High on the dusty, sun-baked sierras Pedro's whistle barrelled and echoed off the forest-covered hillside.

He was aiming the deep, resonant notes through cupped hands at a tiny, white blob of a cottage in the hazy mid-distance across the valley.

For the uninitiated, whistling is the mystical centuries-old language of La Gomera, the least known island of the Canaries archipelago.

A thousand decades before mobile phones, whistling was the only way locals scattered across this little-known holiday destination could natter with each other.

And today, although it is done more to entertain tourists, Pedro and his sun-bleached friends still keep this extraordinary musical banter alive.

So just what was the important message? "I am asking my friend if he coming to join us for a drink," he explained.

Sure enough, seconds later, a series of whistles, high-pitched and low, rolled up the hillside. "He says he wants a gin and tonic!" said Pedro, with a smile.

Away from its unique language, package tourists have until recently sidelined La Gomera, prefer-ring instead the neon and beach breaks of neigh-bouring Tenerife.

But UK holidaymakers with a taste for adventure are planting their feet on the island with the aptly-named Sherpa Holidays, a specialist walking tour operator.

They offer a self-guided Round The Island Walk, which traverses rugged terrain taking in volcanic landscapes, mountains and even a rare cloud forest. And it's the island's lush, vivid greenery which marks it out from the arid, inhospitable, landscapes of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Tenerife.

I joined a steady trickle of travellers heading to the island by ferry from the fishing port of Los Cristianos, just a short sea journey away.

Our arrival is dominated by towering peaks and crags, whose dark, jagged edges are only softened by the luminous rich vegetation.

It is a scene that has changed little from when Christopher Columbus made landfall here for supplies and water on his legendary voyage to discover the Americas.

He dropped anchor in the bay that fronts San Sebastian, the island's capital, which stands on one of the few pieces of flat land.

But apart from a fiesta once a year, the islanders have a low-key, laid back approach to their sea-conquering hero.

And even they are wrapped in legend and hidden down narrow side streets behind anonymous, white-washed walls of small houses.

I visited the 15th century church where Columbus is believed to have said his last prayers before his epic voyage.

And I strolled through the hushed timbered halls of the Casa del Colon, or Columbus House, where he is said to have lodged during his time on the island. Both are deliberately understated and, without the help of a guidebook, I would not have known they were there.

However, there are some real facts surrounding the imposing stone Count's Tower, Torre del Conde, that dominates the harbourside park.

The tower itself dates back to 1447, and is the oldest building in continuous use in the whole of the Canaries.

The squat red and white brick fortress has had a chequered history and was, during one era, the home of a countess whose repressive husband, the Count of Gomera, was murdered by the locals.

The Countess Beatriz de Bombadilla took refuge in the tower and she befriended Columbus. Later, fittingly, the tower became a storehouse for gold, silver and treasured looted from American Indians on its long return journey to Spain.

Away from the walking, I enjoyed travelling by coach to some of the least accessible villages and valleys hidden in the mountains.

But be warned: the roads themselves are frighteningly narrow with almost impossible hairpin bends. There can be some heart-stopping moments as you stare down, almost vertically, to the valley floor far below.

However, the coach drivers seem capable of spinning their lumbering vehicles along hillsides and over gorges where even eagles may not dare to fly.

Along with the obligatory ice-cold beers at little roadside stops, my party was offered a lump of unassuming cheese. But boy, oh boy, was I in for a surprise The cheese, a local delicacy, had been mixed with fresh garlic and it was so strong my fiery breath could have stripped paint at a hundred paces! No wonder the locals whistle to each other from a distance.

Fact File

Ken Bennett flew to the Tenerife South as a guest of Monarch Scheduled, which has daily, low-cost direct flights from Manchester.

Monarch offers a complimentary in-flight package including a hot meal, drinks, and use of entertainment equipment, hot towels and newspapers. Flying time is about four hours, 20 minutes.

For latest prices and on-line discounts, click on: www.flymonarch.com or call: 08700-406-300.

He travelled to La Gomera on Fred Olsen ferries, which can be contacted on: 0034-922-688200, or click on: http://reservas.fredolsen.es or email: reservas.fredolsen.es Sherpa Walking Holidays has an eight-day May break, excluding half term, priced at £710-a-head, with return flights from London Gatwick to Tenerife South. The twin-share price includes seven nights B&B, four evening meals, three lunches and detailed route maps and notes. The onward ferry to the island is extra and payable locally.

For reservations ring: 0208-577-2717 or click on: www.sherpa-walking-holidays.co.uk.