Viejo Rey Beach

Towards evening the clifftop car park turns into a viewing platform, and many people who come for the sunset never go further. The sun goes down straight into the Atlantic in front of them. Stairs lead lower for a closer view, and the beach itself lies below, open to the swell.

Those waves are the other reason to come. They run big, above all in winter, and several surf outfits give lessons here. Spend an hour on the sand and you watch sets roll in and surfers paddle out to meet them. This is a beach for watching the sea and for riding it; swimming is off the table.

• No swimming. The surf is heavy and the beach is no place for bathing; come to watch or to surf.
• No drinking water near the beach — fill up before you come.
• Free toilets stand near the car park.
• The car park is small and doubles as the sunset viewpoint, so it gets busy towards evening.
• Not for wheelchairs — the beach is reached only on foot, down from the clifftop.

A good road runs right up to the car park, a free gravel area on top of the cliff. A natural park information board and a guidepost stand beside it, and free toilets are close by. From there it is about 15 minutes on foot down to the sand. Stairs take you part of the way, and you can stop at the lower level for the view without going all the way down. The walk back is uphill.

Public transport is little help: the nearest bus stop is about 4.3 km away in a straight line, and the Costa Calma stop about 5 km. A car is the practical way in.

Best: a clear late afternoon running on into sunset, and winter for the waves. Avoid: overcast evenings if the sunset is what you came for, and the middle of a hot day on the open sand. The beach looks west over open ocean, so the sun sets in front of you, and the winter swell is what brings the surfers out.