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Cartagena beaches ready for summer with disabled access and a new hiking-cycle path
Assisted swimming and beach services are high on the list of preparations for the summer in Cartagena, as well as a great new cycle path
The beaches of Cartagena are now ready for the summer season, with facilities being installed to accommodate an expected rush of tourists. These include the addition of walkways over the sand, foot washing stations being turned on, pergolas to provide shade and more.
Between them, Cartagena’s beaches now have 15 footbaths, 300 wooden walkways, 5 fibreglass flagpoles, 5 plastic walkways, 9 treated wooden pergolas, 4 specially adapted toilet stalls suitable for people with reduced mobility and 3 changing rooms.
In addition, the equipment of the three assisted bathing areas has been replaced and improved in Playa Honda, Puerto Bello in La Manga and San Ginés in La Azohía.
And that’s not all, as Cala Cortina now has a new permanent cycle and walking route connecting the beach almost to the port of Escombreras.
Cala Cortina
The Cala Cortina pedestrian and cycle path is now open to the public, a route that runs from the area of the old Baterías de Costa gun batteries located on the Escombreras road, past the coastal batteries of San Isidoro and Santa Florentina and Santa Ana and leading all the way to the Cala Cortina car park.
It is a pleasant, half-kilometre path that is free of cars and perfect for a nice gentle walk or as part of a cycling route, and is expected to be used by around 400 people daily. In addition, running and cycling races like the 10K Puerto de Cartagena and the Ruta de las Fortalezas will be adapted to pass along this path.
The Cala Cortina path combines sustainability, accessibility and mobility as all the litter bins along the way have been made from recycled plastic material, as have the bicycle racks and the information panels.
In addition, native plant species have been planted along the route, including 46 Aleppo pines, stone pines, Cartagena cypresses and ‘taray’ trees, as well as more than 1,000 native shrubs such as lavender, mastic, black saltbush and esparto grass.
Playa Honda
In the case of Playa Honda, a pergola with 30 square metres of shade and 92 square metres of wooden decking has just been installed. The pergola has a canvas enclosure that allows the shade cast on the platform to be used throughout the day so that people with disabilities and their families can enjoy the beach with the corresponding shade.
A shower will also be installed in the next few days, and there are walkers, life jackets and amphibious chairs that can be used to help people with reduced mobility to swim in the water. There are also accessible toilets and a changing table, plus a walkway connecting to the water.
Puerto Bello
At Puerto Bello, four pergolas will be installed instead of one as in previous years, to increase the shaded area, and it will be equipped with a shower, amphibious chairs, crutches, life jackets, toilets and a newly acquired changing table.
San Ginés
The Playa de San Ginés beach has been equipped with newly acquired material, and two pergolas are planned to be installed – one more than last summer – to increase the shaded area.
More improvements to Cartagena beaches
In addition to all this, many pieces of street furniture will be repainted and some new mural paintings will be painted on the seafront promenades. There will also be additional maintenance by tractors and beach cleaning machines on the sand. For example, in Los Urrutias and Los Nietos, the sand that was removed last February has already been spread out and flattened.
The jetties on the beaches of Los Nietos, Playa Honda and Cavanna have now been installed, repaired and are ready for use.
Images: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena
Other Cartagena Beaches
