by Janis / 0 comments - Orginally published:20th August 2024
The historic Guardians of Consuegra
Ahh, what an incredible sight to behold the extraordinary, whitewashed windmills of Consuegra in Spain.
Consuegra, with its astonishing windmills and delightful castle, can be seen for miles across the vast, dry plains of Castilla La Mancha.
Consuegra is located just 64km (40 miles) south of the ancient city of Toledo, and these wonderful structures can easily be reached by winding your way through the picturesque roads of La Mancha.
This was our second visit to Consuegra; our previous one was in 2014. it was an absolute treat, and the guardians of Consuegra will bring a smile to your face.
Why not Pin it for later?
A pair of windmills perched high-up the hill
Where is Consuegra?
Where to stay in Consuegra
Posada de los Cónsules
The Posada de los Cónsules in Consuegra is centrally located in town and has rooms with views of the Consuegra Windmills.
The rooms are comfortable and clean, with traditional features throughout.
Breakfast is optional at a very reasonable price, and the Posada also has an in-house restaurant and free parking onsite.
Alternatively, pop your dates in the Booking.com search box and discover further options for all budgets.
Visiting the windmills of Consuegra
In the footsteps of Don QuixoteThe twelve charming windmills of Consuegra, with their outstretched arms, stand regimented as if patrolling the small town of Consuegra below. You can almost imagine Cervantes’s Sancho Panza laden down, struggling up the hill with Don Quixote beside him on their trusty steeds.
Seven of the windmills overlooking Consuegra
These incredible windmills have been made famous by Cervantes’s novel, where the legendary Don Quixote set about fighting the windmills, as he mistakenly mistook their flailing sails for the arms of giants.
There are so many incredible places to discover in Spain and I love planning road trips. I often use the DK Guides,
I find them extremely informative, easy to follow and the pictures and maps tempt you into searching for more
Consuegra’s rich history
Windmills through generationsThese rustic sentinels have stood along the Cerro Calderico ridge of Consuegra since the 16th-century and appear to protect either side of the ruined medieval Castle of Consuegra.
The molinos and Castle of Consuegra
Originally, there were thirteen molinos (windmills), each with a unique name and were handed down through families from father to son for generations.
The windmills usually consisted of two floors, one room on each. The heavy sacks of grain needed to be carried to the top floor of the windmill for milling and could weigh around 65 kilos.
A pair of windmills
A solitary windmill
The tales of Don Quixote
If you fancy following the exploits of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza across the Spanish plains of La Mancha, grab a copy of Miguel de Cervantes’s famous novel.
Gary read it during our road trip around Spain in 2016 and loved it.
Consuegra preserved for us all
An end of an eraThe Consuegra windmills stopped being used for milling in the early 1980s, and today, twelve have been restored and renamed. The names were all taken from the Don Quixote novel by Miguel de Cervantes.
Espartero, one of the windmills of Consuegra
A tourist office is now housed in one of the windmills, and another is home to a welcoming ice-cream shop, so you have an excellent excuse to step inside.
Don Quixote on guard
It’s such a pleasure strolling from one impressive windmill to another and understanding how these white pepper-pot structures worked and how the dome above rotated.
If you love visiting the Consuegra windmills in Spain, we suggest that you journey across the plains of La Mancha to discover the ‘Giants’ of Campo de Criptana, just 40km (30 miles) east; you won’t regret it.
Jump onboard
One of our favourite ways to kick off our trips is to let Brittany Ferries take the strain, sit back, relax, and go with the flow. Enjoy a little bit of France onboard as you sail directly into Bilbao or Santander in northern Spain.
Castle of Consuegra
Views across Castilla La ManchaWhen you reach the top of Cerro Calderico ridge in Consuegra not only are you greeted with the twelve charming molinos of Consuegra, but you are also fortunate enough to experience a beautiful panoramic vista across La Mancha, Spain.
Views across Castilla la Mancha
The Castillo de Consuegra has Moorish origin, dating to the 10th-century; however, the majority of the Consuegra Castle was destroyed during the Peninsular War of 1813.
In 1962, the castle was handed to the town hall of Consuegra, and a restoration project was undertaken. Today, you can visit the castle and witness how this historic castle was brought back to life.
Castillo de Consuegra
Annually, at the end of October, the town of Consuegra celebrates the Festival of the Saffron Rose. The fields around Consuegra turn purple as the saffron crocuses bloom, ready for harvesting. Some of the world’s finest Saffron is grown in this region of Spain.
Around 250,000 crocus flowers are needed to produce one kilo of saffron, which takes approximately 400 hours of manual work; no wonder it is so expensive.
The castle and six windmills
Tempted to?
Discover more of historic Spain and tour its picturesque countryside in the north, or head south to explore the Sierra Nevada National Park just south of Granada.
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.
Visiting Puerto Lapice
A delight in Castilla La ManchaIf you fancy discovering somewhere a little different, just head 24 km (15 miles) south of Consuegra, and you’ll arrive at the delightful little town of Puerto Lápice, which has a population of around 900.
Plaza Porticada, Puerto Lapice
Puerto Lápice is incredibly charming, and the pretty town square of Plaza de la Constitucion is a lovely place to sit and relax and enjoy a chat with the locals if you can speak Spanish, of course, or just smile as we do. We need a few more Duolingo lessons.
Adjacent to the Plaza de la Constitucion and encircled by a picturesque two-tiered red wooden balcony is Plaza Porticada; take a wander around the gallery; it is enchanting.
Plaza de la Constitucion
We spent around an hour strolling around the attractive streets of Puerto Lápice, especially Calle De Cervantes. We loved all of its references to Miguel de Cervantes and, of course, Don Quixote and his protégé Sancho Panza.
Statue of Don Quixote
Quijoteworld
Tourist Information
If you’re visiting Consuegra, take a browse through the official Consuegra Tourism website. Alternatively, if you’re planning to explore Spain further, ensure you check out the Visit Spain official tourism website. It is overflowing with helpful information covering every region of this beautiful country from north, south, east, and west.
* This post may contain links to affiliated sites where we earn a small commission at no additional charge to you.
