San Javier beaches: Playa El Castillico
No smoking at this Q for Quality beach on the Mar Menor in Santiago de la Ribera
Playa el Castillico is the northernmost of the main urban beaches in Santiago de la Ribera, on the coast of the Mar Menor in the municipality of San Javier, and runs for 450 metres between the Jardín del Atalayón and the Playa de la Puntica in San Pedro del Pinatar.
The location is urban but with an average width of 40 metres there is plenty of room on the fine sand, which is cleaned and groomed every day in the summer, and there is high occupation on account of the seafront apartments, hotels and residential streets which stretch out behind the front line towards the town of San Javier.
Facilities
Complempentin its high usage throughout the year the beach has a full range of facilities. During the summer there are boat and windsurf hire, a sailing school and sailboat hire, bicycle racks, picnic facilities, sporting equipment, a shaded promenade, children's play areas, beach bars, footwashes, beach lounger and sunshade hire, drinking water, bins, recycling collection points, toilets, wooden walkways down onto the sand and cordoned-off bathing areas, and lifeguard and medical personnel are on duty.
Launching Ramp
Playa el Castillico also has a dinghy launching ramp, although parking for boats and trailers nearby can be difficult.
Disabled facilities
For disabled users there are reserved parking spaces, cordoned bathing area, adapted changing rooms and toilets, disabled bathing seats, specially adapted shaded areas, amphibious crutches and personnel on-hand to assist carers with disabled charges.
The assisted bathing service is available from June to September, between 10:00 and 20:00 in July and August, and from 11:00 to 19:00 in June and September.
Access from strret level is straightforward. There are several access ramps onto the beach and during summer months decking is laid up to the edge of the water.
During the summer the beach is also protected by anti-jellyfish netting, and the combination of these facilities leads to it being awarded the Q for Quality flag year after year.
Shade
Behind the beach is the Paseo Marítimo, which runs right the way along the seafront offering areas of shade and seating.
Bars and Restaurants
There are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants all within easy walking distance, as Playa de Barnueno is very close to the main bar and restaurant zone of Santiago de la Ribera. The area is popular all year round among both locals and visitors.
No smoking!
In the summer of 2018 this beach was nominated by the Town Hall of San Javier as a "no smoking" beach. No official ban is in place, but bathers and other beachgoers are urged to refrain from lighting up on the sand, not only for the sake of their own health but also in order to prevent discarded butts from remaining on the beach and then contributing to marine pollution when they are washed into the sea.
Of the six beaches involved in this scheme on the Costa Cálida three are in the municipality of San Javier, the others being those of El Pescador in Santiago de la Ribera and Playa Mistral in La Manga del Mar Menor.
Parking
There is very little parking as this area is a pedestrianised zone in summer and most of the available parking is in the streets behind the front line of residential buildings. If driving to the beach, it may be necessary to park a few streets back during the summer.
There is a bus-stop nearby, which offers connections to Murcia, Alicante and Cartagena. Full details of bus services can be obtained from the tourist information office, and urban buses run to the main streets of Santiago de la Ribera behind the beach.
Beaches in Santiago de la Ribera
San Javier has two distinct sections of beaches, one being in Santiago de la Ribera on the shore of the Mar Menor, close to the main centre of San Javier town, and the other on the opposite side of the Mar Menor on the spit of land called La Manga de Mar Menor (or "the strip", as it is often referred to by holidaymakers), where there are both Mar Menor and Mediterranean beaches.
Mar Menor beaches are enclosed within the protective circle of Europe's largest saltwater lagoon, which is fed by the Mediterranean. The Mar Menor is totally unique, its geographical peculiarities creating some of the best conditions in Spain for those learning watersports, particularly windsurfing and sailing.
Murcia is the warmest mainland region in Spain, and has an average temperature of 18 degrees, which makes it perfect for year-round watersports activity, and bathers can enjoy the waters of the Mar Menor for most of the year. The water is not tidal and has only very insiginficant currents and waves, so it's perfect for family bathing or watersport beginners.
It has shallow fringes which slope gently, and is only 7 metres deep in the centre, so the water temperature is warmer than that of the Mediterranean, particularly around the edges where it is possible to wade out 50 metres from the shore and still only be waist deep.
The Mar Menor beaches are all around the lagoon, which covers a surface area of nearly 170 square kilometres, with 70 kilometres of internal coastline, separated from the Mediterranean by the 22 kilometres of La Manga. Channels known as "golas" cut across La Manga, enabling water to flow bewteen the two seas as well as making it possible for boats to sail between the two.
It is important when choosing a beach to understand that the Mar Menor beaches offer shallow and calm bathing conditions, whereas the Mediterranean beaches are wider, longer, windier, and are susceptible to wave conditions and currents.
The beaches of Santiago de la Ribera, working from south to north, are the following:
Playa de la Hita: a natural beach with no facilities next to the environmentally protected area of Islas del Mar Menor and the Camping Mar Menor park.
Playa del Pescador: 280 metres long, with fine soft sand.
Playa del Atalayón (sailing moorings only, no beach).
Safety precautions for bathers
This is a Mar Menor beach and it is advisable to observe the following safety precautions when bathing:
- most of the Mar Menor beaches have very gently sloping shelves, meaning that bathers can walk a considerable distance from the shore and still only be waist high in the water. These shore fringes are also very warm, heating up more than the deeper waters, or the Mediterranean coastline, particularly during the hot summer months.
- many beaches are also protected by netting to exclude jellyfish. This creates safe bathing areas for families but also leads to a situation which can be life threatening, as the safety of the beaches results in many elderly bathers bathing alone. This in itself is not life threatening, but every year there are unnecessary deaths when bathers suffer a heart attack, stroke, faint or have a dizzy spell of some sort whilst bathing alone, slipping into the water without anybody else being aware that this has happened.
The transition from hot beach to cold water can shock the body, causing dizziness or fainting, so it is advisable to splash the body with water to cool down before wading out into the Mar Menor or Mediterranean.
Even though there are lifeguards at many Mar Menor beaches, accidents happen and every year there are unnecessary fatalities, the simple rule being if you have a medical condition, are taking medication, or are of advanced age, don´t bathe alone no matter how shallow and calm the water is.
And for all ages, a red flag means do not bathe, particularly on the Mediterranean beaches.
Click to see an overview of the beaches in San Javier, or to go to the home page of San Javier Today for more local news, events and other information.
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Other San Javier Beaches