This will be your favorite landscape for the next four days
The Mar Menor and the strip of land that separates it from the Mediterranean , the well-known town of The Sleeve of the Mar Menor , are visited every year by foreign and national tourists in search of sun, beach and a few days break without emails of the boss. From June to September, the fine white sand from the area they receive crowds, waves, masses of flip flops and mats Newcomers from the United Kingdom, Germany and Madrid, among many other origins.
But we do not want you to stay with that idea of a unique area in Spain in which, wind, sails and rudder through, you can discover unexpected corners, clean, and worthy of a Traveler guide!
The Mar Menor has landscapes that stick to the retinas
DAY 1
To experience the difference between navigation in the open sea and in the lagoon , we recommend that you start the route in the port of San Pedro del Pinatar . Access to it goes through the Salinas and Arenales Regional Park of San Pedro del Pinatar, a protected wetland pink waters that make one's delight flamingo community already known by the neighbors.
From the port of San Pedro we set course towards the Grosa Island, ZEPA protected area that must be visited always respecting the protection buoys. Under this premise, you can swim around it and enjoy the Galerotas cove, from a small beach located on its west face, or reach the islet of The Farallon , east of the island. Close your eyes and imagine being one of the barbary pirates who used it as a refuge until the 18th century, or a Roman or Phoenician navigator , and the expedition goes from strength to strength!
The drawbridge of station, to the lee of the Grosa, gives access to the Minor Sea as if it were a sliding door. Keep in mind that it opens the way every 120 minutes, always at even hours, and don't forget to tune in to the channel 9 VHF of the station and be attentive to the clock so that the saint does not go to heaven (or to the sea).
During the summer months, it is common to see boats of all kinds in procession through the Estacio channel, leaving or entering the Mar Menor. Vacationers in the area leave their homes to greet the crew , who star in a parade of nautical floats with sails and rudders and practice the royal salute. This channel is the only point that connects the Mediterranean with the Mar Menor, so you will see him again when the journey is over.
The San Pedro del Pinatar Park is home to a very varied fauna
And now yes Welcome to the Mar Menor! One of the first things that usually surprises those who navigate these waters for the first time is the horizon. a finite horizon . Columbus's navigators' dream: land, land, land and land. In the four cardinal points. almost as if you were reduced to ant size and you were sailing A pond amusement park, with a four-year-old boy as captain.
Now head north towards the coves between the islet of Bienveo and the restaurant ** Escuela de Pieter .** Their location, in the lee of La Manga, makes them a assured backwater. Here, the best way to take care of your stomach is to get on the outboard boat and go to Pieter's School, a legend in the area that not only has great dishes (make room for a cauldron , the stewed rice with fish typical of the Murcian coast), but also a milk breeze on the terrace that will make it difficult for you to lift your butt off the chair.
Already with the digestion done, and after a more than predictable siesta rocked by the waves, It's time to continue the route. If you wait until evening falls, you will be able to experience the night navigation which, far from disturbing, is perhaps the one you enjoy the most in the summer months.
spend the night in the Pine Cove, which is accessed through the strait that separates the Isla Mayor and La Perdiguera. The Big Island, also called baron Island, It is the largest in the Mar Menor, and a mystery for those of us who have not been lucky enough to be invited by their owners to spend a few days in the Neo-Mudejar style palace who built the Baron of Benifaió . if you have some glasses by hand, take the opportunity to take a look and get closer, even visually, to this Protected Natural Park (and, by the way, forbidden for ordinary mortals).
Leave Barón Island to port and continue sailing southeast until you reach the pass between Redondela Island and Subject Island . In front appears the Pine Cove , which owes its name, it could not be otherwise, to the pines that cover it almost to its edge. the best here is enjoy it from the boat, since there are not many who anchor in it to spend the night. Nestled between two outlets of land, it gives away from time to time some water current cooler than usual in the Mar Menor, you will see how grateful you are!
Maybe this is all you see of Baron Island...
DAY 2
The best thing about waking up on board a boat is, without a doubt, the morning bath. without waiting for coffee and cupcakes Strictly speaking, the first thing every good cabin boy has to do with his legañas still on is jump into the sea That first bath, with the cooled water through the dark, wake up anyone and takes away all the evils (if, even being on the sea route, you have any left) .
After this salutation to the soaking sun, cam anchors and surround the deer island , located south of Cala del Pino, and connected to land by a artificial road shallowly submerged. It can be accessed from the deer beach to travel the nearly 300 meters that separate the island from the coast, as if you were walking on water ! One of the faces of the island is known for its sludge, of which some vacationers smear themselves in case the breva falls and that they are good for the skin was scientifically refuted.
Go now to the perdiguera island, in the center of the Mar Menor. Your situation allows anchor to your shelter on either side, in case the wind changes direction. being an island quite visited by boaters, it has a trail so you can explore the remains of military constructions that occupied it in the Civil War. This protected natural area was occupied by beach bars until 2007, but today he recovers with a sustainable and respectful tourism.
First action of the day: take a bath!
DAY 3
For the third day, we propose a little adventure. After so much relaxation to the sound of the candles, surely you feel like the adrenaline Go out and stretch your legs. Head northwest towards the town of The Alcazars. The Mar Menor Nautical Station It is one of the best options to practice nautical sports. Diving, canoeing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, or the omnipresent paddle surfing are some of the activities available for which you only need desire… and a considerable amount of money! sunscreen !
Get your strength back with a cod with rosemary on the beach in La Encarnación and follow the course, this time northeast, to reach the Hita beach. being one of the wild beaches top rated of the region, the Hita is a protected area that housed an area of salt flats now abandoned, and conserves wetlands and species of flora and fauna originating from the Mar Menor. cover your head with a Cap (no propaganda, please; keep it in style) and walk along the wooden walkway to get lost in the cane fields.
Lose yourself among the reedbeds of La Hita
DAY 4
dawn the fourth and final day of navigation and, after the morning bath of rigor, we propose a tour with the pneumatic boat through Veneziola, a residential area conceived as a little Venice drawn with artificial canals on old salt pans.
You can also treat yourself to a last treat in the form of a cocktail at Collados Beach. This modern beach bar, located at the end of La Manga and popularly known among the people of the area as ‘’the UFO’ Due to its oval shape, it is the best place for a farewell in style. Its chill out atmosphere and the natural landscapes that surround it do not overshadow your letter . how does it sound to you medlars from the garden of Murcia stuffed with foie ?
With a stomach full of delicacies and marine air lungs , the time has come to return. Take again the station channel, greet the families enjoying the procession, and head north towards the port of San Pedro.
If you're not used to it, chances are the sweet rocking of the sea has stayed in your body and you continue to notice it during the first hours on the ground. It will be, in any case, a slight resonance of four days of breeze, calm and light that will leave your skin with saltpeter and the radiant soul.
Marine life is the best life