Join the Pilgrimage along Brother Peter's Way

Church of San Pedro, Vilaflor.Anyone who's up for a nice little downhill stroll, should mark Saturday, April 19th, 2008 in their diary, which is the date of the III Ruta del Camino del Hermano Pedro, the 3rd edition of the now annual pilgrimage down the Camino del Hermano Pedro (Brother Peter's Way): the route that was taken by the Tenerife born Saint, Hermano Pedro de San José Betancurt, when he made his way from his native village of Vilaflor (Tenerife's highest village, up in the mountains), down to his cave near the coast at El Médano.

Statue of Hermano Pedro in the village of Vilaflor.Last year, apparently around 1,000 people took part in the guided walk, which began at 7 a.m. from the center of Vilaflor, to reach the cave, which is now a shrine dedicated to the saint, at around 1 p.m.

Starting at an altitude of around 1,400 meters, the route descends to the cave, at a mere 64 m / 209 ft above sea level, by the Tenerife South Airport.

The Hotel Spa Villalba, which is in Vilaflor, is listed as being 14.4 km (about 9 miles) from the airport - as the crow files. Don't forget that not even main roads go in straight lines here! Your mileage may vary, but the walking distance will be longer.

Hermano Pedro's cave is on land owned by the Spanish Airports Authority, AENA and, is right next to the end of the airport runway. (Location) Jack Montgomery informs me, that there are landing lights right by it too!

Hermano Pedro, of course, did the route regularly with his goats and, walked across Central America to La Antigua, Guatemala, where he liv ed and died, is buried, illuminates and, if not landing lights, keeps the candle industry going.

This video, by José Juan Cano Delgado, geographer at the University of La Laguna, condenses the 6 hour walk down to just over 3 minutes, but it gives you a good idea of the terrain and the contrasts in scenery along the way.

Maybe faith does help keep people going until the end, but I doubt it is entirely necessary to enjoy the exercise, the convivial company and the landscape.

And as this article by José Juan Cano Delgado points out, the Camino del Hermano Pedro is, by far, not the only one of these traditional old footpaths or rights of way on the island. He lists numerous others and suggests the possibility of rediscovering the south of Tenerife along these routes, if the authorities and, above all, local population work to conserve them (and visitors use them.)