The Big Noise in Tenerife in November

Some visitors to Tenerife might think the place is overrun with Scots when they spot the saltire proudly billowing in the breeze all over the place; it just happens that Tenerife and Scotland share the same flag and both celebrate Saint Andrews (San Andrés) day. In Tenerife's case most of the fun takes place during the evening of the 29th November 2008.

If you want to join in, head down to the harbour at Puerto de la Cruz at around 18.00 and grab your poke of roasted chestnuts and glass of country wine (or two, three, four...). And if you want to know why there are armies of kids dragging cans on a string behind them, you better read this…

For those who’d prefer a bit of extreme action, take to the hills on the eve of San Andrés, or rather the near vertical streets of Icod de los Vinos to watch the traditional ‘Arrastre de las Tablas’, when the local youths go all ‘Jackass’ and scream down almost vertical streets on metal trays hoping someone’s remembered to put the ‘mountain of tyres’ safety net at the bottom.