The basilica at Covadonga

The basilica of Santa María la Real was finished in 1901 in a hard pink limestone that photographs warm at almost any hour, and it is built on a spur so that the mountain rises straight out of the frame behind it. The classic view is from the esplanade below and slightly to the west, where the two towers, the roof and the wall of rock stack cleanly.

Under the church, the Santa Cueva is a chapel set into the cliff with a waterfall dropping from the rock beside it into a pool below. It is a working shrine and a busy one, so the courtyard shots work early; the pool and the falling water at the bottom of the steps are quieter all day.

The whole site sits in a wooded valley, which means light arrives late and leaves early. Mid-morning to early afternoon is when the sun actually reaches the façade; on grey days the pink stone still holds colour, which is why this place works in weather that would kill a session elsewhere.

It is an active pilgrimage site with masses, coach parties and a car park that fills by ten in August. There is no charge to walk around it, but photography inside the church follows the sanctuary's own rules — check them on the day rather than assuming.