Completely blind and suffering from debilitating pain and limited mobility, James Holman, undertook a series of solo journeys. In 1832 he became the first blind person to circumnavigate the globe and, by 1846, he had visited every inhabited continent.

I decided to investigate, and yes, he did visit Tenerife, if only for a few days, in 1827. Luckily, for us, he left a wealth of information that he had gathered. He hadn’t climbed Mount Teide because he didn’t have the time. What a man! What is more, I found his book on the internet.

His first impression of Tenerife was promising, – “My friends were very much pleased with the town (Santa Cruz) and good pavement affording a striking contrast to Funchal (Madeira) which, like most Portuguese towns, was dirty and badly paved. There was another agreeable sight, the Spanish women, with an interesting character of expression in their faces, which is much heightened by their beautiful dark eyes and jet black hair. The dresses are remarkable for their neatness.

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KEN FISHER examines THE TEIDE ADVENTURERS, those larger-than-life figures for whom the magnetic draw of climbing to the top of Teide proved irresistible. This time he turns his attentions to CHARLES PIAZZI SMYTH (1819-1900), the Astronomer Royal for Scotland and an Egyptologist

CHARLES PIAZZI SMYTH was born in Naples. His father was then a Captain and later an Admiral in the British Navy and also a keen amateur Astronomer. Charles’s godfather was Giuseppe Piazzi, a famous Italian astronomer, and therefore Charles’s future was most decidedly written in the stars.

Due to hard work and good connections Smyth had a meteoric rise and, at the age of 27 was appointed Astronomer Royal for Scotland.

In 1704, Isaac Newton had written in his book Opticks that telescopes cannot be so formed as to take away that confusion of the Rays which arises from the Tremors of the Atmosphere. The only Remedy is a most serene and quiet Air, such as may perhaps be found on the tops of the highest Mountains above the grosser Clouds.

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KEN FISHER examines THE TEIDE ADVENTURERS, those larger-than-life figures for whom the magnetic draw of climbing to the top of Teide proved irresistible. Under the spotlight this time is SIR RICHARD FRANCIS BURTON (1821-1890)

BY THE TIME he was 40 years old, Richard Francis Burton had become famous for his travels in Africa and Asia. His best known exploit was undertaking, in disguise, the long journey with Muslim pilgrims to the sacred city of Mecca knowing that, if detected, he would have been torn to pieces by the mob, irrespective of the teachings of the Koran.

To fully adhere to his Muslim disguise, in case of capture, Burton became circumcised – just a little snippet of information showing his attention to detail.

Burton’s command of various languages enabled him to translate the Kama Sutra and the Arabian Nights into English. On his travels he was seriously wounded, dangerously ill, sometimes failing in his quest but always active. His life story is fascinating but it is my mission to get him to the top of the peak of Mount Teide.

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