One of the main attractions for me on this stay in southern Spain are the beaches. Not realizing how special this area is, I was unprepared for what I discovered. Big & beautiful Tarifa Beach, Playa Lances Sur is a spectacular piece of nature for so many reasons.
Size
Let’s first talk about how big this beach is, 10 kilometres long in fact! And so very wide. Thinking back, this may just be the largest and widest beach I have every had the pleasure to walk upon. When looking out in front as you walk along, one cannot see the end of the beach. I have yet to make it all the way or perhaps even half way down. 😂
Sand
Soft and fluffy and a light tan colour. As many times as I visit Tarifa Beach, I am still in awe of the volume of soft sand. Walking barefoot in some of the dry areas feels like silk brushing your feet. In others it can be quite a bit coarser.
Walking in the wet area close to the water, is the perfect firmness for exercise, both running and walking. Your feet do not sink into this hard pan so you can get up to a good clip. I see folks out every single day, running and walking along here, its perfect.
Garbage
You won’t believe this, but there is virtually no garbage on this beach. There is seaweed from time to time, especially near the land bridge over to the island. It can collect there near the rocks but most of the beach remains free and clear of anything.
I must put in a caveat here though. I had a drink in town and met a lovely local couple. They inform me that the beach has quite a bad reputation with the town’s folk. Like most coastal areas that have had a town or city development, the sewage was most often sent into the sea for disposal.
Because of this, I’m told that if one digs down even an inch in places, a black layer of muck can be seen and this is still sewage today. In honesty, I did discover this for myself in one place. I actually slipped on the sand, and when I looked down, it was a pure black smear that appeared from under the thin layer of sand. I don’t know if sewage is still being pumped into the ocean here or not. But after my experience in Sayulita Mexico, I’m a little nervous to walk in this section again.
Bunker
Walk along far enough and you will discover an old military bunker. This one is quite a bit larger than others I have found in the hills surrounding the city.
Here I can tell that stone dwellings were constructed on both sides of the bunker itself, one of which is now collapsed. Its an interesting sight on the otherwise flat beach and can be explored fully but carefully. To access the bunker it will be necessary to walk up to the trail past the dunes and take a path down from there.
Esplanade
The walkway from town to the stadium is both wide and in excellent condition. A bicycle lane is included along with lights, benches, garbage bins and regular access paths down to the beach.
Locals are here daily, getting their exercise. It’s a great place to meet some of the friendly local dogs being walked by their humans. Always clean, this is a really beautiful esplanade to enjoy the coastline without getting your shoes full of sand.
Dunes
Away from the water, across the large expanse of fluffy sand, one will see low lying dunes beside the esplanade. These run parallel to the coastline and are mostly covered in brush. This time of year, the plant life is dried and dead looking. I imagine in the spring; this area could be covered in flowers offering a cacophony of colour to the scene.
There are signs here and there, asking people to stay out of the dunes. Paths are available to not only access the beach through, but also walk into the dunes to see the vegetation.
Tarifa Beach, or Playa Lances Sur as it is officially named is an absolutely gorgeous coastal area in southern Spain. This beach has it all, surfing, swimming (although very cold), walking, wildlife, scenery and incredible beauty. With the size being so very large, no matter how many people I see down here, I always feel like the beach is mine. I love it.
