Chorros de Épina

Chorros de Épina is a natural spring in the north-west of La Gomera, set in monteverde laurel forest. Spring water runs from seven spouts of heather wood set into the wall of the fountain. Local tradition links the water with purity and love and credits it with mythical properties, and that story is as much part of the appeal as the damp woodland around it. There is a picnic area and a restaurant beside the site, so a stop here can be stretched well beyond the few minutes the fountain itself takes.

The spring is reached from the GM-1 road at the hamlet of Épina, where there is parking, and a short visit needs no walking at all. For those who do want to walk, it is the start or a waypoint of several trails: the crossing from Chorros de Épina to Playa de Vallehermoso, about four hours at medium difficulty, passing El Bailadero, the ermita de Santa Clara and the abandoned hamlet of Chijeré, and the route towards Arure, roughly three hours. Those walks call for proper footwear, water and enough daylight.