# El Hierro Geopark



## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

For those that are interested, the island where we live has just recently become a Geopark, the video below tells the story


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Hepa said:


> For those that are interested, the island where we live has just recently become a Geopark, the video below tells the storyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP4U97idAgw


You live in a wonderful place Hepa!


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## nacatton (Feb 5, 2015)

*It looks wonderful!*



Hepa said:


> For those that are interested, the island where we live has just recently become a Geopark, the video below tells the story


Hello Hepa.

I'm also from England but half Canarian on my mother's side, from Tenerife. I'm approaching 30 and I am interested in the idea of moving there. Im doing some homework on the different islands. I love areas of Tenerife but in many ways it is overcrowded - perhaps too much so especially as time goes on. My uncles in Tenerife think I would like El Hierro. I'm interested in getting a piece of land and ideally living on it, in Cuarto de Aperos as big as I could make one. Having a small agricultural project and perhaps some sort of work shop where I could do some wood carving to sell to the walking tourists. 

Is there any information you could offer to shed some light on what life might be like there for a young guy?

How expensive is water?
My cousins tell me 'nothing' happened there and i'll get bored. Is there a young crowd at all? 

Any thoughts on my plan would be great! 

Thankyou


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Hello Nacatton,

Young, middle aged, old git like me, El Hierro is a wonderful place to live, if you have an income and if you have health care.

There are young people, and there is entertainment for them, discos, trendy bars etc. especially in the summer months, unfortunately we have high unemployment, 37% and many, mainly the young have left the island to find work elsewhere, we believe we have lost 25% of our once 11,500 population.

Water, we use quite an amount for the gardens that we have, it falls as rain, and is collected from our roofs, into two huge aljibes, where it is stored, and when we need the water I use a petrol driven water pump to transfer 4000 litres at a time into various tanks situated around the gardens. Many older properties, like ours, have similar systems. We also have piped water from the, Ayuntamiento, for household use, this costs us, two people, nine to sixteen Euros quarterly. Our drinking water is free, we obtain this from Pozo de Padron in Frontera.

Your idea is interesting, it might work, but it is a big step to take, come and have a look, do a fact finding mission.

The advantages of the island are, crime is almost unheard of, people smile, the young still respect their elders, the tourist boom passed us by, El Hierro is almost unspoiled. There are only four English residents on the island, plus one that is about to become a resident. Hardly anyone can or will speak English.

The disadvantages, no Pork Pies , we are somewhat isolated, we need more quality tourists, but the flights and ferry costs are so expensive for none residents, they just do not arrive in sufficient numbers.


When we get bored we catch a 45 minute flight to Gran Canaria and visit Las Palmas, or the volcano erupts and the earth tremors make the house shake.

Big decision, only you can make,

Hepa


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Hepa, what a beautiful and educational video. Perhaps you can add that to your signature, along with your personal photos? Just a suggestion.

So were you and your wife there during the earthquakes and underwater volcanic eruption in 2011 that they speak about in the video?


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

AllHeart said:


> Hepa, what a beautiful and educational video. Perhaps you can add that to your signature, along with your personal photos? Just a suggestion.
> 
> So were you and your wife there during the earthquakes and underwater volcanic eruption in 2011 that they speak about in the video?


We were here, feeling the house shake, watching the volcano from above, and assisting with the English speaking tourists, that were evacuated from La Restinga.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Hepa said:


> We were here, feeling the house shake, watching the volcano from above, and assisting with the English speaking tourists, that were evacuated from La Restinga.


Wow. I would have been really scared. Lovely to hear how your communities pulled together in the crisis. That's what a healthy community does.  Did anyone get hurt?


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

AllHeart said:


> Wow. I would have been really scared. Lovely to hear how your communities pulled together in the crisis. That's what a healthy community does.  Did anyone get hurt?


No, no injuries, it very quickly became the norm, quite interesting watching the pyroclasts, erupt from the Ocean. have a look at the link below, my Argentinian friend Gelmet, took most of the photos

IGN FOTOS El Hierro


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Hepa said:


> No, no injuries, it very quickly became the norm, quite interesting watching the pyroclasts, erupt from the Ocean. have a look at the link below, my Argentinian friend Gelmet, took most of the photos
> 
> IGN FOTOS El Hierro


Good to hear that no one was hurt.

I can't imagine what that memory is like for you, having been there and seeing this. I didn't look at the videos, because they were downloading, and I don't feel comfortable downloading. However, I looked at all the pics. What splendid photography! Could you please thank Gelmet for me, for making me smile.


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## Gareth54 (Nov 8, 2014)

Only one house for sale on the Island and at 575 K a bit out of my price range (Kyero) Enjoyed the video, thankyou


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Gareth54 said:


> Only one house for sale on the Island and at 575 K a bit out of my price range (Kyero) Enjoyed the video, thankyou


There are plenty for sale, far cheaper, but no buyers


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## nacatton (Feb 5, 2015)

*Thanks*



Hepa said:


> Hello Nacatton,
> 
> Young, middle aged, old git like me, El Hierro is a wonderful place to live, if you have an income and if you have health care.
> 
> ...


Thanks Hepa.

Thats a really decent break down of things. I appreciate it. Its definitely going to take a visit of course. 

I have spent lots of time on Tenerife. I have family etc so thats a plus but something about an island being less populated, behind the times, low crime and still having more traditional values all appeals to me. There is of course the reality though which might be different! Only way is to visit and its a while before I can do that.

On the off chance - do you know if basketball is played at all there? 

In terms of collecting rain water, does the rainfall vary much over the island? I know the south of all of the islands is drier, but I also know when it rains - it RAINS! With a decent catchment system i'd be curious as to what one could expect depending on the region. I saw some land in el Pinar. The area looks dry but beautiful, and affordable. 

No problem if you can't answer these questions. I'm sure i'll get in touch when I make it over!

Muchas gracias


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

nacatton said:


> Thanks Hepa.
> 
> Thats a really decent break down of things. I appreciate it. Its definitely going to take a visit of course.
> 
> ...


El Pinar is hot in summer and cold in winter, is is drier in the south. I don't know about basketball.

There has been a population count, we were 11,500 we are now thought to be 6,800.


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## nacatton (Feb 5, 2015)

*reply*



Hepa said:


> El Pinar is hot in summer and cold in winter, is is drier in the south. I don't know about basketball.
> 
> There has been a population count, we were 11,500 we are now thought to be 6,800.


Interesting. Good to know about the temperature drop.

Wow, thats some drop in population. My uncle said that at one point a few years back the population almost doubled when Venezuelan el Hierrians repatriate. 

I hope there is a steadier future for the people there.


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## Sun11 (Feb 15, 2015)

Hello, Las Palmas looks interesting to me, can you please answer to some questions?

- Whats the situation with internet? there are 100mb lines? cable or fiber?
- Is difficult to buy a piece of land? Not necessary in the city, around or relative close to town. I've been checking some houses, and some of them are over priced, and I was thinking of possibility to buy just land and build a house with a local construction company (I hope there is any around).
- Considering the clime, will a Caribbean house stile make it over winter?


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Sun11 said:


> Hello, Las Palmas looks interesting to me, can you please answer to some questions?
> 
> - Whats the situation with internet? there are 100mb lines? cable or fiber?
> - Is difficult to buy a piece of land? Not necessary in the city, around or relative close to town. I've been checking some houses, and some of them are over priced, and I was thinking of possibility to buy just land and build a house with a local construction company (I hope there is any around).
> - Considering the clime, will a Caribbean house stile make it over winter?


I cannot help much with Las Palmas de G.C. I do not live there, I live on a different island, I only visit Gran Canaria maybe twice a year.


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## nacatton (Feb 5, 2015)

*building*



Sun11 said:


> Hello, Las Palmas looks interesting to me, can you please answer to some questions?
> 
> - Whats the situation with internet? there are 100mb lines? cable or fiber?
> - Is difficult to buy a piece of land? Not necessary in the city, around or relative close to town. I've been checking some houses, and some of them are over priced, and I was thinking of possibility to buy just land and build a house with a local construction company (I hope there is any around).
> - Considering the clime, will a Caribbean house stile make it over winter?


Hi. it sounds like you're wanting to do something similar to myself. The broad details i can tell you are

- there are two (maybe three) classifications of land. Rustico and Urbano - You can only build a house on Urbano, and naturally the price shoots up. You can usually build a 'curato de aperos' on Rustic land, this is a small room for keeping your tools etc. the size of the room is relevant to the size of the land. Many people add on to the building year by year illegally and end up with something bigger but there is no guarantees. I think if you have Rustico land over 10,000 m2 there is a chance you can build a house, but theres applications to do etc.

- I don't know what a caribbean style house is, but I do know the building permit side of things can be quite strict. Spain is full of bureaucracy for this sort of thing. for example I think tile roofs are a must..

I hope that helps give an idea of things to consider when you're looking


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## Sun11 (Feb 15, 2015)

Well, I am researching

I've seen superb prefabricated houses at key, with 100 euro/square meter, and with everything included will cost somewhere 15k-30k on house. And the final product looks almost the same like a luxury villa. Honestly is tempting if the land is affordable. Instead buying some one house, not with best design, and overpriced, I can get one of those. The assembly is less that a week

I got the idea of rustico/urbano, thanks for advices


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## nacatton (Feb 5, 2015)

*Soon to buy?*

Good day, Hepa.

Things have moved a long a little on my end. It looks like I may be coming to the island mid May to look at a little property between Echedo and Mocinal. Do you have any insight to share on that area?

Also Do you know of any good resources where I can find out about the buying process? I believe I may need an NIE. Any information on how to best go about things in El Hierro for a UK citizen would be greatly appreciated. 

Many thanks!


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Between Echedo and Mocanal it is a rural area. Make sure the property is legal, there are a few that are not.

You might be better renting for a start, this island does not suit everyone and almost half the population have left.

Yes I believe you will need an NIE, the office is next to the Guardia Civil and called Delegation, in Valverde on Avenida Dacio Darias.


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## nacatton (Feb 5, 2015)

Thanks for the info.


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## nacatton (Feb 5, 2015)

*legal?*



Hepa said:


> Between Echedo and Mocanal it is a rural area. Make sure the property is legal, there are a few that are not.
> 
> You might be better renting for a start, this island does not suit everyone and almost half the population have left.
> 
> Yes I believe you will need an NIE, the office is next to the Guardia Civil and called Delegation, in Valverde on Avenida Dacio Darias.


When you say. 'Make sure the property is legal' what do you mean exactly. Do you mean a public sale as opposed to a private sale?


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

nacatton said:


> When you say. 'Make sure the property is legal' what do you mean exactly. Do you mean a public sale as opposed to a private sale?


There are many here that have been built without planning permission, or permission has been obtained for a stable, but the building ends up with four bedrooms bathroom and outside terrace.

You may find Jose Alvaro Quintero Padron, tel 620143370, of use when buying, selling, surveying, and all other things to do with property. He resides and is a native of the island.


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