San Marcial del Rubicon Archaeological Site

A freshwater spring in a bay on a dry coast is the reason anyone settled here. In 1402 Jean de Béthencourt's Norman-French expedition made its base at Rubicón, and from this bay the conquest of the Canary Islands began. The settlers were mostly fishermen. The settlement went on to hold the seat of the first bishop of the Canaries.

What stands on the ground today is modest. Most of the excavated areas are covered over and the site is in poor repair, so the history carries the visit, with two information boards beside the remains to explain it. The setting does the rest: the beach at Playa del Pozo, and the open coast running back west towards Playa Blanca.

• Most of the excavated ground is covered over and the site is in poor repair; come for the history and the bay.
• There is no drinking water near the site. Bring your own.
• The nearest toilets, about 800 m away, are for customers only.
• The coast here is bare, with no shade at the remains: bring a hat and sun cream.
• Two information boards beside the remains explain what was found here.

You arrive by car at an unpaved car park about 540 m from the site in a straight line; a second unpaved car park, by Playa Mujeres, sits about 635 m away. The rest is on foot.

Without a car, the site can be reached on foot along the coast from Playa Blanca, a long walk. The nearest bus stop, Las Coloradas, is about 1.9 km away in a straight line, so the bus still leaves a proper walk at the end.

Best: early morning or late afternoon. Avoid: the middle of the day in summer. The site sits on a bare, open coast with no shade and no water to hand, and a slow walk between covered trenches and information boards is much easier when the sun is low.

San Marcial del Rubicón is a protected archaeological site on a protected stretch of coast. Keep out of the excavation trenches and off the covered areas, and leave every stone, sherd and shell where it lies: removing material from an archaeological site is against the law in Spain.