Cartagena beaches: Playa de la Gola, La Manga del Mar Menor

Playa de La Gola beach is on the Mar Menor coast of La Manga 

The Playa de La Gola is located on the shores of the Mar Menor at kilometre 2.5 of the Gran Vía de la Manga, which is exit 19, just to the south of the Gola de Marchamalo after which it is named. The Gola de Marchamalo is one of the channels linking the Mar Menor to the Mediterranean which allow salt water to flow into and out of the Mar Menor, and is mainly used by canoeists and the marine fauna as fish migrate between the Mar Menor and the Mediterranean as well. Few boats use the Gola as it is too shallow to be navigable for any but the smallest craft.

The Mar Menor covers a surface area of nearly 170 square kilometres, with 70 kilometres of internal coastline and is Europe's largest saltwater lake. It is separated from the Mediterranean by a 22km long strip of land, La Manga del Mar Menor, which is connected to the Mediterranean via several channels, feeding it with natural saltwater.

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.

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 in the Mar Menor is not tidal and has no currents or waves, so is perfect for family bathing.

There is often confusion when talking about beaches on La Manga del Mar Menor, as there are both Mar Menor beaches and Mediterranean coastal beaches on this thin strip of land, one type of beach along each side, and to make matters worse, these are divided between two different local councils, those of San Javier and Cartagena. The divide between the two is brutal; straight across the middle of "the strip" as it is often called by foreign holidaymakers, the top part belonging to San Javier and the bottom part to Cartagena.

It is important when selecting 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 location of La Manga del Mar Menor beaches is generally defined by kilometre reference. Kilometre 0 is the tourist information point at Cabo de Palos and km 18 is the far end of La Manga by the Esculls de la Llana y Encañizadas, which is where dry land runs out! The remainder of "the strip" is marsh, and inaccessible, before it finally meets the salinas of the San Pedro del Pinatar municipality.

This beach is within the Cartagena municipality and is on the Mar Menor side of "·the strip".

The beach itself is between 200 and 250 metres long but is fairly narrow, averaging just 8 metres wide, with dense sand, and mainly services the apartment blocks next to the marina of Puerto Bello.

Parking is easy out of season for those hoping to spend time on the beach here, as there are facilities around the apartments and in the marina itself, but as in the rest of La Manga the situation alters in July and August, when spaces are at a premium and those who can drive tend to favour other beaches which have more parking available, nearby Playas Honda and Paraiso being good examples of this.

However, there is a lot of parking around the edge of the beach and in the streets behind the beach, so it's worth having a drive around if you want to use the facilities here.

There are disabled parking spaces and during the summer months a shaded stand is provided for wheelchair users and the Cruz Roja provide an assisted bathing service.

Playa La Gola has been awarded a Q for Quality flag as a reflection of the quality of its services, and bathers are offered foot showers, toilets, drinking water, chiringuito beach bars, rubbish collection, children’s play area and sunbed hire in summer, as well as lifeguard and auxiliary medical cover between the middle of June and September.

There are also facilities to hire leisure equipment and Bonds Jet Ski rentals operates from this beach.

Safety precautions for bathers

When using Mar Menor beaches, it´s 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, 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 for more information about Cartagena beaches.

Click for more information about La Manga del Mar Menor.

Click for more information about the municipality of Cartagena.