Angelokastro ramparts above Paleokastritsa

Angelokastro crowns a bare conical rock above the village of Krini, the highest and most defensible point of Corfu's north-west coast. It was never taken by siege, and the islanders sheltered inside it when the coast was raided. What survives is a ring of ruined wall, cisterns cut into the rock, a rock-cut chapel and, on the summit, the small whitewashed church of Agioi Theodoroi with nothing above it but sky.

For photography the summit is close to unimprovable: bare rock, ruined arches to frame through, and a three-hundred-metre drop to the sea on three sides. A couple gets height, silhouette and a horizon that curves. The white chapel is the one bright anchor in a frame that is otherwise stone and blue, and the ruined gate arches lower down make natural frames within the frame.

The site looks west over the bays of Paleokastritsa, so late afternoon is the hour — clear side-light on the stone, the sea going from turquoise to deep blue underneath. Midday is flat and very hot on exposed rock. Spring gives green slopes and the cleanest air; winter brings storms that make the coast dramatic and the steps slick.

Practical: this is a ticketed archaeological site with seasonal opening hours that often end well before sunset — check them for the date rather than assuming an evening slot. From the small car park it is about ten minutes up uneven stone steps, there is no shade, no water and no shelter at the top, and the final road from Krini is narrow with passing places. Flat shoes are not optional.