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Maspalomas - a very different kind of beach
On a day that a calima had blown sand in from the Sahara, we went on our next day trip to see to a very different kind of beach....but first the bus trip. To get to most places from our home base in Playa de Arinaga we have to first take a short bus ride to a crossroads in the town of Arinaga (referred to as Cruce de Arinaga). There are a few exceptions, one of which is to Maspalomas - the bus runs every couple of hours - so off we went from our local bus stop. The distance is just over 21km - but it still takes an hour even in good traffic! Not only are there many stops along this route, but there's quite a few detours in and out of a variety of other towns. Our journey through the different places was interesting to us - just because we enjoy that kind of thing (!) - but it can be frustrating. I will say again that the bus drivers are very patient - especially as they're dealing with the same questions in a variety of different languages plus giving instructions on which bus someone really needs to be on!
The largest area we passed through was one that we'd intended to visit at some point - but after seeing it we decided that it wasn't for us.
**At this point my apologies to anyone who has been to Playa del Inglés and liked it **
A purpose built resort town, Playa del Inglés is huge and sprawling, with many buildings displaying garish signs. Some of the buildings even made us wonder, what were the designers and architects thinking? That said - the renowned beach is a stretch of golden sand almost 3 km long and there are many varied activities for all ages. The town is also "deep" due it spreading upwards from the beach, making access to it a potential problem. Along the beachfront is a promenade full of restaurants, where any kind of food and drink is available. Discos, bars and pubs can be found throughout the town and beach area. Some parts are new(ish) - and some look as old as when it first started in 1962. Despite my impression - which was from seeing it through the window of a bus - it's very successful and is one the most visited and popular spots on Gran Canaria.
A further 10 minutes on the bus and we arrived in Maspalomas. Just a short walk from the bus station is the promenade and lighthouse, now a tourist information centre. The lighthouse building also has public toilets, which for some reason are very scarce in this area! The southern area of Gran Canaria is one of the most visited coastlines in Europe. Together with Playa del Inglés it offers options for day and night. Along with a wide range of apartments and hotel accommodations there's plenty of opportunity for outdoor activities including walking, cycling plus large stretches of beach with a long and attractive promenade. Along the way there's a variety of restaurants, cafés and shops.
The lighthouse marks the beginning of the dunes on one side, while on its other side is the promenade, with has a more rocky coastline. When the 55 metre high lighthouse opened in 1890, it was the only building around and its light was the guide for steamboats covering the routes between Europe, Africa and America. Much has changed - just a few steps away is the large expanse of beach, which together with the famous Maspalomas Dunes make up a designated Natural Reserve. This Reserve consists of 3 eco-systems - Palms, Pond and Dunes. The whole area is considered an important and valuable natural space. There are designated nudist areas in some of the more isolated areas where nudists can mingle freely amongst other sun-bathers, surfers and beach walkers. There's another area where surfers gather, plus a Palm Tree Plantation which provides a resting place for birds migrating from Europe to Africa. The sand dunes themselves begin after the Pond and are forever changing, due to the winds that come straight off the ocean.
We walked past the Pond and scrambled up and across a few of the closest dunes - whose tops are quite firm due to them being constantly windswept. It didn't take too long to realize that having 3 joint replacements between us, this wasn't the best idea, so we reluctantly made our way back to more level ground. We left the dunes to more nimble folk, plus the more discreet of the nudists, who were sheltering in the hollows of these dunes. We walked back past the lighthouse and onto the wide promenade to reach Meloneras, where there's a very nice beach-cove. It's an interesting and easy walk of sbout 2km and has some amazing views of the rocky coast. There's also more restaurants and shops along the way, plus a stretch of higher end resort hotels.
Playa de Meloneras has a couple of restaurants and a mini-market, which are more "rustic" than Maspalomas. Depsite their down-at-heel appearance the restaurants are still quite expensive and the beach goers that we observed all seemed to be more "do it yourself" types who brought their own supplies. So did the cyclists.... it's a stop off spot for the more experienced riders - the surrounding terrain is quite challenging. We followed their lead and bought our own picnic to enjoy while sitting on the beach wall. A couple of beers, a baguette and a package of French blue cheese all for less than €5 sustained us for the walk back - and the bus ride home!
- comments
Val Seems like your local bus journeys are “Bus Tours” highlighting the interesting and perhaps not so interesting areas! The bus drivers deserve a Patience Medal & a couple of beers at the end of their work day 🍺🍺 Yes….Both of you will require new joint replacements soon as the amount of walking, hiking and climbing you do is impressive. Keep on trekking
Glynis Thanks Val, the bus journeys are interesting to us…all part of the adventure! Thank yiur for following a,ong the way with us❣ As for new joints - if anything has challenged us, it’s those dunes - they were very high and steep! X g
Margaret Every day is a school day! ..... I had to Google 'calima'. The local bus ride sounded better than any organised coach trip winding your way through different areas. We remember running up and down all the sand dunes (thanks for the memory), but that was obviously quite a while ago! Great photos and can not fault you for your picnic on the beach. Our kind of event. Keep having fun xx
Glynis Thanks Margaret…good for you and Kev, conquering those dunes..we gave them a try, but realized that we would have done better in our younger days, but not now…..lol! Happy I could return the favour and give you something to google :) Your comments and following our travels are much appreciated x g
Annette Whiteley This sounds like quite the experience, Glynis. I, too, enjoy bus rides but Andy doesn't. He never took a bus anywhere when he was growing up! You are both very adventurous.
Glynis It was, Annette - although have been on some bus rides that have been worse…. Lol try and get Andy to try local transportation…apart from seeing more of local life, we’ve had some funny and interesting adventures on local buses and trains - and some that have been pretty scary too! Well worth the effort and extra time it takes. Thanks for supporting my blogging efforts x g