RadinGranCan

It's a good job that we are not hankering after a lie in. Our 'bungalow' is close to the cleaners' compound and they start to congregate before 09.00 chattering cheerfully. They aren't the only congregation. There are cats everywhere and they are not fussy about what they drink. Today's forecast is Sunny intervals and 20°C. The plan is to find a proper supermarket and vittle up for a day or two. A review of Google Maps suggests that we can walk up the road outside the digs and pick up a path to a likely spot. We get to the alleged path to find it to be a security fenced building site. Bum! We retrace our steps and notice that people are heading across a vacant site towards the road that we need to be on. This site has lots of scrubby bushes and a few trees as well as loads of birds. The reason for this trip to Gran Canaria was the realisation that Madeira is not the greatest birding venue. The Serious Birding Guide to Macaronesia went wit...

5 am alarm.  6 am taxi.  7 am in 'Spoons, although we only have tea and toast. Not everybody is being so abstemious as can be seen in the photo. Edinburgh airport is a bit quieter than the last couple of times that we have flown. Flight LS715 is no nonsense transport from Yorkshire's finest, although we do rather miss the glass of champagne. The investment in extra legroom seats is definitely worthwhile.  We take off in wintry sunshine and a temperature of 8°C. The views of Central Scotland are magnificent until we reach Motherwell where the clouds roll in. The driver tells us that we have crossed the Irish Sea and are heading south over Dublin and Cork. By the time the clouds clear we are out over the Atlantic Ocean and there is nothing to see from our side of the plane. As we approach Gran Canaria the cloud reappears so we only get a fleeting view of the coastal strip before we land. Immigration and customs are taken in our stride and in no time we are on th...