Torre de sa Mesquida

The colour catches you first. The tower is built of the dark local stone, and from the beach it stands out sharply on its rocky rise above the cove.

It went up between 1798 and 1802, during the last British occupation of Menorca, and the defences point inland: the west side carries a heavy machicolation, a projecting parapet for dropping fire on anyone coming overland from that direction. At its foot, facing the water, a paved artillery platform held a barbette battery, with guns firing over the parapet. The door at ground level is a later addition. On towers of this type the entrance sat higher up, out of reach, and the original doorway here is partly walled up and turned into a window.

The design itself sets it apart, since it breaks from the standard pattern of the other British towers on the island.

• The tower stands on private property and cannot be visited; the road up to it is private, so you cannot get close.
• The former guardhouse beside the tower is a private home, and the tower serves as its store.
• The tower is seen from Sa Mesquida beach below.
• There are no toilets and no drinking water nearby, so bring what you need.

You arrive at Sa Mesquida beach. Two car parks serve it, about 200 m and 250 m from the tower in a straight line, and the Sa Mesquida bus stop (Aturada Sa Mesquida) is about 320 m away. From the beach the tower is in full view on its rocky rise above the cove.

That is where the approach ends. The road up to the tower is private, so look and photograph from the beach and leave the road to the owners.

Best: early morning or evening, or any day outside high summer.

Avoid: the middle of the day in July and August.

The tower is closed all year, so timing only changes the beach you look from, which is at its busiest on summer afternoons, and low sun sets the dark stone off against the sky.

The tower stands on private property, and the road leading up to it is private. The tower serves as a domestic store and the former guardhouse next to it is lived in as a private home. Keep off the road and the grounds, and respect the residents' privacy when you photograph the tower from the beach.