Dromedary at Timanfaya National Park

It's hard not to feel sorry for these camels, carrying coachloads of tourists round the well-trodden gravel paths of Timanfaya, their faces bound in wire and straps.

Ok, I know camels are known for their spitting and probably biting too, so it's probably a reasonable precaution when you're offering rides to the public - but even so they did look a bit trussed up, the poor things.

Anyway, we still went for a ride on one and it was very pleasant, quite a gently rolling from side to side as we gazed at the Mars-like landscape.

If I had a big enough garden, I'd now want a camel. One that could run free.