Captain Sensible

The hotel I stayed in on the northern side of Santa Cruz had me saying to myself “Now this is my kind of place”! It ticked every box, and had me asking the receptionist if they had any other hotels on the island but alas, it was a family owned one. My stay was only brief, I arrived at 1230am and left just ten hours later, but it was enough to tempt me to return for a couple of nights prior to my return ferry in three weeks.

On Thursday morning it was with some relief that Reg and I escaped the clutches of the traffic light infested capital, and headed south west down TF1 towards Los Cristianos. I was also glad that Reg had been parked in the shade for the morning’s ‘pack up’, as it was already 20c by 11am.

We weren’t under any time pressure heading to our destination for the next six nights, as our arrival wasn’t expected until 2pm, and we were just an hour’s ride away. I took time to take in my new riding environment, to my left was a clear view of nearby Gran Canaria and to my right the mountains. Everything looked splendid in the bright sunshine, blue sky and blue sea. I felt that I had arrived, reflected on what it took to get here and swore at myself, the polite version being “Bloody hell Big Bird, you did it”!

Although my nickname is Big Bird, I don’t usually talk to myself in that manner, but I’m trying something I recently read in a book which I have with me. Friends Nige and Sue very kindly gave me ‘Journeys to Impossible Places’ by Simon Reeve. For some reason I haven’t yet found Tenerife contained within its pages, but in it he is very open about himself. He says when he’s on his own and dealing with his ‘internal voice’ he tries to treat himself as he would a friend, and uses his nickname, as it softens any harsh criticism. I smiled when I read the line that followed about what his wife’s advice is “Don’t be so hard on yourself, and try to give just a little bit less of a toss about almost everything”. But this moment wasn’t a criticism, it was a good feeling from just getting here.

So after a week on the road, and sea, one might think the sensible thing to do would be to just chill for a bit? When have you known me to be sensible? Once I’d dumped my luggage at the apartment I just had to get out on the bike! Make use of this lovely weather in case it’s cold and raining tomorrow! Actually I think it’s due to rain next Tuesday, but you know how reliable weather forecasts are! 

I have some knowledge of the island due to many visits here over a few decades, so thought I’d just nip up to the plateau to view El Tiede. The ride up was an interesting experience, and made me realise what a big lump Reg is! I decided, in the interests of health and safety, that I should treat each bend as if it were a hairpin, which the vast majority were! So after about fifty, the two of us were starting to get the ‘hang’ of things. But fear not, I’m not here to go scraping the footrests on the corners, I hope I know my, and Reg’s limitations, and when I see the youngsters being…..young, I think ‘There’s a reason I’m 65 and still riding’! 

The sensible thing would then have been to come back down but…… you sense that there’s a theme developing here. I continued down the other side to Puerto de la Cruz, then headed west and followed the main road until I eventually got back at 6.30pm after just over 100 miles.

I will slow down at some point, it just takes a little adjusting to!