The second part of our Following in the Footsteps of Britain’s Victorian Explorers on Tenerife follows Richard and Isabel Burton on their journey from El Sauzal to the top of the world.

There are worse spots to be abandoned on Tenerife than El Sauzal. The town’s gleaming white Church of San Pedro Apostle with its Mudéjar dome is almost as old as the conquest itself. It once served as home to the island’s council when the capital was ravaged by plague. Below the church the former communal washing area of Los Lavaderos is a maze of tropical gardens whose paved walkways serpentine down the cliff-side.

Although the Burtons clearly liked El Sauzal they were keen to progress, but despite Burton offering the locals a substantial amount of money, none were keen to help out.

“They shook their heads, wrapped their old blanket-cloaks around them, and stretched themselves in the sun like dogs after a cold walk,” wrote Richard, whilst Isabel amusingly observed “…they have nothing, and want nothing but sleep and independence…”

Eventually Burton persuaded a passing muleteer to take them to La Orotava and they continued on their way, passing through La Matanza where De Lugo, with his soldiers armed with pikes, swords and cannon, was defeated by the Guanche armed with sticks and stones. The mural depicting a triumphant Guanche beside a stricken knight at the entrance to the village illustrates where the Matanceros allegiance lies in that historic battle.

It’s not the prettiest road trip on Tenerife, but there are hidden gems to be discovered along its route. There are old haciendas and ancient inns, possibly even the ones that travellers like Burton stopped at for refreshments. In La Victoria the centenary pine, where De Lugo held mass after returning and wreaking vengeance on the Guanche, still stands in the town centre. At Cuesta de la Villa the warrior king Bencomo’s cave, now home to a herd of goats, lies hidden in the folds of a narrow ravine.

Below Bencomo’s cave is Humboldt’s Mirador where Richard and Isabel Burton turned a corner and were faced with their first clear view of the Orotava Valley. Both were enchanted by the vision that lay before them, moving Burton to write:

“…At last we learned why the Elysian  Fields, the Fortunate Islands, the Garden of the Hesperides…were such favourites with the poets.”

When the Burtons reached La Orotava they were taken to an inn whose façade was described by Isabel as being an ancient relic of Spanish-Moorish grandeur.

Although they planned to spend a month in the town, Richard felt that so far he’d simply been following in the footsteps of other travellers. He was keen to scale the peak even though it was March and he’d been advised that at this time ‘furious winds threaten to sweep away intruders like dry leaves’

On the morning of March 21 1863, Richard, Isabel, a guide, 3 muleteers, two horses and two mules set off along the Camino de Chasna to scale Mount Teide.

At that time distances were a tad vague and all they knew was that the round trip was somewhere between 18 and 32 miles. The route to Las Cañadas took them past terraces growing potatoes and wheat, apple and chestnut trees and brown thatched huts; not much different from the sights that accompany modern travellers in fact.

When they reached Las Cañadas Richard was captivated and wanted to build a house on the volcanic plains whilst Isabel commented that the sun rained fire and blistered their faces and hands. The Burtons reached the Estación de los Ingleses without incident and set up camp for the night. They drank local wine and feasted on fowl, sausages, salt fish and gofio around a roaring fire then settled down for the night, but not before Richard and the Canarios had a good-natured argument about theology that ended with the Canarios deciding that Richard was an infidel.

At 3.30am they rose, warmed themselves with some hot coffee, using brandy as milk, and set off for the peak through the pumice and obsidian landscape.

Unlike climbers today, the Burtons had made the journey on horseback but the higher they ascended, the incline combined with snowdrifts meant they had to dismount at the Estación de los Alemanes and make the final part of the journey on foot.

Isabel discovered that scrambling up the steep slopes, occasionally dropping to her hands and knees to proceed, soon caused her body heat to rise, and to cool down she discarded her outer clothes as she climbed until she was left in only her petticoat and blouse; this was no ordinary Victorian lady.

At 7.40am the Burtons reached the peak of Mount Teide and stood proudly atop Tenerife’s world. At that point the guides handed out cigars to celebrate and confided that they had been seriously worried about the climb. No-one had attempted a winter ascent since 1797 and it had been deemed impossible by the people of La Orotava. As for Isabel, they hadn’t believed a woman could even reach the Estación de los Ingleses and yet there she stood on the very peak of Mount Teide in her underwear.

Richard and Isabel’s accounts of their visit to Tenerife paint a fascinating portrait of that period of the island’s history.

Follow in their footsteps and it’s still possible to experience a flavour of the island that existed whenTenerife was all shiny and new in the eyes of these Victorian adventurers.

It’s curious how fads and fashions change. The majority of modern day visitors to Tenerife head for the sunkissed shores of the south, but it hasn’t always been so.
For most of the five centuries since the Island’s conquest by Alonso Fernández De Lugo in 1496, visiting writers, artists, poets, adventurers and scientists headed north, attracted by the prospect of exploring the island’s tropical northern slopes and valleys. One of the most flamboyant and interesting of these was Sir Richard Francis Burton.

To call Richard Francis Burton merely an explorer is like saying Cristiano Ronaldo likes to mess about with a ball.  Burton was a fascinating character; an early incarnation of Indiana Jones, he was an explorer, swordsman, writer and linguist. He was the first European to enter the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Hārer. In the 1850s, with fellow explorer John Hanning Speke, he journeyed deep into Africa to seek the source of the Nile. During the expedition they were attacked by 200 Somali tribesmen and Burton had to hotfoot it with one of the tribesman’s spears embedded through his face (graphically portrayed in the 1990 movie Mountains of the Moon). However, Burton wasn’t simply a man of action, he was also fluent in numerous languages and was the first to translate The Arabian Nights and, more controversially, The Kama Sutra into English.

Between 1861 and 1865 Burton and his wife, Isabel, spent many weeks on Tenerife, fascinated by its unique geography and its indigenous people, the Guanche and even possibly by the aesthetic virtues of Tenerife’s post-conquistador population of whom he says “…we were surprised by the beauty of the race, its classical outlines, oval contours, straight profiles, magnificent hair, and blue-grey eyes with black lashes.”
On their first visit they travelled from Santa Cruz to Tenerife’s ‘El Dorado’, La Orotava and on to the summit of Mount Teide. He recorded the journey in To the Gold Coast for Gold and  Isabel likewise in The Romance of Isabel Lady Burton.

When Richard and Isabel arrived in Santa Cruz, Yellow Fever was raging in the capital and the couple made straight for La Laguna in a rickety stagecoach which Isabel described as ‘the skeleton of the first vehicle that was ever made’.
Half the population had fled La Laguna and Burton found himself in a deserted Plaza del Adelantado. In its surrounding streets, where ‘palaces mixed with cat faced cottages’, he recorded that the only movement was the ‘growth of the houseleeks’. Visit this perfectly preserved UNESCO World Heritage Site today during siesta time and it’s as if nothing has changed; houses mentioned by Burton, like Casa Salazar and Casa Nava, still face out onto cobbled streets and house leeks still sprout from beneath faded roof tiles.

The couple struggled to find accommodation, opting in the end for an inn where Isabel noted, ‘The patio was a ruin, full of mud and broken plantains, the village idiot and the pig huddled up in one corner’. Even to seasoned travellers like the Burton’s, the place seemed so unsavoury that Isabel spent the night with two revolvers and three Bowie knives within easy reach.

Accommodation is still limited in La Laguna and hotels in the old quarter, like the Aguere and the Nivaria, are probably not dissimilar to the one in which the Burtons stayed, except of course that today’s standards are much higher. There’s no pig in the courtyard and I’m pretty sure that there’s no need to take a revolver to bed with you. Interestingly there were more inns in La Laguna in Richard and Isabel’s day than there are now.

After one night Richard and Isabel left La Laguna for Tacoronte where Burton visited a museum which had an exhibition of Guanche mummies. The museum no longer exists; however, its location has remained relatively unchanged. In the historic centre of town, the rough stone façade of the 17th century Church of El Cristo still overlooks the plaza whilst nearby picturesque El Calvario, lined by Canarian pines and once a stopping off point for travellers and pilgrims, is now virtually overlooked by today’s visitors. Opposite is La Alhóndiga, then a communal grain warehouse, now a venue for wine festivals. It’s a tranquil spot compared with Tacoronte’s bustling modern centre. The only noise emanates from the small simple restaurant where the menu consists of what’s available that day and from which sounds of laughter mingle with the aroma of chicken cooked in garlic.

In the 1860s the road beyond El Sauzal was in a state of disrepair. The Burtons were forced to alight and try to seek alternative transport before they could continue.
They didn’t really know where they were, or how they were going to progress, yet Isabel recorded that the time spent in EL Sauzal was the happiest of her life.

Following in the Footsteps of Britain’s Victorian Explorers on Tenerife: Part 2 continues next week.

From volcanic wonderland to lush palm groves and rainforests that date back to before the Ice Age to a village tucked into the folds of seven million year old mountains – Tenerife has a mirador for every one of its stunning vistas.

Here is TM’s pick of the panoramic best – the ten must-see views on the island.

1. Pico Del Inglés – La Laguna
Getting to the Anaga Mountains from just about anywhere on Tenerife is a journey of epic proportions but the scenic rewards outweigh the effort. On roads that provide breathless views on every turn, the vanguard vista is at the mirador overlooking the English-esque green tapestry of Aguere Valley, the north airport, La Laguna and Mount Teide dominating the island.

2. Pico Viejo – Teide National Park
Taking the cable car to within 200 metres of the summit of Mount Teide and walking around the rim to the mirador overlooking the Pico Viejo (old peak) gives you the sort of screen shot normally reserved for dinosaur movie makers and astronauts.
3. Valle de Arriba – Santiago del Teide
Climbing the TF82 out of Santiago del Teide towards Icod de los Vinos, the Valle de Arriba mirador does what it says – it looks out across the beautiful Valle de Arriba towards Santiago del Teide and beyond, to the coast of Puerto Santiago. But for the bonus ball Mount Teide and Pico Viejo guard the heavens at the horizon.
4. El Lance – Los Realejos
El Lance is land marked by the magnificent sculpture of Mencey Bentor who, rather than be captured by the Spanish, threw himself to his death from the spot. From the north westerly point of Punta del Sol, all across the La Orotava Valley, to the dorsal mountains, Bentor now looks permanently out over the lands he fought so hard to protect
5. Cherfe – Masca
On the palm-sweating TF46 drive from Santiago del Teide to the hamlet of Masca, the Cherfe Mirador is part viewpoint, part nerve tester. From here, the clusters of Masca’s white buildings cling precariously to their rocky foothold, surrounded on three sides by towering peaks and teetering above the plunging ravine. It’s not a view for the faint hearted…or the clumsy footed.
6. Centinela – San Miguel de Abona
Providing a grandstand view of the volcanic cones of the south east and showing what existed before the rise of tourism, is the pretty mirador set into the hillside above the town of the same name. Today the arid scrubland is tattooed by the runways of the south airport, the incongruous greens of Golf Del Sur and the coastal developments of the south and east coast.
7. Archipenque – Los Gigantes
There’s no denying the WOW factor of the eponymous ‘giants’ of Los Gigantes and the best place to get their full perspective is at the mirador on the TF47 that climbs from the resort towards Tamaimo. Not only are the views over the cliffs, the village and the marina nothing short of awesome, but you can get an ice cream or a beer to go with them.

8. Parque Los Lavaderos – El Sauzal
The former open air laundry which is cut into the steep sides of the cliff is now the setting for quirky, scented gardens with a bohemian café selling speciality teas and brownies. It’s the perfect setting for drinking in the beauty of Tenerife’s most stunning coastline and arguably the best perspective of Teide’s gargantuan size.
9. Chimague and Chipeque – La Orotava
Just off the TF24 which runs along the spine of the island from La Laguna to Teide National Park are these ‘seat of the Gods’ twin miradors. From Chimegue you get the whole of the east coast laid before you with Gran Canaria on the horizon and from Chipeque you get the entire west coast and the island of La Palma.
10. Roques de Garcia – Teide National Park
From the gravity-defying Roque Chinchado and the up close and personal profile of the peak; to the desolation of the Llano de Ucanca lava fields, views don’t get much more out of this world than these.

Half way up a step ladder with his head partly shrouded in a nose teasing malty steam, it was easy to spot Joachim Zeisel at his Tacoa brewery and restaurant in El Sauzal. The twin copper fermenting tanks were like a vision of the promised land, Tenerife still has the ability to surprise and delight me, and finding this home brew heaven between Santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz filled me with a heady joy.

As a former CAMRA (campaign for real ale) member back in the UK I had visited several breweries but I was to find that few could match the dedication and sheer ingenuity of this mechanical engineer and master plumber from Berlin. Joachim has six regular brews with three on at any time so I started with a Clara, a blond pilsen like brew, as I surveyed the large restaurant area that takes up most of the premises that was opened way back in 2001. Colourful ornate steins lined the shelves behind the bar and several people were tucking into ample portions of a fusion of traditional German and Canarian food.

They say behind every successful man is a good woman and Tenerife born Teresa Quiepo Garcia can take credit for relocating Joachim’s skills to a hot and dry land not naturally associated with brewing. “We met in Berlin where a friend got me involved in a project to convert railway viaduct arches into business units” explained Joachim.

“I couldn’t believe he wanted to make a micro brewery in one of these small arches, I had no knowledge of brewing but added my technical knowledge to his and we fitted it out and got it working well, I became hooked on the brewing process and its challenges. After losing my job, Teresa wanted us to move back to north Tenerife so with little chance of getting an engineering job here we decided to use my new skills and Teresa’s catering background to open a restaurant and brewery.”

At this point of his story I had to get a top up and plumped for Cobre, the smooth rich brew that Joachim was working on when I arrived. Joachim gave me the guided tour and I began to realise the extent of his talent, every inch of space was utilised from the combined cold room to store the beer and food to the home made heat exchanger serving the vats, and a vast storage area beneath the building where the special ingredients lived.

• Tacoa Clara – a blond beer with a pilsen aroma. Strength 4.5 %
• Tacoa Cobre – copper coloured, smooth with a taste of malt. Strength 4.5 %
• Tacoa Negra – dark beer, malt taste, strong in alcohol. Strength 6.5 %
• Tacoa Trigo – wheat beer with a hint of banana. Strength 4.5 %
• Tacoa Light – refreshing session beer. Strength 2 %.
• Tacoa Fiesta – Brewed for special occasions from a traditional recipe used at the Munich Beer Festival. Strength 5.5 %

Sacks of malt from Bamberg, an 1879 founded German brewing favourite, rubbed shoulders with packets of hops from Haller Tam, another byword in German brewing. There was even a home made steam cleansing room where the barrels are given a thorough spruce up before re-use, it’s a very eco friendly business, the used malt is fed to some very happy local pigs. The beers are made strictly to Germany’s famous purity laws of 1516 which prohibit additives and preservatives

Not sure how that happened, suddenly my glass is empty, better try the third brew on, Negra, dark and full of promise it delivered a strong malty taste. Ranking alongside the best of UK ales from my past, this was worth the excursion on its own. If I lived closer I would have took advantage of the bottled carry outs or party service barrels of 20 or 30 litres. Maybe another time I will bring reinforcements to try the tempting metre of beer, 11 jarras (pints) for the price of 10. Joachim brews 500 litres of each beer at a time so there’s plenty to make the regular Friday live jazz nights go with a swing. As I downed another farewell Negra my mind was already planning future trips to treat my taste buds. Cheers.

FACT FILE

Tacoa Cerveceria & Restaurante

Carretera General del Norte 122,

38360 El Sauzal

Tel (0034) 922564173

www.cerveceriatacoa.com

Open 1pm to late every day except closed Mondays.

Title: Wine and Sex
Location: Bodegas Monje, El Sauzal
Link out: Click here
Description: What no football? Oh well can’t have everything. This special evening at a top wine cellar in north Tenerife is being promoted through the governments tourism department.
The press release promises local wines, aphrodisiacs, erotic games and mood food. It starts at 8.30pm, you can book via the website www.bodegasmonje.com or phone 922585027. Go on pop your cork and enjoy. It’s the most fun you can have standing up.
Date: 2010-07-17

We’ve been battered by hurricane xynthia and saturated by monsoon rains and in between we’ve had the warmest winter since the 1920s. The press have labelled it ‘the winter of storms’ and Tenerife’s weather has had more news coverage in the rest of the world than our camera shy little rock in the Atlantic is used to.
But I awoke on Sunday morning to the ‘hoop, hoop’ song of the hoopoe bird newly returned from his over-winter in Africa and my thoughts turned to long, lazy mornings over a pot of tea and the Sunday supplements in one of Tenerife’s park cafes.

So, in the fervent expectation that the wild extremes of winter are now safely behind us (was that a clap of thunder I just heard?), here at Tenerife Magazine we thought we’d join the hoopoe and trumpet the imminent arrival of spring with our guide to the best places to enjoy a cup of tea in the company of nature’s bounty.

Parque Los Lavaderos (Avenida Los Angeles, El Sauzal; open 08.00-19.00 in winter, 08.00-21.00 in summer; admission free)
Los Lavaderos clings to the side of the cliff in a series of terraces which lead down to the natural springs of a former laundry, with stunning views of Mount Teide and the lush north coastline. Quirky garden follies and giant structural plants characterise the landscape set around the Chocolaté café which serves speciality teas and bite-sized snacks in a deliciously bohemian setting.
Go now and you’ll get the perfumed benefit of the wall of jasmine right below the café.

Risco Bello (Parque Taoro, Puerto de la Cruz; open every day from 09.30 – 18.00; entrance free to café, €4 to water gardens)
Set alongside the gardens of the iconic former hotel and casino of Taoro, these decadent water gardens are Puerto’s version of ‘Through the Looking Glass’. Paths, steps and bridges weave their way through green tunnels to emerge at Monet-style lily ponds and hidden lakes set with cascading falls. Charming and intriguing in equal measure. Alongside the duck pond on a tranquil lawn where weeping willow trees bend to kiss the waterside is a small café with tea, sandwiches and a time warp to the 1950s.

Parque García Sanabria. (Rambla General Franco, Santa Cruz; admission free)
Set in the heart of Santa Cruz and known as ‘the lungs of the city’, Parque García Sanabria is an open air art gallery set amongst tropical landscaped gardens where Santacruceros come to relax and to play. Strolling through its 67,000 square metres of botanical gardens, you’ll encounter the bare bosoms of ‘Fecundidad’ and the green eyes of ‘The Cat’ amongst its many treasures. Head to the constantly changing floral clock on Calle de Méndez Núñez for the Gaudi-esque décor of its pavement café.

Sitio Litre (Camino Sitio Litre, Puerto de la Cruz; open every day from 09.30-17.00 (18.00 in summer); entrance €4.75)
Patronised in its time by such luminaries as Agatha Christie, William Wilde (Oscar’s dad), the explorers Richard Burton and Alexander Von Humboldt and the botanical artist Marianne North, you may consider ordering Earl Grey at the café outside the mansion in Sitio Litre. Tenerife’s oldest surviving gardens, Sitio Litre also boast an impressive orchid collection and a 300 year old Drago Tree; don’t forget to crook your pinkie for this one.