 The emblematic lighthouse of El Rompido.
By Jo Williams
Out
on a limb eight kilometres from the nearest town of Cartaya,
the fishing village of El Rompido is one of the most tranquil and
uncrowded spots on Huelva's Costa de la Luz. fishing village. Up
until now, it has managed to remain unscathed by the tourist development
that has marred other resorts along Huelva's Costa de la Luz, perhaps
because of its relative distance from the new A49 Portugal-Seville
motorway, compared with the more popular neighbouring coastal towns.
El Rompido sits on the Río Piedras
river estuary, a stretch of water sheltered from the open sea by
a spit, known as the Flecha del Rompido. The beach here is one of
the best in Andalucia.
The Piedras river has extensive salt marshes along
its banks and these, along with coastal pine woods, sand dunes and
tidal creeks, make up the protected reserve called the Paraje
Natural Marismas del Río Piedras y Flecha
del Rompido. With its wide variety of habitats it has a
rich array of plants and birds. To access the Paraje Natural, take
a footpath from the lighthouse towards Caño del Tendal to
the Pradera de San Isidro.
From the village there are some marvellous views
across the 300m-wide estuary over to the protected spit, which is
made up of sand dunes and lined with magnificent beaches on either
side. You can visit the spit by hiring a fishing boat for the short
trip across the estuary from the village. El Rompido itself has
a few bars situated on the waterfront, several fish restaurants
and a campsite just outside the village.
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