La Bermeja Viewpoint

On a good day you stand above the weather. The cloud that covers the lower slopes spreads out below the viewpoint like a white floor, and beyond it Teide lifts clear of everything, snow on the summit in winter.

Pines crowd right up to the edge of the car park, so the air smells of resin and the view opens suddenly between the trunks. Sunset is the moment to be here: the light goes gold on the cloud tops and the volcano darkens against the sky. Then it gets cold, fast.

• Bring a warm layer: above the cloud the air is chilly, and it drops further once the sun goes down.
• There are no toilets, no drinking water and no information point at the viewpoint or nearby — come stocked.
• The view depends on the weather. When the cloud rises to this level, you are standing inside it and there is nothing to see.
• This is a stop on a drive: park, look, stretch your legs, move on.

You arrive by car. The car park sits right beside the viewpoint, so there is no walk to speak of: step out and the view is in front of you. Spaces for wheelchair users are part of it. A second car park lies about 1.1 km away in a straight line.

The nearest bus stop, Margarita Piedra, is about 1.1 km away in a straight line, which leaves the last stretch on foot. With the car park at the viewpoint itself, driving is the simpler way up.

Best: a clear evening, around sunset.

Avoid: grey, wet days when the cloud sits at the level of the viewpoint.

The whole point is the view over the cloud to Teide, and it needs clear air above the cloud layer; at sunset the low light turns the cloud tops gold. In winter the summit of Teide often carries snow, which adds to the picture — and makes the cold after dark sharper.