Playa de las Catedrales

We got up super early and hiked the first stage of our walk so we could get back early enough to catch low tide at Playa de las Catedrales, one of the most famous beaches in Spain. This beach is know for the rock formations that look like the flying buttresses found in gothic cathedrals, hence the name.

Per Wikipedia:

“The characteristic features of the beach are its natural arches and caves, which can be seen only at low tide. During high tide, the beach appears small, but still suitable for swimming. During low tide the size of its cliffs and sea caves is more apparent, ranging from small cracks on the rock to big caves whose roofs have collapsed due to the erosion of the waves.

At low tide, there is access to a sand deposit delimited by a rocky wall made from slate and schist forming 30 meters arches resembling cathedral flying buttresses, large caves, sand corridors between rocky blocks, and other geological features. Particularly low tides create access to nearby beaches through the sand extension. As the coast stretch is almost horizontal, the water covers the beach again very quickly.”

In the summer the beach is so busy you need to buy tickets in advance. We’re in the shoulder season so access was unrestricted. Never the less it was super busy (today is Labour Day holiday in Spain). So I got some pictures to try and contrast what you might see on Instagram (helped with AI photo manipulation) versus reality.Read more