El Toston Lighthouse

Surf breaks white over the volcanic reefs below the tower, and out on the point the wind blows hard enough to lean on. The lighthouse you see from the road is the 1980s tower: 30 m of white concrete banded in red, about the height of a ten-storey block.

It is the third light on Punta Tostón. The first, in 1897, was a 7 m masonry tower on a corner of the keeper's house, and that house now holds a museum on the island's traditional fishing. The 15 m concrete tower of the 1950s is the one visitors climb, and the view from the top runs over reef and open Atlantic.

In front of the lighthouse, pools trapped between the rocks hold crabs and shells, and the ground underfoot is a raised beach of fossilised sandstone. On a clear day Lanzarote sits on the horizon to the north.

• Wind: the headland is exposed and very windy. Bring a windproof layer and keep a hand on hats and loose kit.
• Museum: the old keeper's house holds an exhibition on the island's traditional fishing, with a small café.
• Trail: a self-guided loop of about 1 km circles the lighthouse, with multilingual signs on geology, shellfish and wildlife.
• Dogs are allowed, and children have the rock pools in front of the lighthouse to explore.

Most people arrive by car. El Cotillo is about ten minutes' drive away, and a road leads out to the lighthouse; beside it stands the Aljibe, the cistern that collected drinking water for the keepers and their families. The car park sits about 50 m from the lighthouse, with a second parking area about 690 m away.

The nearest bus stop, El Cotillo, is about 3.3 km away in a straight line, so coming by bus means a long walk out to the headland.

Best: a clear afternoon running into the evening. Lanzarote shows on the horizon to the north, and the point faces the open Atlantic, where the sun goes down over the sea.

Avoid: the middle of a hot summer day. The bare volcanic headland is fully exposed, and the wind hides how hard the sun burns.