La Canteria Beach

Stand on the soft sand and La Graciosa fills the view across the water. The beach runs wide, with cliffs rising at its left-hand end as you face the sea, and paragliders launch from those cliffs and drift out over the sand.

The waves are the draw. They suit surfers starting out, and the beach hosts surf championships during the year. On a day of south wind the same water becomes ideal for a swim.

The shore has no facilities at all: volcanic sand, dark rock and the corralitos, curved stone windbreaks that beachgoers shelter behind.

• There is no shade, and no toilets or drinking water at the beach or nearby. Bring water and sun cover; Órzola has a supermarket.
• High tide and big waves can cover most of the sand. Arrive early if you want a corralito to shelter in.
• In big waves strong undercurrents run. On those days the water is no place for children or weak swimmers.
• The rocks on the left lead to another beach, and the tide can cut you off there. Check the tide times before you cross.

The beach sits next to Órzola, the last village at the northern tip of Lanzarote. An unsurfaced car park lies about 110 m from the beach in a straight line, so from the car you walk straight onto the sand. The car park fills up.

Without a car, the nearest bus stops are in Órzola itself: one at the harbour, Muelle de Órzola, and one in the village. Both are about 900 m from the beach in a straight line.

Best: a day of south wind, arriving early, with the tide low.

Avoid: high tide on a big-swell day, if you came to swim or spread out on the sand.

A south wind makes the beach ideal for a swim, while high tide and big waves swallow most of the sand and bring strong undercurrents; the corralitos go to whoever comes first, and the open beach has no shade at midday.