Some lunch breaks back in the Oxford meant a cheeky beer, but when my Tenerife office base was Alcala while working for The Western Sun newspaper, lunch break meant a refreshing dip from the quay side and a few sarnies as I dried out in the sun. No wonder wild horses were not needed to get me back up the west coast for the Alcala Craft Beer Festival.

How different from my mid week swims was the scorching Saturday crowd of local families that filled nearly every speck of space on the quay and in the sparkling sea water. The festival stands were squeezed together by the harbour wall with a few marquees and a food truck when I arrived early afternoon. I started with a familiar brewery, Tacoa, I had visited their pub restaurant in El Sauzal years ago to write a review and was mightily impressed by the five hand pump ales on offer. Surf Beer at 4.5% seemed an appropriate first tipple. The festival beers were mainly in 33 cl bottles with a few on draught in half pint (caña) plastic glasses ranging from 2.50 to 4 euros. The Surf Beer rode my tonsils smoothly as I mentally booked a few later drinks from the Tacoa menu card that proudly proclaimed 0% Bullshit, 100% Craft Beer.

Next call was the Aguita Brewery from Santa Cruz for a 5.1% Dead Bully, American Pale Ale that went down nicely as their brewer explained that they brew 500 litres a week for 1,500 bottles, he also told me there are at least 20 micro breweries spread across the seven Canary Islands. The Jeito Brewery from Los Realejos grabbed my attention next, a 6% Oatmeal Stout became a firm friend as I took it walkies to enjoy some of the fine views of the bay.

At this early stage there was at least some joined up planning to my beer choice. La Armada Brewery from La Laguna ticked several boxes, Armada Sur being my CD Tenerife football family, and my choice of a 5% Nelson Sauvin golden ale seemed very appropriate just a few days after the 121^st anniversary of Admiral Nelson´s failed attempt to take Santa Cruz and Tenerife. At this point I discovered one of the less well planned features of the festival, no toilets, there were some portaloos on the far side of the quay but picking my way through the dripping wet swimmers and sun bathers was already proving to be a challenge.

Back to the stalls and ready to refill my bladder, I picked on a 5.4% Irish Red from the Vagamundo Brewery in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Ignoring its unfortunate football origins, I was pleasantly surprised that the claims of aromas of malt, caramel, and light buttered toast were at least close to the mark, and it had no qualms about pleasing a CD Tenerife fans taste buds. A couple of my football friends, Gordon and Kirsty arrived and pushed the pace a little. A 5.9% Honey Palm Ale from La Palma was a smooth treat before I peaked with a Tacoa 6.2% Tajinaste Ale, technically the highest brewed in Spain as it contains floral honey from Mount Teide, at 3,718 metres, very nice indeed.

Things, and my notes, were getting a bit hazy by now. A 5.5 La Ginga from the Nomad Craft Brewery came and went rather quickly before I made a repeat visit to the Tacoa stand, firstly for the 6.5% Bock Beer, red for danger and for strength, and then another instalment of the Tajinaste Ale. That was basically my lot before wobbling back to the south. Thank you Alcala, and thanks for those micro brewery tour invites which are safely filed away and will be followed up.

Like the first cuckoo of spring, the UK tabloids have rehashed their annual story about a mega eruption threatening Tenerife, and throwing the people into a state of panic. Sadly their scientific knowledge is so poor, they probably think that Mount Teide and the eruptions is a 60’s soul band. Having lived here for 17 years, I have witnessed these scare mongering tales before, 2009 was a particularly fertile year for rumours as it was 100 years since the last eruption just above Chinyero. The current reality is we are not even on the lowest stage of alert, the flurry of small seismic tremors in the underwater trench between Tenerife and Gran Canaria is nothing new.

The volcanic nature of Tenerife make it a fascinating place to explore, there are plenty of ways to enjoy learning about what makes the island tick. I recently made a return visit to the Santiago del Teide visitors centre at the lower end of the road into the town, to see their free exhibition about that famous last eruption and the range of volcanic outlets around the island. There was six months of growing rumbling before the vent in the side of Mount Teide erupted for ten days. It was of course a stressful time, especially with so many farming communities in the area, but no one was killed or even badly injured. Once the eruption stopped, enterprising locals even started running kart trips up to see the affected area. The flow of lava was heading for the village of Chinyero, the locals preyed and wheeled out the statue of the virgen to the edge of the church plaza, the lava halted just short. This perceived miracle is now celebrated every year. The visitors centre is open 9 am to 2 pm on week days.

The lava fields are easily accessed these days, I have enjoyed several walks across them, a choice of routes are shown on boards in the Santiago del Teide church plaza. My favourite is the almost circular route to Arguayo, this passes the cross and shrine at Chinyero and takes a marked path through the moon like lava flow. In early spring it becomes the almond blossom walk as the trees are laden down with fantastic pink and white cascades of blossom. Mount Teide is also very clear from this walk, an absolute beauty when winter rains give it a dazzling white gown of snow. The Santiago del Teide visitors centre has a separate section showing walking routes, and the tourist at the edge of the church plaza will also give you advice and maps.

The Tenerife government backed Volcano Teide programme offers various guided excursions with a volcanic flavour, from sunset and stars,to observatory visits, and walking routes in Teide National Park. These will give you a great insight into the volcanic history of Tenerife. If you want to really delve into how a volcano works, the Cueva del Viento just above Icod de Los Vinos, is an amazing place to visit. You can go down into a small section of underground lava tubes formed 27,000 years ago. In total, three layers of tubes cover 2.7 kms, the longest stretch in Europe. The tour is guided, complete with safety helmets fitted with lights, and before you set out, the visitors centre will explain about different types of volcanos around the world.

Tremors in and around the Canary Islands are a daily happening, mainly on the lowest end of the scale, and far from being a big secret, you can access technical information on past tremors and the most recent ones. A team of volcanic experts are based at ITER, the renewable energy centre on the coast of Granadilla, down by the wind turbimes. Sensors implanted in and around Mount Teide ensure it is fully monitored at all times, There is also an authority called Involcan, that monitors safety issues and updates evacuation plans in case of any happenings. All this expertise is reassuring and better still, previous seismic activity over thousands of years has created some incredible sights to visit. Teide is the peak of the interest but you will see smaller volcanic peaks every day as you tour around Tenerife. Enjoy.

Coos, croaks, and quacks, no not a strange firm of solicitors, just the sweet sounds of nature that welcomed me into the parks of La Laguna. It was a pleasant 21 degrees as I stepped off the tram after a 40 minute glide from Santa Cruz, Hesperides Cafe got its usual vist for my coffee and chocolate herradura, then I headed through Plaza del Cristo and onto the Parque La Constitution.

The ducks looked very subdued in their purpose built pond and duck house but managed a lazy few quacks for me. I could understand there laziness, the small park was beautiful and restful. Venturing back a few yards I entered the much bigger Parque La Vega and it was quietly bursting with sweet blooms, bird song, and the gentle croaks of frogs in the slow moving, meandering green stream. Both parks have a small cafe building, neither has been open since 2016 as the council can’t find any serious bidders to run them. What a shame, La Vega in particular, just begged for visitors to take a break with a cold drink and a cake. La Vega had informative boards showing the different type of wrinkly old croakers that lurked by the waters edge, and a bird guide showed the main feathered visitors.

The historic pedestrianised streets of La Laguna were much busier with tourists but still kept an attractive serenity. The trip back down to Santa Cruz reminded me of what a smooth and practical addition the tram had become in it’s first 10 years of operation. Getting off at Plaza Weyler it was just a short stroll to Parque Garcia Sanabria, another favourite of mine. The constant screech of green parakeets reminded me of their details on the board back in La Vega. Sadly Santa Cruz considers these foreign intruders (Kramer Cotorras) a menace as they destroy trees and shrubs, and wants some of the 300 in the capital humanely captured and returned to    There are many in the south as well, this pic was taken in Playa de Las Americas.

I had some time to kill before visiting the Vikings exhibition so adjourned to the port to see what the tide had brought in. No training ships this time but plenty of working ships and a very flash Cafe del Moar cruiser from Barcelona boat club. Even the functional ships like the   have a certain charm to them. The multi million euro business of refurbishing oil rigs ensures a few not so glamourous additions to the Santa Cruz skyline but the complete facelift to the port and Plaza de España has made the Tenerife capital a bright, modern city.

It´s not every day that you see three kings riding camels, magical characters that have stepped out of the pages of story books, and dancers with more moves than any Saturday night reality show. But 5^th January is not just every day, it´s 5^th January, Reyes Eve, the day before Spanish christmas celebrations and towns and villages across Tenerife were pulling out all the stops.

After a sunny but blustery day, Los Cristianos was a little chilled down by the sea front, some camels were even thinking of wearing human skin coats. Crowds were bigger than ever this year as the anticipation built, I caught up with the floats at their gathering point at Las Vistas beach as final touches were added and costumes were slipped into. The 8pm arrival of the three kings from a boat around by the old quayside was as always optomistic, so it was nearly an hour later that the kings joined the long procession as it began it´s journey up the port road.

Ancient and modern entwined as Carnaval influenced exotic dancers overlapped with cartoon favourites from classic stories and recent Disney movies. A giant book of fairy tales proceeded rows of bunk beds on wheels, full of children ready to dip into the realms of dreamy make believe. The kings were quite far back but were the must see attraction, their arrival was heralded with showers of sweets that were clutched at by a forest of eager young, and not so young hands. Back in the UK the sweets would prpbably be banned as dangerous missiles but thankfully they fly freely for Reyes.

The reason for this celebration is to mark the arrival of the three kings, Gaspar, Melchor, and Baltasar, at the Bethlehem stable armed with gifts for the baby Jesus. The procession ended up at the cultural centre where the outside was transformed into a stable scene looked over by the kings on their thrones. Pre wrapped presents were then pulled from large containers for those lucky children whose parents had handed theirs over earlier, the 6^th January is the main day to receive gifts.

As the camels dispersed to return to their luxury hotels, well they can dream, a burst of fireworks lit up the skies to signal the start for the present hungry children about to approach the thrones. It was a glorious evening with magic in the air, bars and restaurants were enjoying the huge boost to their trade and I hope the organisers and participants in the procession will have rewarded themselves with suitable drinks. Creative juices will soon be flowing again as Carnaval season looms in February and March, the party never stops!

Approaching the Siam Mall starting point, a mother and young daughter skipped along dressed in pink, I thought wouldn´t it be wonderful if the next generation didn´t have the spectre of breast cancer to worry about. That´s what drives Tenerife´s Walk For Life (carrera por la vida) now in its 13^th year it has provided so much support and continues to grow.

Little annual tweaks to the route and presentation keep it fresh, the forecourt of Siam Mall was packed with people slipping into pink costumes and make up as rousing music and speeches from the stage pumped up the walkers. The skies looked a little threatening but they wouldn´t and didn´t dare to spoil the sunshine spilling out from 4, 500 eager entrants. With founder Brigitte Gypen leading from the front, the pink wave surged across the motorway bridge and down past the Magma Centre.

For many the walk was personal, breast cancer touches so many families and the will to prevent, treat, and defeat this disease grows stronger by the year. There were noticeably more men that ever on the walk, and as always the spread of nationalities and communities was as wide as the smiles of reunited friends from previous walks. It´s become a major event for Adeje and Arona, holiday makers streamed off the beaches to applaud and cheer as the walkers spread out into Avenida Las Americas. The drum bands were loud and strident and there was plenty of dancing as the clouds parted and the sun poured through.

You never know who you will find yourself next to on the walk, pink angels, decorated dogs, and towers of balloons all jostled for space. At times it was difficult to see where the procession started and ended, the distance was 4 kms but noone was counting their steps, the sheer enthusiasm swept everyone along. Walkers had loaded up with sponsors in the lead up to the day and spectators were generous in coming forward with change for the bucket collectors. As always I felt great pride as my fellow CD Tenerife fans in the Armada Sur added to their raffle and pink shirt funds with heavily laden buckets for a total of 1,673.07 euros.

There was a nice refreshing breeze as the finishing straight at Compostela Beach came closer, more music wafted out from the stage and balloons raced up to the sky as they were released from their netting. The organisation was spot on, bananas, biscuits, and energy drinks greeted the finishers and a whirl of dancing filled the street. Frantic counting and totting up revealed a new record of just over 20,000 euros raised, a magnificent effort by all. The good work goes on, The Pink Room in Adeje is one of the tangible results of the Walk For Life, somewhere to offer support, advice, and hope. Once again the Walk For Life was an uplifting, inspiring, and a pleasure to be involved in, Massive thanks to all involved – roll on next year.

Sorlandet stood head, shoulders, and three tall masts above the luxurious cruise liners, and economy boosting oil platforms that were calling Santa Cruz port their temporary home. Even the clear blue skies tinged with the dust of a calima were merely extras in this big picture. Majestic and stately tussled for star billing to describe the Norwegian training ship preparing for its next epic voyage.

I can always rely on the busy port to deliver a pleasant floating surprise or two, but more was to come as Norwegian Stine Elisabeth Bryh invited me aboard. One of the senior full time crew, Stine has plenty of experience of sailing but the international students who will make up most of the 60 strong crew have a steep learning curve to climb, as well as those imposing 35 metre masts. I could feel a gentle rocking motion beneath my feet, and the sea around looked calm but the previous weeks high winds and hints of a big storm had shown how quickly the weather cam change.

Stine told me a bit about the student crew. “They are mainly Norwegian and Danish but we also have some from Mexico, Colombia, and Hong Kong. On our voyage to Cape Verde, Barbados, Bermuda, and Miami they will learn how to set the 240 rope lines, and learn how to set the 25 sails as well as general duties.” Like the many other training ships that pass through Tenerife, the trainees have to pay for their passage as well as work.

The Sorlandet was originally built in 1927 but was refurbished in the early 1980´s after damage in the Second World War and later neglect. It´s one of several ships run by World Academy, all with a remit to teach life skills and team work. There was a pleasant smell wafting from the galley, no ships biscuits then? The wooden wheel up on deck looked daunting but Stine tweaked it with ease, it has the help of a sturdy hydraulic system. At 64 metres long and with a top speed of 14 knots, Sorlandet can cut gracefully through the water.

There was clearly plenty of pride in the mighty vessel, The Viking inspired painting on display translated to “our ears and our strength have given us a white plot” that sounds pretty rousing to me. Hopefully they will have kind seas and plenty of adventures, I look forward to seeing them in port next winter if not before.

Sails partly furled and framed by flags of the world, the Argentinian naval training ship Libertad (liberty) took a well earned rest in Santa Cruz before rounding off its 46^th world tour. Built in 1961, it puts new generations of crew through a gruelling six month voyage, this year there were 13 port stops including Portsmouth.

I didn´t need a press gang to drag me on board the 103 metre long vessel, it was open house for the four day stay over in the Tenerife capital but most of the crew were taking shore leave. There are 27 officers and 187 petty officers, and 61 cadets including 14 ladies – sadly I never got to meet any of them. The young skeleton crew welcomed small groups on board, they even piped us onto the deck, they had clearly done plenty of polishing and scrubbing so it really was ship shape.

As someone who struggles to do his shoe laces up, I am always impressed by the neat coiling of the many ropes, the three masts feature 27 sails so they have to have perfect recall of what links to each cross beam. It was top deck only for the tour, well it is a navy vessel and has some rather delicate and potent equipment. The four 4.7 mm Hotchkiss canons stood proud on each side, and a wall mounted axe and hammer harked back to more basic operations when the ship was first commissioned. Just because it was sleek and functional, it didn´t stop the inclusion of some impressive art work around the steering column and compass.

As luck would have it, another ship was moored nearby, the French navy´s La Gracieuse P687 patrol ship was taking on supplies and not receiving visitors. It didn´t seem intimadated by its larger and more powerful neighbour. One ship that definatelt wasn´t about to get a welcome in a Canarian port was the British MV Cheshire,loaded with fertilizer it had burst into flames off Gran Canaria and had taken several days and much concern before it could be made safe.

Blood coursed red, white, and blue through my veins as some jolly jack tars sang Rule Britannia, I even managed to avoid singing the rude version. A bit of decorum was definately called for as Admiral Nelsons British forces tried to storm Santa Cruz, 220 years on from the original failed assault. It´s such an important event in the history of the Tenerife capital, La Gesta is commemorated every year as near as possible to 25 July.

The great man Horatio Nelson wasn´t part of the recreation near the Castilla Negra (black castle) by the ultra modern Auditorium with it´s distinctive wave shaped roof. On the fateful day he came ashore from his ship in a rowing boat with some of his men but was shot in the right arm as he stepped onto dry land by the black castle. Nelson was always against the assault but had orders from on high to take the strategic port, he lost his arm, the locals stood firm and repelled the invaders with 250 Brits killed wounded or drowned. Despite that it was a very polite surrender due to the mutual respect between the forces and the help and hospitality offered afterwards by the Spanish governor, Juan Antonio Gutierrez.

Local enthusiasts keep the memory of the defeated invasion alive and perform as the red coated Brits and their white coated rivals. A good crowd was gathered for one of several events throughout the city over a three day spell. It wasn´t a full scale battle this year, just some well coordinated posturing and symbolic surrender. Two canons shattered roared and smoke billowed as a flock of startled seagulls took flight pretty quick and a couple of small children got a little tearful but it was all very enjoyable and safe to watch.The canons were called El Miserable, and El Gato (the cat) but the big canon that did so much to save Santa Cruz is called El Tigre (the tiger) and lives in a special museum under the Plaza de España. The commemoration is a big deal to Tenerife so it was fitting that the President of the Canary Islands Fernando Clavijo was on hand to inspect both sets of soldiers.

There was a lot of extra detail added to the show, an outbreak of sea shanty´s and some rifle polishing showed the plucky spirit of the British forces, I did spot one making sneaky use of his mobile phone, maybe to pre order the beers, they do like a hearty celebration after their hot, thirsty work. It was the third defeated attack on Santa Cruz from sea based forces and they are rightfully proud of their stubborn resistance. It was a great way to educate and entertain at the same time, hopefully it will encourage visitors to look out for the commemorative plaques at key points around the city where smaller skirmishes took place. Down by the port, near the old, small, lighthouse, there is an impact mark on a wall from a canon among the British fleet.

So the bad run continues, Nelson´s boys will carry on trying in future years to rewrite history but they aren´t going to get any joy. Hopefully when all the upgrade work is finished on the port, the large sculpture that used to stand in a glass case will be restored. It shows the agreement signed by Nelson and Gutierrez, the deal was also sealed with several barrels of Canarian wine that were loaded aboard Nelson´s flagship. No wonder they were signing that song about the drunken sailor.

Fancy throwing open your balcony windows to be greeted by a sea of flower carpets and tapestries. Shuffling slowly and respectfully onto the small, tight balconies of the municipal palace, home to to the local council, there was a collective gasp as the full scale of the beauty below sunk in.

It had been a few years since my last visit but hitching a lift from friends Dave and Annie, I was now feeling just a little unsteady. Well I´m not great with heights and was a bit delicate from another CD Tenerife promotion play off game celebration the very late night before. Working through the crowded streets we had so far just seen a small selection of the flower petals, and volcanic sand that was still being transformed into a glorious painting by numbers operation for Corpus Christi week. It´s been packing them in since small beginings in 1847.

Tenerife tv crews were competing for the best vantage points to broadcast from and many local radios were broadcasting interviews with the organisers and foot soldiers. It´s a great tradition and is lovingly passed down through the generations, small children were being encouraged to get their hands on the soil and petals that were arriving by the sackful. Wooden templates and chalk outlines are used to make the frameworks but the eye for detail and a slowly emerging masterpiece comes slowly with many years of dedication.
La Orotava is an old, tranquil, and almost sleepy town most of the time but when Corpus Christi arrives it draws in thousands of people from across the world, the range of tongues and accents were again as diverse as the colour of the petals that made up the mosaics. It´s a slow process working around the tight streets, roped off from the creations being coaxed into existance, the one way flow on each side of the streets ensures everyone gets to wind their way up the steep paths before plunging down past the open plaza in front of the two towered Iglesia de la Concepcion, a beautiful and imposing church.

Beside the murmurs of wowed visitors, a constant peel of bells from the church tower adds a delightful theme tune to the day. There are other tunes competing for attention, a pipe and drum trio added a quicker tempo as petal artists worked painstakingly behind them.I always like those ancient meets modern moments, turning a corner I found teenagers bopping to more modern music from a radio station stand in the shadow of the church. There´s plenty of respect for traditions but healthy elbow room for some modern commercialism, inflatable Disney characters bobbed from their strings a short walk away from religious landmarks. The bars, restaurants, and snack vans were all doing a brisk trade, and tourist coaches were parking up at any handy spots they could find on the modern outskirts of the town.

Mundane needs like,, food, drink, and commerce play their part but the big stars are the carpets. Assembled by an army of enthusiasts after months of planning, they will stay in the memories and camera images of those who gaze on them for years to come. It´s just not going to be quite the same when I pop up for the CD Tenerife Teide Trophy pre season game v Deportivo in a few weeks.

Sport, music, fashion, and a few beers, sounds right up my street, or in this case right up all the streets of Las Galletas. The annual Arona En Colores is always a good excuse for me to make the short 20 minute Titsa bus ride to the lovely fishing village just the other side of Guaza Mountain from my Los Cristianos home.

The sea on the Marina del Sur side was packed with swimmers and people trying out a few water sports like stand up paddle. On the other less sandy beach the waves wee much calmer than normal and more attuned to bathing than the usual surfing. Strolling along the promenade is always rewarding but the back streets and plazas also had plenty to offer on this Saturday.

Reggae Notes Band were warming up the crowd at the big stage, my tootsies were twitching, especially to a good cover of Buffalo Soldier. After a wander and a beer, I popped back later and Montserrat Siverio hooked me with a ska cover of Monkey Man. In the main La Rambla street I watched a bit of the magic show from Borras and Yasmine, their backing music caught my imagination, they had a disco version of the Star Trek theme – well why not?

With so much going on at little stages set up on street corners, I found a good vantage point outisde the Rincon del Pescador with a couple of crunchy arepas and a cold beer. Saturday night tv may be trying to kill variety but in Las Galletas it was diverse and uplifting. Full marks for the acrobats and the novelty act where passing members of the public were enticed to do a bit of Full Monty, and a dress up as a baby in a pram.

There was plenty for the children, face paininting, inflatable football games, and musical games. As the afternoon eased seductively into evening, the drink was flowing and more people were getting down. I departed after a good few tours of the streets, some sampling of tasty food, and some Dorada lubrication. Arona council try to spread their events around the municipality, it helps to introduce more people to different towns and villages and gives their economy a nifty boost. Here here to that.