Longing to get down and dusty after a smooth, modern road led us out of the historic centre of Granadilla de Abona. Lycra clad cyclists whizzed downhill towards San Miguel, and El Medano loomed large looking across to the south coast. At this stage we had only a fleeting glimpse of the ancient Camino del Real track that criss crossed Tenerife when foot power was king.

Maybe we felt a little under whelmed to be retracing the route of our Titsa bus but Charco del Pino was warming up in the wings and greeted us with surprises and insights into the past. “Pond of the Pine” arrived with a hint of Ooh La La in the shape of the church of San Luis IX. Petit and classy, it honours the 12th century King of France who brought the crown of thorns from the head of jesus, to Europe, Paris to be precise, during the crusades.

Alongside the church, a lane took us up to the Chiñama mirador, offering spectacular views of  natures harvest for miles around in every direction. The importance of water to this part of the island became apparent as the fluid of life filled small reservoirs and encouraged the growth of crops. There was a stone wall barn bonanza as well, some small holdings had two or three of the iconic buildings, simple, strong, and effective. In the main street there were a few cafes to quench the thirst and fill provide protein boosts for the cycle squads. My eyes grew misty as i admired the old cinema building for Charco del Pino – I yearned for a choc ice and a Kiora.

When we began the walk from the Plaza Gonzalez Mena by the leafy gardens and admin offices in Granadilla town, there were no clear pointer to routes start point. There was similar uncertainty just after the church of Charco del Pino. A wide path dropped down to the south and seemed to head for the lip of the La Orchilla barranco, but it veered off in the wrong direction and turned out to be a false dawn. After puffing back up we found the true path in all its glory, a few yards from the main road. The universally regocnised white and green  bold stripes on large rocks confirmed our path down into the deep ravine.

It was like a green cathedral once we followed the zig zag path down, and it was framed nicely by the 1940s bridge that spanned the main road high above. What a pleasure to test the legs on the tight turns and the steep climb back up the far side. Varied crops battled for supremecy as we squeezed past a fence dividing a modern farm from the old Camino. The thought of herding animals up that challenging climb gave us a new respect for the farmers craft. When we hit the top road it was like a culture clash, seeing how easily modern machinery had carved out the road like a knife through butter. It left us with just a short walk down to San Miguel where cold drinks welcomed us as we refelcted on the many other walks that spilled out among the hills that spread down to the coast.

There was plenty of hunger shown by CD Marino, but San Fernando were early to the table with a second minute free kick winner. It was served up as a well flighted Rodriguez strike taht found the bottom corner of the home net. Marino were robbed of three key players by injury and it took them a while to adjust against a Gran Canaria team destined for the promotion play ofs.

Moreno was always pushing for the pink shirted visitors but N´Diaye and Pedro Aleman combined well a few minutes later to take up the chase. Marinos nerves showed when goalie Kikvidze ´s soft clearance had to be tidied up with a back pass from N´Diaye. San Fernando  had their own let off when Nami beat two static defenders and was only halted by the knee of keeper Perales. The keeper recovered his composure with a  follow up tip over from an N´Diaye shot.

Nami on the right and Dimas on the left swapped flanks to give the blues their best spell of the game just before the break. Moussa was quick to get into a good position as a N´Diaye  glanced header came his way but there wasn´t quite room for a threatening shot. Kikvidze did well to pluck out a high shot from Bernal to keep the deficit to the single goal. The maspalomas based visitors could have sat back in the second half but came out all guns blazing. Bernal tried to atone for his earlier failed attempt, and Rodriguez had the home goal in his sights  before Aleman came to the rescue.

Rodrigo replaced Nami and held the ball up well as Marino fought to get back on terms. Kikvidze had a busy game, a full length diving save was the pick of his busy work load. The second phase of the Segunda B (Spain´s third tier) season was beckoning. Regional groups will split into new groups to chase the long road to possible promotion and relegation. San Fernando were assured of their upper chase and Marino were already booked in for the relegation battle, but as league points are carried into this second phase, Marino needed to fight for at least a draw from this last first phase match.

A double substitution refreshed the blues urgency, Borja llarena added pace and an eye for goal from the right, and Julien added his creative vision from midfield. Borja was close with his shot from a Julien hanging cross, Perales had to stretch to grab the ball to safety. Right back Nikki was the final home sub, another fleet footed ‘player, he took on San fernando down the right and left wings and caused them problems. Rodrigo produced a couple of decent shots but San Fernando held firm and were delighted to give themselves a boost ahead of the next set of games. It´s been a hard season so far for Marino after their promotion  but they will have to dig even deeper over the next couple of months to secure their elevated status.

Although perched on a grassy knoll, we were innocent of taking down two Guanche kings. Their absence at the edge of the Basilica Plaza in Candelaria was caused by the constant undermining crash of waves. The gap still looked strange from a steep path curling up behind the church tower but we could see the coast was clear to head south on the Sanmarines trail.

Crumbling mountain edges had to be respected but the way forward was beckoning us to follow. The sea breeze, call of the gulls, and the glint of the ocean induced a feeling of peace and solitude. Tufts of tabaiba plants looked like a green moss from a distance but  closer up they clung to any inviting rock face at the steepest of angles.

Samarines beach had a well trodden track meandering down and up through a small cove. Sprayed by the waves it looked refreshing but big razor sharp rocks lurked not far below the surface. The coast was always close to us but on cresting the next hill, the path ran close to the industrial estate. At one stage a detour to the main road was the best option before cutting down the wider rocky stretch that channelled us down tino Playa de Viuda (Widows Beach) a small fishing hamlet. Weather beaten dwellings seemed to be breathing in away from the  eager grasp of the sea. The tides had clearly knocked on a few doors and even the wooden barriers looked pickled by the salty swell.

Further along, El Socorro welcomed us with its choice of a sandy cove or a wilder surfers beach. In busier times, a couple of shacks, near the mural of the Virgen, would be seling drinks and snacks. Crunching pebbles were denied the pleasure of making their mark on polished boards that were looking to ride the waves. Old low level crumbling homes blended in as lava marked the start of the Malpais de Guimar. We were a mere 10,000 years late for the volcanic flow but picked our way along paralell to the sea. Our  gratitude to the dedicated path maker s soared with each step.

El Puertito de Guimar was getting nearer as the sea served up increasing driftwood. looking inland we could see the motorway linking Santa Cruz with the south, and Montaña Grande spreading to the junction up to the historic heart of Guimar in the hills. As we left the lava behind, young explorerswere led by family over the threshold to sample the legacy of the past ages. It´s hard not to be inspired by the dramatic intrusion from beneath the earth.

Elation, relief, and pride in a relentless performance. CD Marino reeled in Recreativo Huelva after trailing, and sealed a 2-1 victory in the fourth minute of added time. The sound of celebration ripped into theTenerife  evening sky for the blues first home win of the Segunda B season. Everyone played their part against the cynical visitors who only showed hunger for all three points at the end of normal time.

Backed by a 400 plus crowd, Marino showed their desire from the start. Julien broke through on the right and exposed defender Madrigal before the ball ran on and out of play. Manu Dimas was next to torture the big centre back and test the erratic goalie Nauzet in the mainlanders net. Blues Fede Olivera made a rare slip to leave the ball in an enticing position, Arencibia was quick to cover and close the gap.

Santana was the danger man for Recreativo, he was brought down on the edge of the Marino box and Quiles gratefully converted the penalty for a 23rd minute lead. That could have signalled a collapse but Marino stuck to their promising format. Nadjib was making creative runs down the left, Dimas was elusive as he drifted out wide to surge in from the right, keeping the orange shirted defenders off guard.  A sloppy back pass by Jimenez put keeper Nauzet under pressure and he was lucky to get away with a scuffed clearance kick to avert the threat just before the break.

Marino returned with more intent and Dimas levelled from the spot after being brought down after 53 minutes. Recreativo spurned a chance of a quick reply when they blasted a shot over the bar. Home coach Kiko de Diego made an inspired triple change after 73 minutes to bring on Ahmed, Moussa, and Borja llarena. The crouching goalie had to scramble to cover a Borja shot, it served as more encouragement to the blues. Nunca Se Rinde (Never Surrender) was the message from the stands, and the team responded. When play moved to the other end, David Kikvidze made a sharp save to further fuel the sense of hope.

Moussa used his sixe and determination as he ran at the Recreativo defence, forcing a corner that was cleared. Ahmed showed his attacking instincts, he went close with a header as the pressure grew on the visitors. When Dimas was held down in the penalty area by Valentino, there were strong shouts for a penalty but the ref kept his whistle silent. Recreativo keeper Nauzet rushed to the half way line to take a free kick for his side as the game entered the extra four minutes, but it didn´t find one of his team mates and he had to retreat at top speed to avoid getting caught out. As Marino pushed for the winner, Recreativo broke upfield  twice only to find Kikvidze on top form with two sparkling saves. There were precious seconds left as Moussa pounced on the ball and charged down the right before slipping the ball across to Borja to bury it past the goalie just before the final whistle sounded.

“Don´t go changing to try to please me…” crooned the singer. maybe Billy or Barry had Playa San Marcos in mind. First glimpses from the corkscrew road down revealed the ingredients of most peoples Tenerife dream setting. Driven by a noble quest for self improvement, Icod de Los Vinos has tried several times to extend the black sand and pebble beach and reclaim more coast under the embracing cliffs.

As on previous visits, the strongly pulsing tide, mix of old houses and refurbished apartment blocks, and neat fishing port, had my full attention. Mount Teide´s summit was the snowy icing on the cake. An hourly bus link with Icod station unlocked this part of Tenerife´s north west coast. I shadowed the tight road down under the motorway, making sure not to step back too far when squeezing into the side of the road to avoid oncoming traffic. I could have taken a liquid break at a nice cafe hiding under the bridge but was enjoying the slowly revealing stretch of the coast along to Garachico and beyond. Square fields of crops and a rogh stone bridge, worthy of a troll and a billy goat, kept me alert. Clouds of pigeons erupted now and then from a leafy ravine, my eyes were on constant alert so not to miss any of natures show.

The Paseo Maritimo walkway above the beach was getting a big facelift with white pergolas leading to the small church, and cafe terraces. Further around the Avenida Maritimo boasted shops and a chemists. The beach is well attended by life guards, and also offers limited mobility access.. It was clear that the beach was used to being ravaged by the sea from time to time, a few long waves were bowling in to stop the sun bathersw from nodding off. Big swells were also sweeping over the fishing port wall as I took the stone steps up to the headland a bit further back.

Looking along the coast beyond the bay, there were no easy points for gentle swimming, that puts places on the small beach at a premium, even if you have to fight for elbow room at Mother Natures table. Everything about Playa San Marcos underlines its determination to stake a claim at this point of the coast. It´s well worth seeking out to appreciate why it has a special place in local hearts.