San Miguel de Abona Beach

Black lava stone runs straight down into the sea here, and the coast path carries on past it with open water on one side and bare volcanic ground on the other. Few people stop, so the sound is mostly waves on rock.

The appeal is the quiet and the walk. You can swim off the rocks, then follow the path along the shore for the views back across the coast. In the clear water by the rocks there are fish to watch, and seabirds work the shoreline. The shore is kept clean, and the marina sits close by.

• Bring water shoes: the water's edge is rock and lava stone, hard on bare feet and harder on small children.
• There is no shade on the bare volcanic ground and the sun is strong. Bring a hat and sun cream.
• The toilets right by the shore are for customers only; the next toilet is about 440 m away.
• There is no drinking water nearby, so fill up before you come.

By car the approach ends almost at the shore: two car parks sit about 60 m away, and there is street parking nearby as well.

By bus, the nearest stops are Pueblo Primavera, about 440 m away in a straight line, and Golf Plaza, about 580 m away. The walk on the streets runs longer than the straight line. Once you reach the coast, the path runs along the rocks in both directions.

Best: early morning or late afternoon, on a day when the sea is calm.

Avoid: the middle of a summer day, and days when heavy swell is breaking on the rocks.

The ground is bare lava with no shade, so the low sun at either end of the day makes the walk and the rocks far more comfortable, and a flat sea is what makes getting in and out of the water off the stones manageable.