Helmut and I have just returned from a week in Gran Canaria, which gave us five day’s riding with Canary Motorycle Tours.
Before we arrived, the organisation by Joy who is co - owner and administrator extraordinaire was spot - on. It was really easy to communicate. That didn’t stop when we got there and the airport pick - up and drop off and welcome brief including a map of the local town and recommended restaurants were great.
There are several groups that ride out of the main base on any given day, but the maximum in our group was seven, with most days being six. We were fortunate enough to spend the whole week with three really nice blokes with other ones and twos rotating through as some people book just a day or two.
On the first day, you are allocated a bike. I was hoping for the SV650 initially simply as I can get the balls of my feet down and the roads are very cambered, but someone else my height had that. I was given a Honda NC750X in the end (manual, although there was a DCT version) which I could tiptoe. Helmut had a brand new V Strom 800DE. Both did the job well; the Honda was pretty characterless but very easy to ride and more than enough for the job. It was all - day comfortable and felt very stable, probably due to the fuel tank under the seat I guess. Compared to the Street Triple there was very little feel (to me) from it, but then it is a completely different bike.
Our guide for the week was Jose, a born and bred Canarian who seemed to know absolutely everyone on the island. He was also utterly, completely bonkers in the very best possible way; relentlessly enthusiastic and passionate about motorcycling, loads of fun but also very strict on the safe way to ride these roads. The majority were exceptionally twisty and narrow with multiple blind bends so “keep right, keep tight” was the mantra to avoid colliding with anything coming in the opposite direction.
The photos that I had seen before we went were amazing, but actually being there and experiencing the spectacular scenery was something totally different. Much of the riding was done up into the mountains, with endless hairpins to negotiate to get up there - the website does say it is not for the novice rider and I would say that it was pretty technical. Jose kept the pace challenging, but not so much that you missed out on the awesome scenery. I do not think that I would have been able to do this a year or eighteen months ago but I kept up with the group absolutely fine on this tour and feel as if I have likely come away a better rider also for the experience. A head for heights was also essential as some of the roads were next to sheer drop - offs.
The weather was a little mixed; we got wet at times for the first few days with one memorable ride high up in the mountains in the cloud and rain, coming down steep hairpins only able to see a bike length in front. This soon improved as we came back down to lower altitudes and Jose altered the route to follow the coast to the south to seek good weather 
.
We were very fortunate in that the guide was brilliant, food and drink and every stop was great and the others in the group that were rode with we struck lucky with and they were great company.
. I also asked about the meaning of his green wristband and “An Angel On The Road” on his jacket and he told me that story too. The man is a legend (and completely mad).