Zahara de la Sierra above its reservoir

Zahara is the postcard of the whole route, and for once the postcard is accurate: white houses wrapped around a rock cone, a square Nasrid keep on the summit, and the Zahara–El Gastor reservoir below in a colour that only happens where limestone meets water.

There are two distinct shots. The classic wide one comes from the road up to the Puerto de las Palomas, where a couple of pull-ins give the village, tower and reservoir stacked in one frame — the light is best in the late afternoon, when the sun comes round onto the west face. The second is inside the village: narrow lanes, the church of Santa María de la Mesa, and a mirador beside it that drops straight to the water.

The walk up to the keep takes about twenty minutes of steps and path, and pays for itself: from up there the reservoir fills the background and the village roofs run below you.

Water level changes the picture entirely. After a wet winter the reservoir is full and turquoise; in a dry autumn it retreats and leaves pale banks. Neither is wrong, but it is worth checking recent photographs before promising a particular frame. Parking in the village is limited and fills at weekends.