I'd almost forgotten what it feels like to surf in warm water with the warm sun on your face...mmmm it's good.
When we arrived at Fuerteventura's brand new swanky airport, we discovered that our hire car had been cancelled, not a great start to the holiday. (Oh that and also someone else had gone off with my bag and left theirs so we had to frantically check everyones bags outside, luckily we caught the coach it was on just before they drove off...phew!) It meant we couldn't trail around looking for the best waves but fortunately we were staying in Cotillo which has it's own pretty good beach break with which we became quite well acquainted.
Cotillo beach
Once I overcame the initial shock of the bleak, barren, volcanic landscape, I came to appreciate Fuerteventura in all it's unique beauty. The small, fishing village of Cotillo is very tranquil (when the wind isn't howling), set in between a beautiful, windswept beach to the south and lagoons to the north. We stayed right by the lagoons so we had short walk to the other side of the village to the beach everyday, sometimes twice a day, but it's all good for the fitness levels!
Cotillo beach
The first couple of days was nice and relaxed 2-3ft surf, not too busy, locals seemed pretty friendly. All good apart I got a little bit caught out at high tide, in a rip that came out of nowhere, only to be washed helplessly over rocks back to shore. The next couple of the days the wind picked up from a bearable breeze to a mighty force to be reckoned with. That and the 3 metre swell made surfing a bit of a challenge which me and my surf mate Kate weren't up for. Reading and sunbathing on a sheltered terrace was a much more appealing option.
The wind finally dropped and conditions calmed down to a much more amiable 3ft although the wind was still messing up the waves a little. Neither Kate or I have been surfing much lately so we spent a good part of the beginning of the week feeling totally un-surf-fit and generally exhausted. By the end of the week, we were indestructible surf machines, well not quite but we certainly felt a lot more comfortable out there and the last couple of days was super fun, non-stop surf.
Kate and weird looking cat
Definitely a unique place (apparently Fuerteventura is the oldest, largest and most undeveloped of the Canary Islands), it was well worth seeing, perfect way to and blow away the winter cobwebs, literally. I would go back but in October when the wind drops, so we hear, oh and I'd make sure we had a car just in case for those bone-rattlingly windy days.
To have a look at my photography from Fuerteventura click here
Hope you're all enjoying the sunshine!
Vicki
x
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