MotorbikeWriter invites reader, riders and bloggers to send us their travel stories about interesting roads and exotic locations. This entry is very exotic – the Spanish Island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco. It’s written by Hollie Mantle, of London, who has been pillion with her boyfriend all over Europe, and riding a scooter solo in Vietnam and Thailand for the past two years. Taganana is a tiny, picturesque village set in the north of the island amid mountainous valleys and peaks. From afar it looks like little white chocolates set into a giant box of green, and gets even prettier when you get up close to those white washed walls. The road you’ll take up to this village is called El Bailadero, and it’s a pretty exhilarating ride for even the most experienced of motorcyclists – reaching up to 600km above sea level over just a 6km stretch. This means one thing: up, up and up, until you’re among the clouds and mist, which gives it a very magical, otherworldly feel.

The roads, however, aren’t the friendliest: they’re extremely narrow in places and can make inexperienced motorcyclists very nervous. Although, if you head up there during prime day time hours, you’ll be vying for road space with tourist buses, so there won’t be a lot of opportunity to tackle bends too quickly. Masca is a small mountain village nestled among the valleys and isn’t particularly spectacular in itself, but the road leading up to it can be incredibly exciting for experienced motorcyclists. The tiny roads offer very little protection from the vertical drops down the cliff faces below. But if you enjoy a few hairpin bends and turns to keep your adrenaline rushing, then it’s definitely worth tackling. The road has dozens of switch-back turns, and requires ultimate levels of concentration, so there’s no chance of getting bored! Try to avoid going after 11am when the roads tend to get busier if you really want to get that ‘open road’ feeling. One plus point about the area is that the landscape is relatively barren, which means no overhanging trees to block your view as you attempt to see what kind of bends are coming up ahead.

Teide is the third biggest volcano in the world, which last erupted in 1909. Now it’s Tenerife’s most popular tourist hotspot, and is great for drivers or motorbikers looking for roads in good condition with some great views. Whilst the road up towards the top of the volcano is well tarmacked for the most part, the landscape surrounding the road is like another world. Picture large and small rocks, jutting out of the ground or scattered loosely in every direction. As part of this drive you’ll go through Teide National Park, which is definitely worth a quick stop off. (They even have a cable car if you’re sore from the bike and in need of a rest!) The landscape nearer the top of the volcano is equally lunar-esque and beautifully uneven, so be sure to bring your camera. If you’re worried about damage to the bike tyres or your hire deposit, this is the best road for you. Renting a bike on the island isn’t too pricy, although don’t expect the bikes to be the comfiest you’ve ever ridden.

Prices are around €100-150 ($A146/$US123-$A220/$US185) per day from a decent shop, or €210 ($A307/$US260) if you want to hire a guide to show you around. The available range of motorcycles is pretty large, depending on where you want to pick up from. In the end we realised it was cheaper to bring our own.motorcycle parts st albans You’ll need to be: over 30 years old, in possession of a driving licence that is at least 2 years old, and completely sober – even one pint will send you over the limit here. senna motorcycle for saleNot to say that no one risks it! womens motorcycle jackets edmontonGetting an international licence is also a must. motorcycle dealer wylie tx

They’re cheap to pick up from a post office before you leave. The south of the island has more hotels, so will suit you better price-wise because of competition. Costa Adeje is a nice resort, or Playas de las Americas right next to it They also have information about bike tour companies, if you want to take a guided tour, as well as other activities to keep your family entertained. Both of these places are close to Teide and Masca, but a bit further from Taganana. To bring your own bike from the UK you’d need to get a ferry from Portsmouth harbour to Santander, then drive down to Portugal and get on another ferry to Santa Cruz. You can work out if this is best for you price-wise depending on the duration of your stay. Flights with Ryanair for those planning to rent can be as little as £35 ($A65/$US55) during the off-season months. It rarely rains in the south of the island where Costa Adeje is located, which means no slippery roads. The north is much cloudier and likely to be cursed with unfortunate weather, however the island temperatures are balmy year-round.

To try local food, go for Rancho Canario which is a soup that has everything under the sun thrown in including cabbage, noodles, chicken, chickpeas and pork, or papas arrugadas which is wrinkled potatoes covered in spicy sauce. The official tourism website will let you know if anything big is coming up in terms of festivals, road closures or weather problems. I just got back from a trip to Tenerife. Had one day to rent a bike and have an adventure.*Fun bike but a bit uncomfortable. *Cost about 18 Euros to fill the tank. *It was almost empty and the tank holds about 5 gallons or 20 liters. *It lasted the entire day but I didn't track how many miles I travelled, my guess is the mpg isn't very good. A door in Vilaflor! Stumbled upon a local parade. *All were encouraged to march with the group including myself. *I followed for some time but had no idea what all the excitement was about. *There were no floats just an array of costumed townspeople from the very young to adults.

*It was followed by a van that was blatting out music from a roof mounted PA system. *I was told later that this was the remnants of the Carnaval festival that had ended as we arrived to the island. One last view of Vilaflor. *Note the clouds, the weather at the coast is probably in the 70's. *In the cloud as you ascend it gets very cold and when you are on the north end usually some precipitation. *Once you break through the clouds it warms up again, that day it was in the low 60's as long as you are in sunlight. This is a combined photo. *The bike did not move I just shot the road from in front and behind, trying to illustrate the twisty nature of the roads. Look at the dark volcanic soil. *The forest was just starting to thin out as I was reaching the plateau. Once you get to the top it looks like an alien world. There is still variety in the landscape and some amazing rock formations. The pink church, highest in the land resting at 7,700 feet above sea level.

Passing the mountain and heading to the north side of the island I came across a lunar type landscape. *Sandy with rocks scattered about unlike the very rocky southern section of the mountain plateau. Standing above the clouds. *A nice German couple took my photo. *Made fun of me as I ran my hands over my head to fluff up what little hair I had left, I thought it might be mushed down from the helmet. My last moments in the sun for quite some time. Looking back at El Teide one more time before my descent. I was about to head down the mountain and into the clouds. *I chose this route based upon the map. *While twisty it seemed far less tight with more straights than my other options. *It was true for the most part, there is just no avoiding the switchbacks. The ride down was cold and foggy/cloudy. *There were times when I couldn't see more than ten feet in front of me. *Then the stinging ice crystals and sharp rain drops attacked me. *Even with the discomfort it was beautiful.

*I stopped along the way hopping the I could photo the fog and clouds rolling off the side of the cliffs and over the road. *The camera did an okay job capturing the scene but it was much more dramatic to the naked eye. Along the other side I visited the coastal town of Candelaria. *Stepped inside this beautiful church. *This was the only town where I ran into a beggar and he was sitting on the church steps as you exited. Outside the church along the sea wall is a row of eight statues. *They represent the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands. Time to eat, I had octopus with potatoes. And small fried fish. *Never know what you are going to get when you can't quite read the menu. *You eat the fish head and all. In the coastal town of Garachino is the Castillo de San Miguel. *Constructed in 1575 as a fortress. I went back up the mountain afterwards, there are four main roads so I did a convoluted figure eight across the island. *The way back up was even colder than the way down.

*I was completely uncomfortable and wanted nothing more than to break into the sunlight once again. *My arms were so tired by then and the constant shivering had me in an awful state. *While there were some gorgeous views I simply wanted to press on and get out of the cloud bank. I stopped at a restaurant near El Teide and had a bowl of chicken soup to warm me up. *So glad to be back in the sunlight. The incredibly winding roads near Masca. The village of Masca built along the cliff walls. *Later that week Serena and I would take a four hour hike from the village down to the sea. More of the bluffs near Masca. After I returned my bike I was greeted to a beautiful sunset. Tenerife is a beautiful place with gracious people, delicious food and diverse landscape. *Depending on what kind of connections you can get the flight time is around eight to ten hours. *Most people speak English as it is a popular destination for UK travelers as well as other European visitors.