THE MAR MENOR MURCIA

The Mar Menor, Murcia's holiday playground, was formed as sand and rocks gradually advanced outwards from two headlands, slowly transforming the original bay into a vast lagoon, The strip of land separating the lagoon from the Mediterranean is pierced by channels and is called La Manga, 'the sleeve', This 24km-long ribbon of land, nowhere much more than a kilometer across, was totally undeveloped until the 1960s, a haunt of fishermen and birds. Today it's a solid strip of hotels, apartment blocks, shops, restaurants and bars, catering efficiently for a huge summer population of holidaymakers, The landward shore of the Mar saw some development in the 19th century when Spaniards from Murcia built spacious holiday homes at towns like Los Alcazares, San Javier and Santiago de la Ribera. These resorts are still Spanish favorites, with families returning year after year,

Cabo de Palos, at the southern end of La Manga on the seaward side, is the closest to a traditional village, a jolly fishing and sailing centre, known for its lighthouse, Sunday market and good fish restaurants. The Mar Menor covers 170sq km and is nowhere more than 7m deep, making it a perfect water sports centre, Sailing, windsurfing and waterskiing are all available, and frequent excursion boats visit the lagoon's five islands, The seaward side of La Manga has some excellent diving areas and further south along the coast there are quiet coves and beaches.