Roque Nublo

A free-standing volcanic tower left behind when the softer rock around it eroded away, sitting near the highest point of Gran Canaria at around 1,800 metres. On a clear day Teide is visible across the water on Tenerife; on a cloudy one the ridge sits above the cloud layer and the rock rises out of white.

The walk in is about half an hour on a well-made path, mostly gentle with a steeper final stretch. That filters the crowd — far fewer people make it here than to the dunes — and it means a session has the place largely to itself.

As with Teide, altitude hardens the light and drops the temperature. Sunset is the classic time and also the coldest and windiest.