding and deteriorated TF-421 road, the ascent of The crosses, or take a great detour of almost eight miles Icod de los Vinos, San Juan del Reparo and El Tanque. When you get to La Atalaya street, which is narrow and with no exit, there is not even a reserved parking space to go to the viewpoint, which is only accessible on foot after go down about 150 meters down a path not suitable for wheelchairs, baby carriages or people with reduced mobility.
The northern municipality has invested almost 50,000 euros in the drafting of the technical project
This new project aims to eliminate two of those three problems: accessibility and parking. Regarding the distance, it is intended to compensate with the attractiveness that the catwalk will exert, as it happens in the aforementioned viewpoint of Agulo. After the refusal of some of the owners of the closest land, the Consistory is working on the acquisition of land annexed to the TF-421. In the event that they were very far away, the alternative of offering a transport service between the parking lot and the viewpoint is considered, in the style of the closed Sunset 290, in La Orotava.
«We want the viewpoint to become a pole of attraction, so that people are willing to come to this corner of the Island, something that will benefit The tank, but also to the rest of the region, “says the mayor. Next to El Tanque ecomuseum and the reopened viewpoint of Lomo Molino, the viewpoint of La Atalaya would aspire to become, 20 years later, an attraction for tourism.
The viewpoint of La Atalaya It offers some of the best views of the historic center of Garachico, the Roque and the coast of Isla Baja. It is a wonderful balcony over the Atlantic Ocean, equipped with a photogenic wooden platform that allows you to enjoy an environment of great beauty and ethnographic value, as it is located in some old laundry rooms. It is a place of great beauty, built with good materials and services, but it cost 400,000 euros of public money and it has already completed 19 years with its facilities closed.
The former mayor of El Tanque Román Martín announced in 2013 that it would transform it into the first municipal rural hostel and that it would be ready before 2014. That idea was discarded very soon and it is implemented in the Mazapé viewpoint, in San Juan de la Rambla, which had better conditions for that use. The last time someone raised the possibility of putting this gazebo-cafeteria into service was in January 2017. Román Martín announced that the gazebo would open its doors “for the first time after 15 years of waiting,” but it did not come true either. The current project, entrusted to Gestur for almost 50,000 euros, it is the last hope for La Atalaya.
Almost 20 years of closure
The cafeteria at the La Atalaya viewpoint will be closed for 20 years in 2022. The entire installation cost around 400,000 euros and, despite the fact that the City Council has tried on several occasions, the business has never been awarded. They even considered converting it into a shelter for hikers. The project entrusted to Gesplan aims to improve its attractiveness and give it viability and accessibility.
