Most people go to Tenerife for winter sun, rarely straying from the beach complexes in the south. But it’s a fabulous island for hiking, and no area more so than the National Park which covers the vast volcanic crater surrounding Mount Teide. Rising to 3715m (12,188ft) Teide is the highest point in Spanish territory, and a gently active volcano to boot – by volume, the third largest in the world.

Below the current peak, at an elevation of about 2350m (7,700ft) lies the vast crater of Las Cañadas, 16km (10 miles) across. Formed when an earlier volcano literally blew its top 300,000 years ago, subsequent erosion and smaller eruptions have produced a stunning, almost lunar landscape, with a fragile and unique flora and fauna. As the floor below the crater rim is relatively flat, it makes for a superb, 18km (11 mile) walk from the Cañadas Park Visitor centre across to the Parador de Las Cañadas hotel on the far side of the rim. It’s one of my most memorable walks, and suitable for anyone who is fit and wearing decent, comfortable walking boots.

There’s a sparse bus service from Puerto de la Cruz which will drop you off at the El Portillo bar, a few minutes’ walk from the Visitor Centre. Then follow the off-road track (over the road from the Visitor Centre) across the crater floor to the Parador. The Visitor Centre has maps and guidebooks giving the route in more detail. The ascent from by bus Puerto de La Cruz is spectacular in itself: starting at sea level, the bus climbs through the lush Orotava Valley, slowly zig-zagging up through banana plantations, then past terraced fields and finally through thick forests of Canarian pine. At about about 2,000m (6,500ft) the bus penetrates the cloud layer, before rounding the last corner – and there, looking down on the clouds - almost as if in heaven - is a bar!

The walk itself is undulating, but not particularly strenuous, with total climb of less than 200m (660ft). The rock formations and scenery provide constant variety, with bizarre anthropomorphic shapes contrasting with vast gravel plains - actually the beds of lakes, formed from snow meltwater in spring. The plant life is equally bizarre, and in late spring you will see the spectacular, 2m high crimson spikes of the Tajinaste rojo (Echium wildpretii), which after they have flowered form eerie, skeletal white cones. Throughout the walk, the peak of Teide forms a constant, towering presence in the distance.

As the path gets closer to the rim, so the rim itself rises over 600m (2,000ft) from the crater floor to the jagged peak of Guajara – a good but demanding walk in itself for the experienced and properly equipped mountain walker. A few miles later, and you are at the Parador, with its café and shop, where you can rest before catching the late afternoon bus back to Puerto.

A note on the weather: at this altitude, check before setting off that the weather is going to be fine, as it would be unpleasant (and possibly dangerous) in bad weather, and pointless with poor visibility. When we went in May, it was 28C in Puerto, but just 5C at the crater, with a 60km/h wind, and dazzling, intense sun. So take plenty of layers, plenty of water, a hat, gloves and sunscreen. Be aware too that there is no habitation for the whole 11 miles, so there’s nowhere to go for help or for water, although the occasional Park Ranger jeep may pass by. Also, walking at 8,000ft will feel a little harder than lower down, as the air is thinner (but not enough to get altitude sickness!). So only attempt it if you are fit enough, and the weather forecast is good.

But go properly prepared, and you’ll have a fantastic and truly memorable experience. Who could just stay on the beach with scenery like this?