Mar Menor

The villages around the Mar Menor have been tourist destinations for the Spanish for many years. The beautiful beaches of resorts such as Lo Pagan, Santiago de La Ribera and Los Alcazares (a resort even in Roman times) This is a Europe’s largest lagoon, which maintains a warm sea temperature in whatever stage of the year (except December and January when only the most hardy Brits will brave the waters!) – with an average of 18 degrees centigrade. The Romans and the Arabs built thermal baths around the coast, and to this day people visit the area for the therapeutic properties of the bathing. There are also pockets of therapeutic ‘mud’ which is sought after (mainly by the Spanish) to cover their bodies and bake in the sunshine, this is very good for skin problems or arthritic conditions.

Its waters are rich in iodine and never get deeper than 7 metres. It is a haven for water sports such as jet skies, kite surfing, sailing boats and fishing. The warm, crystal clear waters, shallow shore lines and beach inflatables also attract many families in the summer months.

An added bonus for aircraft enthusiast and visitors alike, is the imprompru aerobatic dispays from the Spanish equivalent of the Red Arrows, the Spanish national aerobatic team – Team Aguillas. It is a pleasure to see the whole team of seven jets performing intricate routines over the Mar Menor, often with streams of coloured smoke to enhance their performance.