Sanctuary of Our Lady of La Pena

Inside, the whole church turns on a figure you could cover with your hand: the Virgin of La Peña, a little over 20 cm tall. Jean de Bethencourt brought her to Fuerteventura in the 15th century, and she is still the most valuable object the island's church owns.

The building around her is a plain 17th-century village church. What stays with you is the setting. Vega de Río Palmas sits in a green, calm fold of the Betancuria mountains, and once the car door shuts the valley goes silent. The interior holds that silence. It is a place to sit for ten minutes on a drive through the hills, and it rewards exactly that.

• The church closes in mid-afternoon every day, so put it in the morning or around midday on a drive through the valley.
• There are no public toilets and no drinking water point near the church. Fill up before you come.
• A sign inside asks that photographs taken in the church are not shared on social media.
• The nearest car park has an unpaved ground surface; wheelchair-accessible parking is available.

Most people arrive by car or bicycle along the scenic mountain road through the Betancuria valley. The nearest car park, on an unpaved ground surface, lies about 150 m from the church in a straight line, and the rest is a walk across the hamlet to the door. A second, asphalt car park sits about 1.2 km away.

Without a car, the bus stop Iglesia La Vega is about 30 m from the church, close enough that you step off almost at the entrance.

Best: mid-morning to early afternoon, any day of the week.

Avoid: late afternoon and evening.

The church keeps the same hours all week and shuts in mid-afternoon, so a late arrival finds the door closed and the statue out of sight.

The sanctuary is a working church and the home of Fuerteventura's patron figure, so the interior is treated as a place of prayer. A sign inside asks that any photograph taken in the church stays off social media. Keep your voice low, and step back if a service or a private prayer is under way.