The beauty of Chiclana's beaches (part I)

Last update: January 9, 2022
Part I: 7 min read | Part II: 5 min

Is this just one more website about visiting places? No. This is what I am not pretending to do. I would like to offer you some additional information -about the coast of Chiclana de la Frontera, in this case- that could be useful to you and very difficult to find on the Internet. Did you know that Novo Sancti Petri is not in Sancti Petri? Would you like to now which zone in the coast of Chiclana and what weather conditions are the best to practice windsurf ? Do you want to know how protect yourself from the wind at the Chiclana's beaches? If you are interesting, I invite you to read this article that contains two parts. You will enjoy it, trust me and also I hope that it was useful for you.

Chiclana de la Frontera, La Barrosa beach, Novo Sancti Petri ...
Where are they and how do you recommend to get there?

With the search tools that are on the web today, it may not be too useful for you to tell you where is, for example, Novo Sancti Petri from Chiclana. I would like to offer some additional information and try to help you in your search for beautiful places for your leisure time, whether you are German, French, English or Spanish.
If you are Spanish -or you are not but you have been living in our country for a long time- I am not going to explain you where is Andalusia and how you can reach there, although you can always ask me through the comments.
If you are not Spanish and have read this far, you may be interested to know, for example, that Novo Sancti Petri in Chiclana is located in Andalusia. This region of southern Spain can offer you, among other things, nice and sunny weather, with very pleasant temperatures throughout the year.
To reach Chiclana the airport that may interest you the most is Jerez de la Frontera, which is about 60 km away, mostly by highway in very good condition. You can also consider the possibility of the important Malaga airport, just over 200 km away or the Seville one about 150 km away.
I do not extend more in this section since there are many and very good websites that can provide you with more information about it.

Sancti Petri, New Sancti Petri, Chiclana, la Barrosa
Differences? Are they the same?

To explain the different parts of the Chiclana coast, the following simplified map may be useful to you

The coast of Chiclana

Chiclana has two beaches (playas, in Spanish): Sancti Petri beach and La Barrosa beachBut beware: Novo Sancti Petri is not in Sancti Petri but in La Barrosa. El Novo is not itself a beach, but a tourist complex of 5 star exclusive hotels and also 4 star hotels, apartments, shopping centers and golf courses.

Hotel in Novo Sancti Petri

Golf course in Novo Sancti Petri

La Barrosa beach has many accesses, but the important ones are called pistas. Looking towards the sea, on the right you can see the beginning of a cliff called the Farallón de Laja Bermeja. Well then: the First Pista (see on the map) is at the beginning of the Farallón.

Farallón de Laja Bermeja, at low tide, seen from the First Pista or Track of La Barrosa beach

With respect to the Second Pista or Track (see on the map) you can easily locate it, since it is next to the Red Cross post in La Barrosa. The Third Pista (see on the map) may not be so easy to locate. If you asked me "where is the Third Pista?", I would tell you to look for Calle Vespasiano on your GPS navigator.
The area between the First Track and the second has a long promenade, gardens, shops, restaurants, bars and places for leisure. Without a doubt, I would tell you that it is the liveliest area of ​​La Barrosa.

Promenade of La Barrosa beach

Between the Second Track and the third you find mainly residential areas. From the Third Track to a 16th century tower -called Torre del Puerco (see on the map) -, you have La Barrosa at Novo Sancti Petri.

Playa de la Barrosa. Novo Sancti Petri tourist complex

With respect to, not Novo Sancti Petri, but Sancti Petri, it is separated from La Barrosa beach by the cliffs of Farallón de Laja Bermeja.

Farallón de Laja Bermeja

At low tide you can walk from the Sancti Petri beach to the Barrosa beach and it is a hike that, personally, I really like.

Walk between Sancti Petri beach and La Barrosa beach

At Sancti Petri you have two different areas. From the Laja Bermeja cliff to an artificial breakwater (see on the map) there is a virgin beach that many people know as Lavaculos beach. In this, there seem to be discrepancies between those who call only this beach Lavaculos and those who call the entire Sancti Petri beach Lavaculos, including the northernmost area of ​​the breakwater.

Lavaculos beach views from the Farallón de Laja Bermeja

Beyond the breakwater you can find the mouth of a pipe -the Caño de Sancti Petri-, which you can also use as a beach, although I would recommend you to be careful with its STREAMS. The most DANGEROUS STREAMS are formed at high tidal coefficients and when the tide is lowing down.

At the mouth of the pipe you can find the Poblado de Sancti Petri -an old fishing village-, in which there is a marina as well as schools and rental sites for windsurfing, kitesurfing, kayaking and other nautical activities. In Part II of this article you can find more details of these nautical activities.

Sunset in the Caño de Sancti Petri

From the Caño you can also see an islet -the Islote de Sancti Petri-, about 2.5 miles from the coast of the fishing village, where you can find the Castillo de Sancti Petri (see on the map), a fortification dating from the 17th century.

Castillo de Sancti Petri, seen from the other bank of the Caño

One place that deserves special attention is the Punta del Boquerón (see on the map). This point is a cape located on the southern limit of Camposoto beach, which does not belong to Chiclana but to San Fernando (an adjoining municipality).

Punta del Boquerón, on the other bank of the Caño de Sancti Petri

The Caño de Sancti Petri has two banks: that one from Sancti Petri and the shore of Punta del Boquerón. Punta del Boquerón cannot be reached on foot from Sancti Petri; one way to get there is from Camposoto walking south. Another way to do it is by sea using some kind of boat.

Temperatures? Wind? What kind of weather can I find? ^[1]

If you are interested in knowing something about the temperature and the possibility of rain in these latitudes, I will tell you that you should not be too worry; instead: perhaps what you are looking for, above all, is sunny weather and pleasant temperatures. In Chiclana and its surroundings you will have this almost all year round.

During the summer you will rarely find a maximum temperature above 30 °C (86 °F) in the middle of the day. Even so, you already know how important it is to protect yourself from solar radiation, especially in these latitudes during the central hours of the day. At night, temperatures do not usually drop below 18 °C (65 °F, approximately).

Spring and fall are somewhat cooler - but not much cooler - with highs around 20 ° C (68 ° F) and lows around 14 ° C (57 ° F).

If you are used to winters in Germany, France or England, I don't think the weather factor will bother you too much even in winter, where temperatures range from approximately 16 °C (60 °F, approximately) to the 10°C at night (about 50°F). Of course: although here it is moderate, the cold and also the wind can harm your skin.

In this corner of Andalusia perhaps the windsurfing and kitesurfing, whether can be in frequency and intensity, is the most notable meteorological characteristic. Levante -East wind- is the predominant one in the area, followed by Poniente -western wind-. But don't worry: there are places where you can take shelter from the wind.

If you want to protect yourself from the Levante, I would suggest you at the foot of the Farallón de Laja Bermeja, yes: at low tide. If you are in La Barrosa, a good option is next to the First Track, as close as possible to the Farallón. In winter the north wind usually blows, which is cold compared to the usual temperatures of the Chiclana coast. With this wind, again, at the foot of the cliff is the best option.

Place to protect yourself from the Levante, at the foot of Laja Bermeja

To protect you from the Levant and the North calas (coves) of Conil, about 15 minutes by car, can be a good alternative. All these coves protect from the Levante, although there is one that can come in handy if it is Poniente blowing: if you go to the Cala del Aceite and you place yourself on the opposite sidesee on the map) of the access on foot, you will hardly notice the wind.

Outside of the summer season, I do not recommend going to the Cala del Aceite with Levante -or with Norte- or the rest of the coves in Conil with Poniente.

If you have a swimming pool, this may also be a good option, especially in summer and with Levante wind.

So far the part I of this article is dedicated to the beauty of the Chiclana coast. If you are still interested, I suggest you read the second part.