Battle has raged in Santa Cruz this weekend, bodies have been battered and bruised, and screams of horror and anguish have rung out as the brightly coloured spoils of war are worn with pride. Anyway, that’s enough about the women at the sales that are under way in the capital, it’s also been the biggest celebration yet of Tenerife’s defeat of the British Navy under Admiral Nelson on July 25 1797.

I went up early on Saturday to take in the big parade and then move on to the Spanish Athletics Championships in Tincer, but reading the paper on the bus, I discovered it was a complete sell out, one hurdle I didn’t see coming. Never mind, the reports of Fridays re-enactment of Nelsons forces landing at Castillo San Juan, next to the auditorium, whet my appetite for the big parade from Plaza del General Weyler (from the Spanish Civil War) , down the Calle del Castillo towards the Plaza de España and the seafront.

The massed ranks of British and Spanish forces arrived at 11.30, right on time, well 211 years late if you want to be picky, and stood easy for countless photo opportunities. I got to speak to some Brits taking part “Rommels Raiders” these lucky chaps get to travel all over the world portraying battles from various ages of British history, and were delighted to be invited to share in La Gesta (an epic achievement). Captain ( Sir Thomas ) Troubridge, looked replendent in his black tunic and white trousers, even if he did have an uncanny resemblence to Stephen Fry. On this occaision he was happy to pose with the “enemy” but all those years ago he took over from Nelson, after the great leader had been blasted in the right elbow by grapeshot from a canon as he came ashore. 

After a while, the drum rolls summoned the forces together, more than a few had found there way into local bars, and they set off down the Calle with great pomp and style. Reaching the Plaza de la Candelaria, they lined up for inspection by their leaders and speeches were made. The Spanish governor of Tenerife in 1797, Juan Antonio Gutierrez, looking triumphant in his braided hat with white wig and gold cane, congratulated his men on their bravery. The British spokesman, amused the British tourists in the crowd by announcing “we struggled yesterday, but I still think we can win this, and think of the prize money”.

There was a lot of shared language among the rival performers, and some good spirited banter. It’s amazing to think that even after the 226 deaths in the failed attack, Nelson and Gutierrez had such a mutual respect for each other, they swapped gifts and Nelson was invited to dine with the Governor, and Nelsons name is not hated as you might expect, but grudgingly admired to this day. The massed forces set off to the seafront, past the Cabildo (Tenerife government) headquarters, where the flags of Spain, Tenerife and The Canaries fluttered proudly in the breeze. Tonight there will be much dancing and of course fireworks - and maybe even the odd flagon of ale or Tenerife wine.

So there I am towering over Tenerife Sur airport, dwarfing Santa Cruz and looking down on Mount Teide, was it too much cheese for supper?  No, I’m just visiting Pueble Chico, the miniature version of Tenerife at La Orotava, just outside Puerto de la Cruz.

It was definately time for a day up north, so catching the early 343 bus to Puerto de la Cruz ( 6.25 euros with a Bono ticket ) I linked to the free hourly coach to Pueblo Chico from Avenida Venezuela, just behind the Playa and Lago Martianez. Ten minutes later, and 8.50 € lighter (12.50 € non residents) I was passing through the volcanic lunar landscape model and facing a mini hillside dotted with the early Guanche tribesmen of Tenerife. This was just the first of 53 model areas, covering not just Tenerife but also key points of the other Canary Islands.

The models are meticulous in design and sound effects help to enhance the illusion. Tenerife Sur airport comes complete with passenger tannoy announcements and the motorway rumbles with traffic noise. La Orotava valley is an amazing backdrop to the parkand the plants and flowers lining the walkways contrast well with the iconic buildings such as the Santa Cruz auditorium, church of the Conception tower and the Cabildo offices. Nature may also provide you with some unexpected photos as the large lizards that live around the park, dart across the airport runway or scuttle by tiny Guanche figures, like a scene from a sci fi B movie.

The compact arrangement of the models throws up some rare photo opportunities as Corte Ingles rubs shoulders with a Fred Olsen ferry and the auditorium, and the airport runway heads towards the wind park turbines. The park moves with the times, and the tram now glides around La Laguna, passing areas it doesn’t reach in the full size world. A few years ago they added a scale model of Mount Teide, and if you get your camera angle right, you can snap it with the real peak in the distant background. The model Teide is hollow and you can normally go inside but a cleaning lady was busy inside today - maybe it was Mother Nature? I kept thinking of Michael Bentine and what fun he could have had on Potty Time with such a vast playground.

The pathways lead inevitably up to the shop, cafe and restaurant at the end, I spent about 90 minutes exploring the models, that might give you some idea of where to fit it in your schedule. It’s certainly interesting and kids will be fascinated, but it’s definately look don’t touch. As for prices, adult rates start at 12 years old, which seems a bit harsh, and kids prices are 8.50 euros or 5 euros for residents. The park is open 9am to 7pm, more details on the website.

With plenty of time in hand, I caught the Titsa bus into the centre of La Orotava for a bit of exploring. On my last visit I got as far as the Plaza de la Constitution, so this time I headed on upward into the old town, and was so glad I did. The tourist guide boast is that the town centre is one of the few in the Canaries that is preserved intact, how right they are. There are historic plazas, houses, churches and museums every few yards, all clearly maked with plaques giving their history. The narrow streets are seperated from the roads with ornate bollards linked with chains and interspersed with flowers and seats, all very neat and stylish.

I ventured up as far as the flower garden of Plaza de San Francisco and popped into the Casa de Turista and the Casa de los Balcones. These last 2 old houses are on different sides of the street and both have the old wooden overhanging balconies that are famous in the Canary Islands, the Casa de los Balcones has 3 floors of the balconies looking down over a plant filled courtyard. History oozes from every step of the old town, and thats on an ordinary day, a month ago the annual flower and sand carpets added another dimension to the plazas and public areas.

I didn’t have time to do justice to the wine route further on in La Perdoma village, so that will have to wait for another day. Retracing my steps, I stopped off for some tapas and coffee before catching the bus back to Puerto de la Cruz and on to Los Cristianos. My next visit to La Orotava may not be quite so cultural, as CD Tenerife play a friendly there in 3 weeks at the ground on the other side of town, but i will be back this way, with my sights set on the wine tasting.

Admiral Nelson has gone down in history as England’s greatest naval hero, but he tasted defeat here in Tenerife on July 25 1797, and when coming ashore in Santa Cruz, his right elbow was shattered by fire from the Tiger canon.

Partly due to his reputation as a great naval commander, and partly due a very civilised surrender, Nelson is held in high esteem in Santa Cruz, you will find the road Calle Horacio Nelson near the old bull ring. The victory of the Santa Cruz defending forces is a great source of pride among the locals and a group called Tertulia Del 25 de Julio, have got the council to adopt their latest plan to commemorate the battle. By the 2009 anniversary, 14 stone plaques will be placed at various points of resistance along a 2 km route near the shore of the capital city.

It starts at the Castillo de San Juan (above) the small castle that stands in the shadow of the ultra modern, hook nosed  Auditorium. Some of the defensive positions have long since been built over, one plaque will be at a small side street beside the Cabildo (government) building, just past the Torre de Concepcion. One key point about to be re-discovered is the Castillo San Cristobal, the ruins are under the Plaza de España, and the public will soon be able to pop down and see them. The bateria de Santiago is one of the most visual points, just to the east of the ferry port, and is marked by an impressive statue at the junction of 2 main roads.

The route ends a little further east and inland, in Anaga, near the Military Museum of the Canary Islands. The museum is open from 10 am till 2 pm Tuesday to Saturday and entry is FREE. As well as more modern warfare history, it houses the famous Tigre canon that stopped Nelson in his tracks. If his comrades hadn’t staunched the blood flow with makeshift bandages, Nelson would have died very quickly rather than just lost his arm.

in the museum they also have a large model layout of the Santa Cruz coast as Nelsons fleet attacked, and a commentary tells you how the battle unfolded. I found this very interesting as I bought a biography of Nelson on a recent trip to the UK. It was written by the poet laureate Robert Southey, a few years after Nelsons death. It was reassuring to see the commentary match the book version, not because I doubted the Canarian view of history, but because Southey comes across as totally in awe of Nelson, as many were, and talks about him in such glowing terms, I thought he might have made a few embellishments.

The surrender in Santa Cruz was pretty amazing, the British suffered 226 deaths and when posting his terms of surrender, Nelson stated that if they weren’t accepted, he would, with regret, burn Santa Cruz to the ground. The Spanish governor Jaun Antonio Gutierrez accepted the terms and his troops helped to ferry the wounded back to British ships, while Nelson swore that he would not trouble any of the Canary islands again. A stone carving of the agreement and busts of Nelson and Gutierrez are in a big glass display case down near the ferry port, but the glass is dirty and cracked and the monument neglected - is that any way to treat 2 men of such honour? There was a huge mutal respect between the 2 men, Nelson sent a barrel of beer to Gutierrez and the governor sent back some finest Canarian wine. It’s a myth that Nelson handed over a Scottish flag on surrender, and that it became the Tenerife flag, the saltyre cross refers more to St Andrew, who was also the saint of wine, you can find a Tenerife flag that pre dates the battle, in the military museum.

There are re-enactment events planned for July 25 in Santa Cruz, so look out for them and I will try to bring you further news of times and places. 

Several long running stories in Santa Cruz have sparked into life, so today was high time I headed up to the capital of Tenerife to check it out. With CD Tenerife taking a summer breather, it’s been a good few weeks since my last visit, so with the north also basking in the heat, I took the 110 direct bus for a one hour, 3.90 euro bono ticket price trip. Changing straight onto the tram, the bono registered a free ride.

Getting off at La Paz and turning into Rambla del General Franco, I passed the old bull ring, see inside here ,one of the reasons for my trip. It’s still proud and peeling and awaiting its fate, which could be decided in the Garcia Sanabria park, a little further on. Santa Cruz council invited local architects to submit plans for the redeveloment of the Plaza de Torros and this Friday, Saturday and Sunday they are on display in the park. I hoped there might be a few entries, but it was a nice surprise to see 35 sets of plans. These were not just your basic technical drawings, but computerised colour mock ups from several angles.

Thankfully, most of them want to keep at least some of the facade of this iconic building, with designs ranging from inspired to “carbuncles” as HRH Charlie would call them, one even looked like the elephant house at London Zoo. All legal residents are allowed a vote so I popped my slip into the ballot box. On July 7, a committee of 13 headed by the Santa Cruz mayor, will add their verdict and then the whole planning merry go round kicks off again.

I’ve gotta mention Parque Garcia Sanabria, not the biggest of parks but truly glorious, with its dense mix of plants and trees little pathways constantly lead you off to new hidden delights like sculptures, water features, a flower clock, a kids train and a cafeteria. The main monument in the centre is quite a work in itself, I thought the large lady might be one of those performing statues, so I kept my distance. The council have also introduced a bike hire scheme from the park at one euro per hour, but I couldn’t find any trace of that, however one of the canarian papers did report it as starting earlier in the week, so hopefully the bikes were all out on hire, and not nicked.

Onward ever onward, around the Rambla del General Franco to the Military Museum of the Canary Islands in Calle San Isidro. This was part of some research on Lord Nelson (see next post) but I didn’t check the opening times and arrived just 30 minutes before the 2 pm closing. It’s a big place, with a very impressive display and is FREE. I got the pics and info I needed but will definately be going back for a more leisurely stroll. This took me almost full circle, you can get to the museum along the Avenida de Anaga on the front, just past the Fred Olsen port.

The other main point of my trip was to see the newly re-opened, but still not finished Plaza de España. It’s taken 2 years, many false dawns and a recent financial top up of 4 million euros from the Tenerife government to bring the toal spend to nearly 20 million, split 80 % to 20 % in favour of the government over the Santa Cruz council.

The trees around the edge of the park look good, the 61 year old Monument to the Fallen has scrubbed up well and the 2 bronze 1,000 kilo statues on guard look good, if a little cheeky. Three large buildings, one already destined to be the new tourism office, have their sloping roofs climbed by 5,000 plants arranged by French designer Patrick Blanc (please no jokes about uphill gardeners) . The big centrepiece should be the 2,500 cubic metre lake, but instead of being full of sea water from deep underground wells, there is just a small puddle in the centre, and the 30 metre high geyser is not spurting. Hardly any of the 122 parking places below are in use yet and the remains of the San Cristobal castle, also below are not on show yet. The finishing touches will take “some weeks” apparently, what a shame, the lighting draped across the plaza is in place and looks stunning at night, but is supposed to relect off the lake for full effect.

I eagerly await the completion of Plaza de España and look forward to seeing how many people can end up in the lake at Carnaval time.

It’s pitch black, i’m sat on a cold solid lava ledge that was formed 27.000 years ago, i’m deep underground below Icod de los Vinos, and there’s not a sound to be heard. After what seems like an eternity, the Cueva del Viento guide, switches his torch back on, the signal for the 20 or so explorers in this volcanic tunnel, to switch their helmet lights back on as well. Suddenly we all re-appear in the eerie half light, just a minutes example of the islolation felt down in the Cave of the Wind.

The three levels of volcanic tubes bored through the rock have been closed to the public for the last 15 years but this week the public were at last allowed in again, and I was chomping at the bit to be among the first. Plans were well advanced to re-open before 6 people died from inhaling volcanic gas in water filled galleries in nearby Los Silos in Febrauary 2007. They were part of an unguided party, since then safety has been tightened around the many caves that are a legacy of Tenerife’s volcanic nature.

The tubes were produced when Pico Viejo on the east slope of Mount Teide disgorged its red hot lava 27,000 years ago, and other eruptions since have added to the 17 kms of tunnels, one of the biggest collections in the world. From end to end they drop some 470 metres and reach nearly as far as the sea at Playa San Marcos, and the three layers are inter connected by wells, fissures and at one point a 17 metre deep chasm.

My day started with a 460 bus to Icod de Los Vinos, just 3 euros with a Bono ticket, and a one and a half hour journey from Los Cristianos. Once there I met up with explorer, naturalist and writer, Steve Andrews, better known as the green bearded Bard of Ely, a genuine Welsh Druid. A taxi to the village of Cueva Del Viento took just 10 minutes and cost nearly 5 euros, it’s all a steep uphill drive, definately not for walking. The new visitors centre is just opposite a small bar/restaurant and the mid day sun was hot and glorious, be warned, it’s usually a little cooler up north and can be cloudy with some rain. The website advises wearing hiking boots but as I don’t have any I hoped my sturdy trainers would be ok, as it turned out many others in the group had similar foot wear, several were in shorts and even sandals, but that is really risky.

Putting on our hard helmets complete with front light connected to a power pack belt, we piled into a mini bus for the 10 minute drive uphill, then we had a steep 30 minute hike up through the pine forest with teasing views of Mount Teide through the foliage and fire blackened trees from last summers big outbreak. Our entrance to the caves was down below a metal grid, first on carved stone steps and then onto a metal staircase. A delicious chill greeted us, I was in shirt sleeves but it didn’t feel cold, we fanned out in a circle in the first chamber as our guide gave us some relevant facts, using one of several charts posted in the tunnels in Spanish and English. Moving on and down, the floor became very uneven and rocky and we barely had headroom above us. Trying to take photos whilst co-ordinating the helmet light and keeping feet well anchored was a challenge but a welcome one.

There are thousands of rare species of insects living in the caves but we only saw a few spiders, but then we only explored a set 1,200 metre stretch. At various points, other small tunnels shot off at tangents above and around us, and our lights could only disturb the dark for a limited distance. I had always thought of caves as moist, but these tunnels were dry, even though in places, strands of pine roots poked through the rough ceiling.

 At the end of our route, we found a deep chasm with another small upward entry/exit beyond it, sealed with a strong iron grid. The contrast of the bright sun and the meeting of the warm and chilled air gave a strange feel to the surroundings. That marked our turning point, and we retraced our steps, this time in an upward manner. Before long we were back at the stairs, and clambered up to wince at the sunlight and remove the irritating but vital helmets. Walking back to the minibus, we realised we had been down the tunnels for over 90 minutes, although we had barely made a dent on the labyrinth of tubes.

This was definatley well worth the wait, the trip was FREE, but will be reviewed at the end of July to maybe set a regular charge. There are 2 trips a day at 10 am and Noon and you need to book first via the website or by calling 922815339. Groups are set for around 20 people and their rating of medium difficulty is about right.

Not all my trips go to plan, but that’s part of the fun, today was a mixed day but very enjoyable. I got the Granadilla bus for San Isidro to check out the Flight Simulation show mentioned a couple of posts ago. This is the long winded coastal route, which at least alerted me to the piles of sand being dumped for spreading on Las Galletas beach. It seems this bounty of sand, scraped off Los Cristianos old beach is being spread far and wide, as it is also topping up the troublesome Playa San Juan beach.

Coming into San Isidro from the El Medano road, I noticed a modern and busy looking agricultural market building, that’s one for further investigation. San Isidro itself is a busy town with the main road, Carretera General, climbing steeply on its way to Granadilla , the administrative centre for the region. The Casa Cultura turned out to be an undistinguished building next to the police station and the show was a bit of a geek fest. Several rows of tables were set out with laptops feeding off a bigger computer on the stage, to show the intricate and complicated control panels of various aeroplanes. I had imagined big machines that you could sit in pretending to be in a cockpit, they might as well have all stayed at home and played the programmes. I left pretty quickly and checked the cloakroom on the way out for anoraks, i’m sure it was only the hot weather that made them leave them at home.

Time out exploring in Tenerife is never wasted, and a few drinks and some tapas in some little side street bars focussed my mind on an alternative plan. Back on the bus, and a stop off at Los Abrigos seemed a good idea to top up my camera and my need for more input. If you like fish, you should make time to visit Los Abrigos, it’s a lovely fishing village with some of the best fish restaurants on the island.

First stop was the ironically named Playa Grande, a pocket sized beach just to the west of the harbour. Even on a Saturday afternoon, there were barely a handful of bathers, I have been in the week and had the beach and the tiny bay all to myself. and that’s before I have taken my socks off. It’s a real untouched gem, but what’s that coming over the hill, it’s a monster - development, to the west, it’s sad to see the cranes and buildings marching ever nearer.

Retracing my steps, and down into the harbour front, it was strangely quiet, as so much of the island is now. The restaurants slope down to the small harbour, where boats bob in the water as children sit on the quay dangling their feet over the edge and now and then plunge in for refreshment. Following the walkway up and around to the east, there’s a uncorrupted view across to Montaña Roja (red mountain) beyond the airport. This is a nature reserve featuring many rare species of birds, but it is possible to follow a path all the way to the peak, another trek on my things to do list. It’s at times like this that I wish I could paint, the swirling folds of the rock are amazing, and highlighted against the white capped blue sea, it would inspire any artist. On balance, I think breathing the sea air carries much more sway with me than tapping away on a computer game.

If I close my eyes, I can still see Hot Gossip dancing to Supernature by Cerone, not a confession, just tenous link number 457, to get me onto the subject of nature’s bounty here in Tenerife. Today I popped over to the lovely fishing village of Las Galletas, and after frightening the fish I went to see the opening of the 3 day Plant and Flower Fair.

This annual show takes place in Las Ramblas (straight on past the beach) and features stalls of local flora as well as honey, mojo sauces, cactus etc. It’s well worth a look, even if you are not tempted to buy, during the weeekend, 10am until about 8pm, there will be various music and dance offerings on the stage, and the judging of a local photo competition.

Whizzing back to Los Cristianos, I caught the opening of the evenings Wine Fair, just before the dock area. All the exhibitors were bodegas (vineyards) from Tenerife, only 5 are listed in the official programme but I counted 8 stalls. Despite the arid soil, Tenerife has a history of producing some fine wines, Guimar, La Orotava and Abona, were among the areas showing off their produce. I was of course hoping to do some sampling, and had specifically taken along my pint glass, but they weren’t making free with the vino. I believe the idea later, was to buy a ticket for a nominal fee, to sample wines, and then that price would be knocked off any purchase. By the way, the young lady in the photo isn’t miserable, she’s just popping one off - a cork that is. If you are into your wine, many of the islands bodegas do tours, followed by sampling, just check your local tourist information or cultural centre.

Well, as this seems to be turning into a weekends “What’s On” I might as well cover a couple of other things. On Sunday, there is a big cycle ride starting from Guia de Isora at 9 am and ending back there at about 1.30 pm, after going through Chio, Tamimo, Santiago del Teide, Arquayo (high point 1,250 m) , Tejina, Armeñime, Alcala, and Playa San Juan, that’s a total of 71 kms. It’s organised by the Chineje Cycle Club, click on the name for more details.

And Sunday is a sad and worrying day for me, the last home game of CD Tenerife’s football season. With promotion chasing Malaga away in next weeks finale, we still need a point to make sure we can’t get relegated, so there will be plenty of singing juice imbibed before the 5pm kick off. Vamos Tenerife.

My feet were barely settled on Tenerife soil again when they started to itch, so I headed up north to catch up on a few of my old favourites. First call was Puerto de la Cruz, and very resplendent it looked with the flowers and blossom in full bloom and even as I wandered around, the council workers were busy working on the borders and flower beds. It was interesting to see lots of groups of tourists, maybe the southern resorts should go and kidnap a few.

The Muelle Pesquero (fishermans port) always draws me in, it seems to sum up all that’s good about Puerto, the small shingle beach is shared by fishing boats and bathers, and all just a few yards from the busy shopping streets. Since my last visit, a new statue of a fisherwoman has been added, sculpted by Julio Neieto, it makes a nice counterpoint to the area. Mind you I had to pick my angle carefully when taking the photo, as a rather large Canarian gentleman had emerged from the sea and was dressing very publically on the beach, a full moon might have distracted from the artisitc quality of the statue.

A 15 minute bus ride took me up to La Orotava to interview Dr Leslie Brown, an Australian cycle enthusiast with his own bike hire business www.tenerife-training.net . The flying doctor was keen to pedal the environmental advantages of cycling and you can read the full piece on www.canarygreen.net . This is one of many websites I write for, and it’s a good source for news and interviews related to green issues across the Canary Islands. The Aguaviva festival runs through June, so there will be a lot of news updates from the events and interviews with some of the leading players.

Anyway back in La Orotava, we went into the town to find a good spot to take pics, and I realised that although I have made brief visits there for football and changing buses, I haven’t had a good look around, something I intend to put right very soon. At the Plaza de la Constitution, my eye was well and truly caught by the very impressive Liceo de Tauro, an old family home taken into trust and used for art and exhibitions among other things. It also features a restaurant and despite the elegance of the place, the menu looked very reasonable. I thought of buying the house as a little country home but the gardens looked like far too much hard work.

Tracing my way back via Puerto de la Cruz, I had time to pop into Santa Cruz just to see if all was well. I have been anxiuosly watching the re-development of the Plaza de España, the latest re-opening date is June 30, but it still looks quite a way from being finished. Back to Los Cristianos, and armed with maps and leaflets from La Orotava, a future expedition is already taking shape in my mind.

Well I returned to Tenerife the way I flew in, via Manchester, and I must say I was impressed with the city. It must be around 15 years since I last went there to watch Manchester Storm play ice hockey at the MEN arena. A lot of money and effort has been put into the city and it shows, from Salford Keys (pic) to the city centre with its own millenium wheel. The big Premier Inn building had Peregrine Falcons nesting high up, and a camera trained on the nest showed pics on a large city centre screen - with not a word from Bill Oddie.

One warning though if you are flying out of Manchester Terminal One, it’s under redevelopment and has little in the way of services. My flight was midnight, and the few shops after check in, were closed, as well as the American muffin cafe, and worst of all NO BAR, that’s unheard of, even Camberwick Green airport would have a bar. It was bad for familes with children, and passengers for a Malaga flight had suffered a 3 hour delay. Of course the large duty free shop was open and you are channeled through it on the way to the boarding gates.

My flight was with Futura Airways, who have the less then reassuring shortened title of FU Airways. Once on board it was ok, although the stewardess’s wear black leather gloves as part of their uniform, maybe they make specialist movies as a sideline. Anyway, back in Tenerife at 4am on Saturday morning, and a taxi soon had me home, at 21 euros thats pretty reasonable.

Now it’s catch up time, this looks like a busy month, Aguaviva has started some of its events as it builds up to the big music concerts. I’ve only scratched the surface of the papers and news sites from the last few days, but already there is a lot to look forward to and the small matter of the last 2 games for CD Tenerife. They drew 2-2 at Celta Vigo on Saturday, that’s 9 games without a win, and still a point needed to make sure they can’t be relegated. I’m raring to go, come on June, lets be having you.

Tenerife is full of so many wonderful places, my biggest problem is deciding where to visit next. Granadilla drew the short straw this week, another of those towns that is just a pleasant memory from a visit some years ago.

Heading by the more familiar landmarks of the municipality of Granadilla de Abona, like Reina Sofia airport and El Medano, the bus veered up through San Isidro to Granadilla, about 20 minutes up hill. Leaving the bus station on the side of a very steep slope, the drop in temperature was noticable, but hardly anything to worry about.

First port of call was the Plaza Gonzalez Mena, the focal point of the town and setting for the Ayuntamiento(council) building. The Convent de San Luis Obispo was again being given a facelift, nothing new after many fires and accidents since it’s 1550 birth.

There was a small staue of Hermano Pedro in front of the building, he was born in nearby Villaflor and preached, taught and healed locally before emigrating to help the poor of Guatemala, eventually dying there in 1667. For several years he lived in a small cave near El Medano, it’s a bit of a tourist attraction now, and it is said miracles can happen there. When the Pope made him Tenerife’s first Saint in 2002, thousands went from Tenerife to the ceremony in Guatemala.

Religion is just one strong element of Granadilla, and for a better understanding, a visit to the History Museum of Granadilla (top) , just down the road, is just the thing. It’s free and open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 2 pm  and 4 pm to 8pm. Granadilla is also the gateway to the foothills of Teide and the pine forests of Villaflor, and a real walkers delight. The local council have made great strides to encourage rurul tourism with a leaflet featuring 10 converted farms and houses that are ideal for rural holidays, details are also on the council website.

One of the best walkers hotels is the Hotel Senderos de Abona, right in the centre of town and staff are very knowledgeable about the area.

This is just opposite the Church of Antonio de Padua, which boasted a terrific floral offering from the Day of the Cross , which is celebrated in the Canary Islands on May 3. The banner says “I am the good shepherd, and you are my sheep”. There were many other floral and adorned crosses around the town, and I saw some more later in El Medano.

I tried to find the famous spring, Fuente de Agua,  up above the town but after puffing up ever steeper hills, I gave that one up and settled for the great views and a quick march down to a cold drink. It was fairly warm today in Granadilla, but last time I called in, it was decidedly nippy and a couple of winters ago, the snow on Mount Teide crept all the way down to the town plaza.

It was worth the effort to see Granadilla again, and it even stirred my desire to maybe do some more testing hill walks in the summer, but for now, a chilled Dorada will do nicely.