Carmen Viewpoint

What it is

The Carmen viewpoint is a small esplanade on a crag, in front of the hermitage of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, in Setenil's old town. From here you see the white houses tucked into the canyon of the River Guadalporcún: the roofs, the facades set against the rock and how the houses follow the curve of the wall. It is the place where you best understand, at a glance, why Setenil is the way it is.

The hermitage, from the 18th century, is the seat of the Virgen del Carmen, patron of Setenil and of seafarers.

How you get up

The Diputación de Cádiz guide to the cave streets marks the access by the Carmen staircase, which climbs from Calle Jabonería to the hermitage by steps cut into the rock. The guide invites you to count them: there are many and they are steep. In twenty minutes you have time to climb, look and come down.

To reach Calle Jabonería, enter the village from below, by Cuevas del Sol, the street of bars and restaurants under the rock; Calle Jabonería leads off it. That way you link the viewpoint with the walk through the cave streets.

Where to park

Don't take the car into the old town: the streets are narrow and some pass under the rock. Park in the lower part, on the Paseo Federico García Lorca, next to the start of Cuevas del Sol, or in the car parks at the village entrance on Calle Ancha. At weekends they fill up by mid-morning.

When to go

The viewpoint is public and free, with no opening hours. First thing and at the end of the afternoon the light is softer on the whitewashed facades and there are fewer people. In summer, at midday, the staircase in the sun is hard going: bring water. If it rains, take care on the staircase, because the polished rock is slippery.

With children, a pushchair or a dog

With children who can climb steps, no problem, although up top keep them close to the edge. With a pushchair, no: the staircase is narrow and has no ramp. With a dog, on a lead and taking it slowly on the steps.

Other viewpoints in the village

Setenil has more views from above, each showing another face of the village. In the upper part, at the foot of the keep tower, the Lizón viewpoint opens over the whole municipality. In the little square of the church of the Encarnación, the Villa viewpoint looks over the Cabrerizas and Jabonería neighbourhoods and the river. To see the village from below, from the water, do the Mills Trail.