Tefia Windmill

Count the sails. There are six of them, a rare arrangement for a windmill and the detail that sets this one apart from the mills you pass elsewhere.

The mill stands on its own in a peaceful stretch of countryside, well cared for, with little around it to break the quiet. Come when the sun is low: the light then picks out each sail and lays long shadows across the ground, and the whole thing becomes the picture it is worth driving out for.

• The interior is not open to visitors; the mill is seen from the outside only.
• There are no toilets and no drinking water at the mill or nearby, so fill up before you come.
• An information board stands beside the mill.
• The ground around it is open and bare, with no shade: bring a hat and water on a hot day.
• The La Alcogida Ecomuseum (Ecomuseo de La Alcogida) is also at Tefía, so the two fit into one outing.

The mill is a drive-up stop. A car park sits about 20 m from it, so the walk is over almost as soon as the engine is off; a second parking area lies about 930 m away.

By bus, the nearest stop is Tefía, about 1.6 km from the mill in a straight line. That leaves at least that distance on foot, with no water or toilets on arrival.

Best: early morning or late afternoon, when the sun sits low and lights the sails from the side.

Avoid: the middle of a summer day, when the light is flat and there is no shade around the mill.

The countryside here is bare and open, so the light does all the work, and a low sun is what gives the tower and its six sails their shape.