There have been many pictures of beaches appearing in the media showing them empty in Spain and busy ones in the UK. I thought it would be nice to go and have a look at these "empty beaches" as they are always full when I am there. It also gave me a great excuse for a ride.
I took the scenic route from home in Parcent through Tarbena, Callosa D'en Seria and Guadalest before turning back towards the coast.
First stop as you can see from the picture is Benidorm, it was quite surreal to see it deserted. The picture was taken around 11.45 am on Sunday the 31st of May 2020. Usually, it would be packed with holidaymakers and people enjoying themselves, but I only saw a few people out for exercise and about 20 shops or cafes open.
Next stop was Albir/Altea again more deserted beaches, not so easy for pictures though.
Calpe next, which like Benidorm is usually quite busy at this time of year, the beach again was deserted, the promenade had a few walkers and a couple of cyclists but that was all.
Next along the winding coast road is Moraira, it is often quieter than the other resorts, picking up in July and August but there wasn't a soul on the beach and only a handful of places open.
Next came Javea, another quiet beach, there was actually a few people out but everyone was following the social distancing rules, wearing masks and staying in small family groups.
Lastly, I visited Denia and passed by a few deserted beaches and closed businesses before stopping to take a picture. There was one person out kite surfing which is allowed as exercise but the place was otherwise deserted.
It's really odd to see the lack of people, even in the winter it's almost impossible to get pictures of empty beaches unless you get up early, but all of these were taken between 11.45 am and 2 pm on a sunny Sunday in May. Sad also to see all of the closed businesses, many of which will probably never reopen.
It was a lovely bike ride but quite sombre also.
Hopefully, in a short while, we can put this situation behind us and move on, how "short" it will be is anyone's guess.
Lastly, my thoughts and sympathies are with everyone who has lost a loved one to this.
Distance 130km
