A very popular Q for Quality beach on the Mar Menor in Santiago de la Ribera

Playa de Barnuevo is one of the main beaches in Santiago de la Ribera, at the southern end of the Mar Menor coastline of San Javier and close to the airport, and is 400 metres long and an average of 30 metres wide. It is a high occupancy beach due not only to its size, but also to its proximity to bars and restaurants, the ferry service across to La Manga and as a focal point for the activities taking part in Santiago de la Ribera.

The Explanada Barnuevo runs behind the beach, a shaded walkway offering seating and a place to stroll along the seafront. Lined with bars and restaurants, the promenade is also a centre for community activities, and during the summer and the local fiestas a stage and marquee are erected and the area becomes the focal point of events: for example, it is from here that the annual Carnival procession departs.

Facilities

This beach has a good range of facilities, including a children's play area, footwashes, drinking water, hire of both sun loungers and sun shades, ramps, toilets, a beach bar, bins, recycling collection points, netted bathing areas, walkways and ramps down onto the beach, auxiliary medical cover and lifeguard protection during peak months as well as assisted bathing service for those with disabilities who can use specially adapted bathing chairs.

In the summer there are also additional services, such as a "bibliobus" lending service run by the municipal library, and other activities as part of a summer cultural programme. These include trips, tournaments, open-air dances, fireworks and gymnastics for senior citizens.

Disabled facilities

This beach caters well for those with disabilities, offering parking, wooden ramps down to the water's edge, a cordoned-off bathing area, amphibious crutches, toilets and changing rooms with disabled facilities, bathing seats with a hydraulic lift to aid the transfer from a standard wheelchair, and First aid personnel who are happy to assist those supporting disabled bathers or those with limited mobility.

Security and first aid personnel are on hand from the June to September, in June and September from 11.00 to 19.00 and in July and August from 10.00 to 20.00. For information on assisted bathing outside these dates, please contact the local Protección Civil.

During the summer the beach is also protected by anti-jellyfish netting, and the combination of these facilities leads to it being awarded the Q for Quality flag year after year.

Shade

Behind the beach is the Paseo Marítimo which runs all the way along the seafront offering areas of shade and seating. This particular section of the beaches has ample shade, with lots of seating as it is right next to the main bar and restaurant area of Santiago de la Ribera.

Bars and Restaurants

There are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants all within easy walking distance, as Playa de Barnueno is very close to the main bar and restaurant zone of Santiago de la Ribera. The area is popular all year round among both locals and visitors.

Parking

There is very little parking as this area is a pedestrianised zone in summer and  most of the available parking is in the streets behind the front line of residential buildings. If driving to the beach, it may be necessary to park a few streets back during the summer.

There is a bus-stop nearby, which offers connections to Murcia, Alicante and Cartagena. Full details of bus services can be obtained from the tourist information office.

Urban buses run to the main streets of Santiago de la Ribera behind the beach.

Beaches in Santiago de la Ribera

San Javier has two distinct sections of beaches, one being in Santiago de la Ribera on the shore of the Mar Menor, close to the main centre of San Javier town, and the other on the opposite side of the Mar Menor on the spit of land called La Manga de Mar Menor (or "the strip", as it is often referred to by holidaymakers), where there are both Mar Menor and Mediterranean beaches.

Mar Menor beaches are enclosed within the protective circle of Europe's largest saltwater lagoon, which is fed by the Mediterranean. The Mar Menor is totally unique, its geographical peculiarities creating some of the best conditions in Spain for those learning watersports, particularly windsurfing and sailing.

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 is not tidal and has only very insiginficant currents and waves, so it's perfect for family bathing or watersport beginners.

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.

The Mar Menor beaches are all around the lagoon, which covers a surface area of nearly 170 square kilometres, with 70 kilometres of internal coastline, separated from the Mediterranean by the 22 kilometres of La Manga. Channels known as "golas" cut across La Manga, enabling water to flow bewteen the two seas as well as making it possible for boats to sail between the two.

It is important when choosing 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 beaches of Santiago de la Ribera, working from south to north, are the following:

Playa de la Hita: a natural beach with no facilities next to the environmentally protected area of Islas del Mar Menor and the Camping Mar Menor park. 

 Playa de Barnuevo: one of the most popular beaches in the Mar Menor and the centre for numerous activities all year round.

Playa del Pescador: 280 metres long, with fine soft sand.

 Playa de Colón: a glorious kilometre-long beach, 30 metres wide, with fine sand, an important locations for watersports enthusiasts with a windsurfing and sailing school.

Playa El Castillico: 450 metres long, with an average width of 40 metres, very popular in summer.

Playa del Atalayón (sailing moorings only, no beach).

Safety precautions for bathers

This is a Mar Menor beach and it is 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 at many Mar Menor beaches, 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 to see an overview of the beaches in San Javier, or to go to the home page of San Javier Today for more local news, events and other information.