The ‘Giants’ of Campo de Criptana, Spain
Don Quixote met his match
These wonderfully preserved 16th-century iconic windmills stand proud across the Sierra de Molinos with an unwavering view of Campo de Criptana below.
We could see the 10 towering giants for miles when we approached, but it’s such a fantastic sight when you are up close and walking amongst their whitewashed walls.
A helpful guide
There are so many incredible places to discover in Spain and I love planning road trips. I often use the DK Eyewitness books, I find them extremely informative, easy to follow and the pictures and maps tempt you into searching for more.
We used a previous version of this book to plan our Spanish road trips, now you can grab the revised copy.
“On guard,”
There were only a few visitors around when we were there and with the windmills in such proximity of each other, it’s easy to conjure up visions in your mind of Cervantes’s Don Quixote, jostling with the outstretched arms of the windmills.
Tempted to?
Discover more of Spain, its historic town's & cities, the vast countryside. You can do it all on a road trip, Rental Cars searches multiple well-known car hire brands and discovers the deals that suit you the best.
Take a peek
Each of the ten windmills is individually named, and one is now home to the local Tourist Office.
For a couple of euros each, you can take a look around one of the preserved molinos to gain a greater understanding of the mechanics behind these ‘Giants’, and how the roofs would have been rotated for the prevailing winds.
Records show that in the 19th-century there were 34 windmills in this area.
Why not?
Start creating your own Spanish adventure and discover its historical towns and cities for yourself, easyJet & British Airways are just a couple of options.
La Mancha
This style of a windmill is so synonymous amongst the plains of La Mancha; it is fantastic to see them dotted around the landscape.
When touring around I love the fact that there are these iconic sights or structures that you immediately know where you are in the world, we had arrived at Castile-La Mancha.
Have You?
Visited Campo de Criptana? or have you visited the mills at Consuegra? And who else has read Don Quixote? Gary has - amusing, if a challenging read.
Inspired to visit Campo de Criptana?
Set in the heart of Castile-La Mancha, there are plenty of ways to see the mills.
Our choice would be to include Toledo as part of a road trip, and pick up Campo de Criptana as a lunchtime stopover.
Why not check out the options on Booking.Com?
Have you had a look at our Tour of Spain 2016?
(Why not Pin It for Later?)
Comments
Looks like these were fantastic in person, love the wide shot where you’re talking about them dotting the landscape!
Thanks Kyle,They’re magnificent – You see them for miles before you reach them as they sit high above the plains of La Mancha, then as you draw close they become really impressive.There’s a few of these spotted around the landscape of this region, and they look wonderful on the hillside.On our 2014 road trip we also came across a some at Consuegra, along with a castle.Thanks for commenting – Happy Travels,Janis & Gary