The coastline between the Portuguese border and the southernmost tip of Spain is called the Costa de la Luz – Coast of Light – renowned for mile after mile of deserted sandy beaches (apart from high summer) interspersed with rocky cliffs which stick out into the Atlantic Ocean defining bays along an otherwise straight coastline.
We had already explored the coast between Huelva and Cadiz in February, so, after our adventures in the mountains and white villages between Cadiz and Marbella, we were interested to find out what the Costa de la Luz south of Cadiz was like. Westward facing, we were hoping for some sunsets dropping behind the wild Atlantic Ocean.
We checked out the hillside town of VEJER DE LA FRONTERA in the rain, and we loved it. It’s got a laid back atmosphere whilst at the same time being a real working town with less of a touristy feel than some of the other Pueblos Blancos. There’s a strong Moorish influence and, unlike the villages in the mountains which had pitched tiled roofs, Vejer’s white buildings had mostly flat roofs which are used as patios for eating and hanging washing.
CONIL DE LA FRONTERA is on the coast and felt like a holiday resort out of season. We cycled here on a warm sunny day but hardly saw a soul, neither on the beach nor in the town up the hill.
South of Conil lies EL PALMAR DE VEJER, a surfers paradise where we relaxed pretending we were surfer dudes.
CABO TRAFALGAR – the peninsular jutting out into the sea where Nelson defeated the Spanish and French in 1805, despite having significantly fewer ships and men than the Spaniards and French. We were surprised to see so many Trafalgar street names and plaques.
LOS CANOS DE MECA is the name of the beach and sand dunes east of the lighthouse, a paradise for kite and board surfers with a hinterland of pine trees and sandy trails.
BARBATE is a fishing village tucked away in the estuary of the river of the same name.
Further down the coast from Barbate is ZAHARA DE LOS ATUNES, which is probably the windiest place we have been so far, the numerous wind turbines should have given us a clue! We stayed on a campsite right on the beach but couldn’t see the sea due to the tall windbreaks around all the pitches. It’s probably a relief in the heat of the summer, but it didn’t appeal to us in March, apart from the sunset.
BOLONIA
Lovely Bolonia! A campervan haven right on the beach with a community feel: young, old, surfer, single, partnered, vintage van, new van, a nice mix with one thing in common – appreciation of the beauty of the sight and sound of the Atlantic Ocean crashing against the shore.
Unfortunately this is where we locked ourselves out of our van! Some lateral thinking got us out of a tight spot.
After which, a bottle of white wine whilst watching the sunset was required. (Possibly the best white wine we’ve tasted, and only £1.68 / 2 euros a bottle).
BAELO CLAUDIA
A recently discovered Roman city right next to the beach with roads to Cadiz and Tarifa running through it. Tuna fishing was the main activity, just as it still is along this coast, when the shoals swim to the Mediterranean to spawn by squeezing through the Gibraltar Straights between May and September.
TARIFA
The tip of southern Spain, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean and you can almost lean out to touch Morocco.
