Soaking up the sun on Las Vistas beach in Los Cristianos it’s easy to see the distinctive candy striped lighthouse across the water, it’s a modern guardian looking over an ancient and fascinating protected area of Tenerife. Having enjoyed the first of Arona councils new batch of free guided walks I thought I would sign up for the last one of January, Malpais de Rasca.

Our group met up at Las Galletas at 9 am just as the unusually cold dawn transformed into a clear blue sky day, this time there were 16 of us including our guide Virginia, a good sign that the walks were gaining interest. Leaving the busy main road to Las Galletas behind a few strides opened up a well marked path to the rugged coast as we threaded our way through large clumps of cactus and tabaiba plants. Nature’s handywork in the twisted and sea sculpted outcrops of rock provided new delights with every step. The receeding tide had left a treasure trove of rock pools, I couldn’t resist checking out a few of them for signs of life but apart from a few scuttling crabs they were empty and sparkling as the waves lapped gently.

Passing the banana plantations we left the concrete walkway and entered the protected area of Malpais de Rasca as the lighthouse grew larger in our sights. Natural salt pools left by the sea were once used to soak gofio, one of the basic cereals that has been such a staple diet across the Canary Islands, the amarga tabaiba plant with its bitter toxic quality was also used to sedate fish in the larger pools. Taking a slightly steeper climb we crested a hill and got a good close up eyeful of the Masca lighthouse.

Bagging is the name adopted by lighthouse spotters or if you want to be more scientific pharology is a better word, either way it was a double treat as the tall automatic red and white beacon built in 1978 sits alongside the original squat lighthouse building that dates back to 1898. The days when a family lived in the old house are long gone and the newer structure was receiving a generous cleaning spraying of water from the top balcony and from ground level. We rested and scoffed at this point, it proved to be a busy midway point for other walkers coming from Palm Mar and the modern road out to the road that links Las Galletas to the motorway.

Walking down onto the flatter area beyond we were able to see the remains of some old stone dwellings from the time when this was a well populated area. The closeness to the sea and farming of cereals and tomotoes made this an important part of the south. The morning was wearing on and the trickle of other walkers had grown to a flood, our destination was not right through but back to our start point via a slightly different inland route – or that was the plan.

Veering off from the modern road we headed across country to the point where the old fincas (farms) were abandoned and the walls fallen allowing access to El Fraile. It was at this point we discovered that a 20 metre high chainlink fence had been put up alongside the banana plantation sealing us in. Heading up towards the passing traffic on the main road we found a series of large gates firmly locked. Some of our more mature walkers showed remarkable agility in climbing a gate but luckily a few of the others found a loose flap of fence further along that we could squeeze through. Luckily we didn’t have to explain our breakout to any passing police, it added about 45 minutes to make the walk nearly five hours but the adventurous finish merely added a little spice to a very enjoyable excursion.

Mixed emotions hardly begins to cover what the last week has been like for CD Tenerife fans. A week ago we couldn’t have imagined that we would be following a 2-1 away win in Conquense by packing into a church to mix tears with laughter as we said goodbye to Andy Glover, or Twat Hat as he was affectionately known. At least fate, if you believe in it, had the decency to deliver a rare away win, I’m sure I could hear the clink of a glass and a trace of Andy’s Sid James laugh as the final whistle blew.

On a rock hard frozen pitch, bereft of grass, another new era was begining for the team, Calderon had been sacked and new coach Garcia Tebar took his place in the dug out, latest new sigining Luismi Loro made his debut up front just behind Kiko Raton. Chechu had the best early chance but fired wide after 10 minutes, a few minutes later he threaded a long pass through to Kiko who stretched but couldn’t get his foot to the ball. Maybe that effort gave the big forward an injury, he was replaced by Aridane after 20 minutes and his first touch was a well plaved header from new boy Loro’s  perfect pass.

Loro looked classy and left back Raul Llorente (above) continued to impress after his eye catching debut in last weeks home defeat. Sergio had little to do in goal but just before half time he had to be alert to a shot that swirled in the icy cold wind. The Tenerife keeper followed up with a decisive take of the ball on the edge of the box as Ruano closed in. The second half opened well as Chechu took advantage of some slack home defending to make it 2-0. Loro had a clear penalty claim but the referee wasn’t having it and within two minutes Tarantino was sent off for his second red card. Medina was brought on for Chechu and resumed his old place in the heart of defence.

New coach Garcia soon discovered the facts of life when the customary jitters set in, Vinuesa grabbed the first decent home chance of the second half to reduce the arrears and alarm bells were ringing. Ten man CDT did well to hang on but had to thank Sergio for two more outstanding saves, one in the last seconds of injury time. Plenty for the new boss to work on in the week as he tries to instill his own ideas, at least the win put Tenerife back up into the fourth promotion play off spot.

Back at the church there was a good turnout as at the Santa Cruz crematorium on Friday. Andy enriched so many of our lives, however bad the games, and there were many shockers, he could always crack us up with a well chosen word or another of his endless filthy bad taste jokes. The coffin and the urn had no connection with the Andy I knew, for me his spirit will always be there in the Heliodoro stadium, any bar where we watch an away game, and most of all in some fantastic memories of a great friend.

Say Hello Wave Goodbye was playing over the speaker on the Armada Sur bus when we heard of the inevitable sacking of coach Antonio Calderon. It just about sums up our record with coaches (and shows how old we are) but this has been coming for weeks and a disasterous first half ending in a 2-o deficit sealed Calderons fate, even a fight back before losing 3-2 at home to Sporting Gijon B couldn’t gloss over the glaring problems out on the pitch.

Nothing is ever quite clear at CD Tenerife, who really picks the team, young midfield prospect Abel (above right) was a shock recall to midfield and looked like a headless chicken. I suspect even he was surprised to get the call up, it came as he was looking for assurances about his future at the club, clearly a political selection to keep him sweet, handed down from sporting director Cordero or even President Concepcion. Why is Medina playing at right back, and Tarantino at centre back, both had poor games, it’s worrying when the normally consistent and assured Medina loses the plot. Atleast Raul Llorente (above left) looks a classy new addition at left back. How does Chechu keep getting picked, his crosses from the right were sloppy and off target and Mendy tortured Tenerife down that flank.

Abel lost the ball just before the opening goal after 23 minutes and Guerrero had no problems with the static defence before giving the visitors the lead. There was no effective midfield for Tenerife, the ball did get up to new forward Aridane several times but his control on the ground is shockingly bad, of course top scorer Perona was dropped to the bench – work that one out. Then after 34 minutes it got much worse, Muniz struck a pin point free kick and Sergio was late to the ball and it beat his outstretched hand at the top corner. The shouts for Calderon to go rained down and after Tarantino picked up a yellow card there was a chorus of support for the return of Ayoze to the middle of defence. Pablo Sicila had his work cut out mopping up at the back and it was all painful to watch.

Changes had to come at half time, Abel went off for Nico and Medina went for Kiko Raton with Chechu dropping back to defend the right side. The wake up call made some difference, just a few minutes in and Kiko’s prescence helped to make an opening for Aridane to tap in for a goal. CD Tenerife showed a bit more fight and the final change, Perona for Ferran Tacon added more fire power. Nico was lively when he was fed the ball and after 76 minutes his determination earned a penalty, Perona was sharp from the spot and maybe we had a hope of getting out of jail.

It was a short lived and false hope, Guerrero took advantage of a rare slip by Sicilia and put the ball in the net – taxi for Calderon! As many of the 8,352 crowd streamed away new left back Llorente, easily the best home player, pushed forward again and unleashed a good shot that wasn’t too far away. The whistle came and we were left with the wreckage of another home game without a win, last one was 20 th November. Dare we hope that new midfield signing Luismi Loro from Elche can make a difference, dare we hope that a new coach can squeeze more out of the squad, and dare we hope that that coach (looks like Garcia Tebar) will have a free hand to pick his team. Stay tuned for the next gripping instalment.

It was a win, had to be a win, 1-o up at Vecindario and into the last seconds of injury time and then it happened, a corner, Futre got his head to it and Sergio’s punch just helped it into the CD Tenerife net for a 1-1 draw. What a sucker punch but the day was another glaring lesson in taking your chances, while Kiko’s head was displaying first half power but not accuracy Real Oviedo were winning 5-0 at home to Leganes to jump into third place.

There were changes again despite last weeks 4-0 away win, Medina was moved to right back to allow Pablo Sicilia to return to the heart of defence. Vecindario had the first shot of the game just over the bar after five minutes but after that Tenerife dominated the first half. Chechu from the right and Bravo from the left put in some perfect crosses but Kiko couldn’t get the headers on target. Bravo had a go just before the break running the ball down the left and forcing a corner, Chechu slung it in but again Kiko missed the target.

The second half started with a booking for Marcos that will rule him out of next Sundays home game. Vecindario born Aridane came on for Kiko after 60 minutes to a fair few boos. Ferran Tacon raided down the left but with noone closing in on goal he screwed his shot into the side netting. Perona came on for Chechu but it was Bravo who nearly broke the deadlock with a floated free kick that the home keeper punched clear. Kitoko showed great determination to win the ball and charged into the penalty area, an outstreched defenders foot brought him crashing down and Perona sent the keeeper the wrong way to score the penalty.

There was wild celebration in the stands from the 500 plus Tenerife fans but as the game went into four minutes of injury time Vecindario got a corner and as the ball came over Futre rose to head the ball, Sergio went to punch it away but merely helped it into the net, what a sickener. It was definately two points dropped and spoilt what would have been a perfect start to the new year.

It wouldn’t be a Tenerife project if it ran to schedule so it’s hardly surprising that the new Garachico marina is evolving in it’s own sweet time. Back for another look just before Christmas it had moved on but still looked a lot short of the finished article.

The project started in November 2008 and the works board still proudly claims it will be finished by 10^th September 2011. There is a lot riding on the 33,150,000 euro marina, it’s seen as the driving force that will boost the economy of the former capital and main trading port for Tenerife. A huge volcanic lava flow wiped that out but as a small consolation left the spit of volcanic rock just off the coast, it’s now on most tourists must see tick list.

Anyway back to the job in hand, it has since been announced that the marina is nearly finished but the fancy last touches mean it won’t be ready to use until the summer. Looking across, the basics seem in place including the pile driven black metal posts that will secure the pontoons for boats to park up to. Down in Los Cristianos the adding of pontoons and underlaid fuel pipes took several months and that was on a smaller scale.

There was a flurry of activity unfolding before my eyes but the JCB digger was a sight to behold. Had it been set on fire, dipped in the sea to cool off and then left to rust? What a state it looked and it made noises to match as it clanked, screeched, and clanked along. There are plans for a new hotel near the marina, the sheer beauty and history of Garachico will make it a popular stop off point for private boats and the proposed pleasure boat trips will also gain from the rugged and towering coastline.

On the day of my visit the sea was decidedly choppy, reaching the natural channels in the rocks that make a superb natural swimming spot the chain and keep out notice were up. The warning seemed to just arouse people’s sense of adventure and there was quite a crowd along the rocky crests watching the hardy swimmers riding the surges as the tide swept up the channels and sprayed mist over onlookers.

Crossing over and into the main plaza there was a much more sedate scene, sunshine and shade shared the quiet well laid out square, even the bandstand and snack kiosk was running at half pace. A statue of Simon Bolivar, founder of Simonlivia (just testing, Bolivia) looked at the scene thoughtfully, maybe wondering about the finished look of the marina.

A cooling breeze had struck up and with a long way to go back to the south , I caught the next bus to Icod de Los Vinos to retrace my journey. It’s an uplifting thought that on my next visit I should be able to have a little tour around the open and thriving marina – I hope they save a little corner for that ancient digger.

Alcala had early chances but found Sergio Aragoneses at his agile best. At the other end the home keeper tried to stop Bravo taking the ball around him and pulled the CDT player down for a penalty and got sent off. Bravo slipped the ball past the keepers replacement for a 27th minute lead. Victor Bravo (above) was having an outstanding game and his shot just after the break was parried to Kiko who scored with a bit of help from both posts. Marcos Rodriguez came on for Zazo and within 10 minutes had made it 3-0 after another half hearted stop from the keeper.

New boy Aridane took to the pitch after 80 minutes and proved his worth with a well taken header from a Bravo cross five minutes later. A much needed boost for the confidence of players and fans, hopefully a draw at least at Vecindario next week and the numbers will be on the rise again for the home games. Tenerife remain third on 34 points behind leaders Castilla on 40 points and Lugo on 37, Oviedo are just behind in fourth but only on goal difference. Better but still a long way to go.

Santa gets around a bit but even he had a smug happy look at the restaurant window on a crisp, sunny Vilaflor morning. Neal and Karen, the Bournemouth Section of the Armada Sur had joined me for a jolly jaunt into the hills and after a 40 minute Titsa bus trip to Vilaflor we grabbed a coffee outside a local hostelry half way up the main road from our crossroads drop off.

The combination of the warm sun and slight chill in the air fitted nicely with the peace and quiet, even on this main road up to Mount Teide traffic was sparse-mainly lycra clad cyclists testing their muscles. Just across from the bar is a mirador where we took in the fantastic view down into the heart of this sedate town that’s largely untouched by time. Turning down into the road through the jumble of houses we were soon in the plaza where the two churches sit side by side.

Hermano Pedro the local born goatherd was the first Tenerife religious leader to be made a saint and his image is everywhere. The Iglesia de San Pedro Apostle was eerily cold but full of beauty, I ventured up onto the creaking balcony which houses 21 cabinets showing the life history of the great man. Back out in the sun, walkers milled around and picked up guide leaflets for their long treks. Heading further down into town orange trees groaned under the weight of fruit and pots of poinsettias made the main street look even more wonderous.

A detour took us to another micro church  where a local was swinging a chicken as he got out of his truck, one swift smack and this rooster had crowed his last. Back at the crossroads near the statue of Hermano Pedro we found a sun soaked patio bar and snacked as we awaited one of the very sporadic buses. The mini Titsa turned up and we veered onto the TF 21 for a twisting, turning one handed rally drive down the corkscrew road. It was a bit hairy but the driver was very relaxed as he chatted to another passenger, we noticed a pink cuddly toy tucked in his storage locker – maybe that was to console white knuckle passengers.

Granadilla arrived with more level roads and after a short wait we caught the 484 bus to Las Galletas for a near hour journey through San Miguel, Aldea Blanco, and Las Chafiras. The sun was sinking low as we strolled around the coast, the tide was about as low as I’ve seen it there, and we were a little low after checking the late newspaper to find we weren’t rich thanks to the El Gordo Christmas lottery. On the big plus side the marina looked lovely in the dying embers of the day and it has been a good tour. Now what’s this Christmas thing everyone is talking about – should I be making some sort of preparations?

Life is often as flat as a pancake after all the madness of Christmas and NewYear but you can pump it up with a weeks half board holiday for two at the four star Hotel Las Aguilas thanks to Tenerife Magazine.

Perched on a hill overlooking Puerto de la Cruz the views of Mount Teide and the surrounding valleys are amazing. Last time I popped in there was even snow on Teide’s peak, quite a contrast to the sun terrace by one of the outside bars or the energetic aerobics going on in one of the swimming pools.

Of course being a nosey git I had a good dig around and was impressed, a good choice of restaurants, tennis courts, and even a giant chess set so I could pretend to be intellectual. My friends had been staying there for a week and enjoyed the nightly music and entertainment but being fellow explorers they had taken advantage of the shuttle bus down to Puerto de la Cruz to check out the shops and tour the plazas and historic battlements.

The north of Tenerife has a whole different flavour so Hotel Las Aguilas is the perfect base for walking and sampling nearby towns and villages, even the capital Santa Cruz is just a short jaunt away.

Anyway if you want to win a weeks half board holiday for two, just click on the Tenerife Magazine home page and answer an easy question. The prize will be drawn on Tuesday 31^st January and can be taken, subject to availability, within the next year. The prize is not transferable and must be claimed within 2 weeks of the draw or it will be re-drawn. Good luck.

Droughts what are they?  This little volcanic rock called Tenerife may get scorched by the sun all year but there’s always plenty of water, the fountain at Los Cristianos roundabout is a strong reminder of that. It may have been the meeting point for another Saturday morning walk but a quick car convoy and we were up above San Isidro for a coffee before heading up into El Desierto and Los Blanquitos.

Water was to be a recurring theme but before then there were other delights to encounter. With another hot, clear day down at the coast we had opted for higher ground to get some welcome air and it was a strong cool breeze that greeted us as we set off up hill. Behind and below us Montaña Roja and El Medano were spread out but in our sights we had a long clear road and unspoilt views to San Miguel and beyond to snow free Mount Teide.

Entering El Desierto we stopped at a home made belen (nativity) at the side of the road, this was a real labour of love and was more like a mini village with plenty of nice touches like washing hanging outside a house and geese gathered around a pond. Not many people would get to see this remote work of art but the creator popped over from his house and his pride at our enjoyment was clear. Lingering there it was lovely to see a scaled down version of the small traditional dwellings that peppered the hillside ahead of us.

Pushing on we dropped down into a dip and then up through the rougher terrain, old stone water channels are common up in the hills but many have been replaced by underground pipes. It was good to come across a large gushing water channel pouring downhill with a fair turn of speed, the stone stile over the crossing point was negotiated with a bit of team work. I was going to show off and jump across but knew I would make a prat of myself and took the easy option.

The rough pathway curled round in a semi circle with San Miguel sitting proud some way in the distance and soon we were coming into Los Blanquitos and the Tramo del Camino with its helpful information post pointing out the different types of basalt and over rock used to build walls and houses. Sticking to the narrow path alongside the TF 28 brought us to the church and a sarnie break. The views over the valley were a nice reward and the blue sky was untroubled except for the clear half moon. There was a full moon down below as a farmer used a wall as a lean to toilet – well it is Christmas so a real life Caganer isn’t too out of place.

Making the steady descent through the lower part of Los Blanquitos and El Desierto the pull on my leg muscles convinced me that this was a good advance penance ahead of over indulging over the festive season. The road eventually joined the point where we split off earlier to climb upwards and the pathway took on a familiar look. The breeze was still lively but the Euroguarapo bar was soon reached with the earlier coffee being swapped for something cooler. A good three and a half hour walk, already looking forward to the next challenge.

There’s something about Christmas that brings out the worst in CD Tenerife, we have had some stinkers in the past just before the break but this 2-2 draw with Marino de Luanco was one of the worst.

With current form described as wobbly at best, a strong performance was needed against opponents from a small village with just 5,000 inhabitants. The defensive mentality of coach Calderon has alienated many fans and even allowing for other festive distractions the Heliodoro looked well down on numbers, a mere 6,441 was the official figure.

The first half hour of play was awful, neither side troubled the goalkeepers and play was scrappy and lacking any direction. Tenerife finally managed a shot after 27 minutes from Kiko (top pic) but this and a Chechu effort soon after were easily dealt with by former CDT stopper Ponzo. Woken from their slumber, Tenerife started to show some good football and were rewarded after 33 minutes, a Bravo cross was met perfectly with a glancing header by Kiko and it was 1-0. The visiting keeper had looked confident but lost the ball after Zazo shot following another Bravo cross, Perona (above) was on hand to score his 7^th of the season for a 2-0 lead at the break.

That should have been the springboard to a demolition of Luanco but the old problems came back for the second half. Tenerife looked happy to sit back on the lead and sure enough six minutes into play Titi put the ball past a hesitant Sergio to reduce the arrears. The confidence drained away and coach Calderon brought on Ferran and Marcos but they couldn’t make any impact and Meji on for Sergio Rodriguez a few minutes later was also a fruitless move.

The inevitable happened after 71 minutes, a break on the left ended with Arias scoring to level the game. Calderon was squirming on the bench as abuse started to fly his way from the frustrated crowd. Tenerife managed a late fight back, Bravo had his legs taken out from under him in the box but the ref didn’t give the obvious penalty. Bravo had a clear chance when Ponzo fumbled the ball but his reactions weren’t fast enough to reach the ball. Into injury time and Kiko could have got a penalty after being mugged in mid air by Ponzo and a defender but again the ref wasn’t interested. The final whistle brought a chorus of calls for Calderon to be sacked. Amazingly rival teams dropped points and Tenerife moved up to third spot but the problems remain and all eyes will be on our three wise men – Concepcion, Cordero and Calderon for some encouragement before Segunda B resumes in January with two away games.