El Bollullo Beach

The waves set the mood here. Big Atlantic surf breaks almost constantly on a shore of soft black volcanic sand, with dark cliffs rising behind it, and the sound fills the whole bay.

The beach never looks the same twice. Depending on the tide and the time of year, large parts of the sand can vanish under the sea, and on other visits there is room to spread out. In the afternoon the cliffs throw natural shade across part of the beach. In the evening it turns into a sunset spot, quieter than the island's busier resort beaches. Surfers come for the swell; everyone else sits on the sand and watches it.

• Check the tide before you go: it decides how much sand there is and what the swimming is like.
• Free toilets stand close to the beach, but there is no drinking-water point nearby, so bring your own.
• The walk in climbs and drops, and the way back includes an uphill stretch. Wear shoes you can walk in.
• The surf reaches well up the sand. Keep phones and watches away from the water's edge.
• The cliffs give some natural shade in the afternoon; bring sun cover for the rest of the day.

Everyone finishes on foot: the beach sits at the bottom of the cliffs, and the last stretch is a walk down to the sand.

The nearest car parks are about 90 and 105 m away in a straight line; one of them has a dirt surface. There is plenty more parking about 1.5 km away, and from there the walk runs up and down hills, a bit of a trek each way, with a climb on the return.

By bus, the nearest stop is El Rincón, about 430 m away in a straight line.

Best: late afternoon into sunset, at lower tide.

Avoid: high tide if you want room on the sand, and days of heavy swell if you mean to swim.

The afternoon brings shade from the cliffs and the evening brings the sunset, while the tide decides how much beach there is to sit on and how rough the water is.