The walls were closing in, well the dusty calima was, so it was time to break out and hit the road. First stop was a 417 Guia de Isora Titsa bus to Adeje town, was my last visit really that long ago? hopping off the bus I noticed the statue of a bombero (fireman) that I hadn’t seen before. Kneeling down, not wise at my age, I read the inscription that informed me it had been installed in October last year as a tribute to the Adeje volunteer fire force that was founded in 1986. It makes a nice modern counter point to the Guanche statue with spear in hand just down the hill.

Heading up Calle Grande along the cool leafy streets I rested at a small cafe just below the Ayuntamiento (council) building and looking up, wondered if the clock had been given a facelift, I can’t recall it looking that bright and cheery, sad to note that even that lofty perch was shared with a mobile phone antenna, they get everywhere. Between the council HQ and the old church a major renovation of the plaza is taking place, I peered through a gap and was impressed by the towering monument and new seating areas taking shape. Once completed, the views from the plaza will be fantastic, looking down into the Barranco del Invierno, and it will restore the cultural and spiritual heart to Adeje.

Rounding the old castle with its canon standing proud I could see across to the plaza monument, the dark stone ensures it blends in against the background of Roque del Conde, thankfully the bright yellow crane is just temporary. Down into Calle Piedra Redonda and I failed miserabley to pass the Dulces Suenos cafe, I kidded myself I just wanted to read the days papers and be entertained by the African Grey parrot that always holds court on the balcony opposite – nothing to do with their sticky toffee cheesecake.

Up in Adeje the calima fuelled heat wasn’t too bad but once the bus had dropped me down at Puerto Colon for Playa La Pinta beach, it felt a lot warmer – time to take the duffle coat off. Don’t let people tell you that all beaches are the same, La Pinta has fine grained golden sand that shelves gently into the sea. Sadly Tenerife is pretty quiet at the moment and La Pinta was no exception – well apart from the swarms of illegal beach vendors. It was like rush hour, lookie lookie men selling watches, chinese girls offering massages, blokes balancing trays of sliced fruit on their bellies and even a few parrots being offered for photo opportunities, the only parasite I didn’t see was Max Clifford. I normally use Los Cristianos beach, the Arona council are a lot less tolerant of these constant beach botherers.

It’s a shame that the police don’t crack down a bit more in Adeje, Playa La Pinta is a great safe beach for families due to the protective bay and the shallow water. The views from the beach up into the hills are inspiring and a short walk takes you into the busy and vibrant marina. Suitably refreshed I shook off the sand and headed back to Los Cristianos, time for more food I think.