This 11.9-kilometre itinerary departs from Las Rosas, more specifically from the dam of the namesake reservoir, and goes forward among stands of laurel, fayal-brezal and formations of Canary Phoenician Junipers, going through the important town of Vallehermoso, connecting point with the Peaks of La Gomera Nature Trail, and around the Roque Cano to finish in the Chorros de Epina, whose fountain has prompted plenty of myths and legends.
Stage 3.1 is signalled in accordance with the rest of the trail, but with no kilometre marks, as it is considered an alternative variant to the main itinerary of the Shores of La Gomera Nature Trail. It departs from kilometre 35,6 of stage 2, next to the western buttress of the dam of Las Rosas (or El Garabato), near the namesake population centre, by taking the road known as calle Cruz de Tierno in the existing fork. This stretch is shared with motor traffic.
A few metres later, the itinerary branches off to the right through a paved track. Always going up and after winding through the road, the trail continues through a dirt track. After negotiating some steps, the traveller goes into a dense fayal-brezal with small stands of laurel.
The trail follows now a paved track known as calle del Teón, and after passing a house the Roque Cano can be sighted for the first time. Continuing the descent, the right branch through asphalt is taken and, a few metres after, a wide dirt track also to the right is taken.
The route goes through forest masses represented by typical species of laurel, mixed with fayal-brezal formations, and goes down passing a viewpoint and a small altar, to later take a narrow path to the right.
The descent lets the traveller sight the town of Vallehermoso, the Canary Phoenician Juniper (Juniperus phoenicea var. canariensis) gaining ground as the altitude decreases. The traveller gets even closer to the Roque Cano, which is declared as a Natural Monument.
Winding down the mountainside, a little detour gives the traveller the possibility of enjoying a beautiful panoramic view of Vallehermoso from the viewpoint of La Pilarica. Back on the route, and now in asphalt, the traveller goes through Vallehermoso; first, through calle Amador, then calle Morera, where a left detour must be taken, which goes down the stairs towards the gully of Ingenio, with its banana crops in the middle of the town centre.
The GM-1 road is taken until plaza de la Constitución, crossing point with stage 3 of the Peaks of La Gomera Nature Trail and with its branch connecting Vallehermoso’s town centre and beach. Leaving the square through calle Mayor, a narrow alley must be followed to the left, leading to road CV-6, towards Epina.
Once the road is crossed, a new staggered stretch ascending between the houses on the mountainside begins. After going around the last building, the trail turns left and the concrete surface gives way to a quite sloping dirt path, which goes up through the Lomo de los Cochinos, offering in a few metres a beautiful view of the Roquillos Mountain, between the Charco Cliffs and the fertile gully of Era Nueva, where numerous potato, millet or vine crops traditionally existed, now reduced to small family vegetable gardens.
The trail also displays a good panoramic view of the rural areas of Los Bellos and Macayo, located in a valley crowned by the impressing volcanic tip of the Roque Cano, which is little by little left behind by the hiker. Surrounded by a landscape of immense beauty, the traveller reaches an area of whitish rock crests and eroded soil, which evince the age of the lands where it is settled, belonging to the basal complex which predominates in this northern area of the island.
The trail continues going up the mountain mostly through the dividing line, offering alternate views of both sides, letting the traveller contemplate the beauty of the woods of Canary Phoenician Junipers (Juniperus phoenicea var. canariensis), which speck the mountainsides of these areas with their round appearance, out of the influence of trade winds.
As the route advances and keeps gaining altitude, the influence of these winds increases and allows for the existence of laurel, which little by little starts appearing as the hiker keeps walking, until it becomes a dense forest with plenty of heather (Erica arborea), beech (Myrica faya), small-leaved holly (Ilex canariensis) and scrubs such as Canary Islands St. John’s wort (Hypericum canariense) or La Gomera’s bugloss (Echium acanthocarpum).
Already in Montaña Blanca, a little branch appears to the left and 200 mlater, after passing a small group of river red gums (Eucaliptus camaldulensis), the trail leads into a paved track. In this point, the traveller must head left, going along a stretch shared with vehicles for almost 1,200 m; first through the paved track for around 250 m and later walking along road CV-16 to the left towards Arure.
When reaching the intersection with CV-6, the traveller must head right towards Taguluche and pass by a bar next to the road, in the area known as el Bailadero, where a directional sign post indicates that the trail branches off to the right heading towards the Chorros de Epina, final point of this stage, where the trail is connected with stage 3 (from Vallehermoso Beach to Alojera). From here, the traveller may choose to head towards Vallehermoso Beach through the hermitage of Santa Clara and Chijeré or to continue towards Alojera.
Chorros de Epina is the name of a fountain, located some hundred metres from the town of Epina, consisting of seven pipes through which water flows. This water is believed to have curative properties, according to popular tradition. It is also believed that whoever drinks from it will benefit from fortune and love.
There was a time when it was believed that water from this fountain was miraculous and, among its powers, it was attributed that it figured out the secrets of destiny and showed the path of love. You just had to look at yourself in this prodigious liquid and, if the water remained calm and clear, it meant that love would come soon bringing happiness along. However, if you looked at yourself and the reflection got obscured, it was a sign of disgrace and heartbreak.
Another tradition has it that in order to benefit from the powers of water and achieve the desired love, one must drink from left to right, men from the odd pipes and women from the even ones. One last myth of the many surrounding this fountain claims that the two first pipes correspond to health, the next two to love and the remaining two to fortune. Pipe number seven is the one from which witches drink.
The Roque Cano Natural Monument is a phonolitic tip rising above one of the mountainsides surrounding the urban area of Vallehermoso. This unique mass is already part of the image and history of the town; hence it is a highlighted motif in the municipal coat of arms.
The roque’s presence is the product of erosion, which has worn away the softest rocks covering it, leaving the hardened lava that went up the old volcano’s pipe in the surface.
What makes this roque impressive is that it has become a distinguished element of the landscape, as it’s a very characteristic geomorphological structure. Its walls are covered by an excellent sample of rupicolous vegetation (characteristic of rocky areas), with a high endemic biodiversity, in which rare and endangered species can be found, such as the daisy (Argyranthemum caltichrysum) or the senecio gomero (Senecio hermosae), some of these species being protected by national and international regulations.