# Benalmadena Beach??



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

No bathing in Benalmádena before 11am

Jo xxx


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## country boy (Mar 10, 2010)

I'm old enough to remember the "Whitehall Farces" with Brian Rix and Company. Some of these Ayuntamientos put Brian Rix to shame. What a joke!


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Although I, in line with some of the comments on the article, thought at first this was a joke and then shook my head, I have to say that the article probably leaves out a great deal of the story and also appears biased.

I haven't been to Benalmádena for two or three years (and then not to the beach), so have no idea of the situation there, but the comment 'to make the beach a place for all the family' makes me wonder if there is more going on here than simply refusing to ask the beach cleaners to start work earlier.

Or this could be a cost cutting exercise gone sadly wrong....


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

The photo alone would put me off. If anyone puts their towel within 10 metres of me I feel claustrophobic, so we are usually on the beach by 10 am and gone by lunchtime. Let's hear it for the Costa de la Luz!


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

We do what the locals do and get down to the beach around 5 pm. This is in summer mind, but it's a tad cooler, the tourists are off to find a bar before the clubs and the locals erect all manner of tents, gazebos and mini palaces where huge families arrive, chat, BBQ and generall have a wonderful time before heading home around midnight. We like it loads.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I wonder how it will pan out. The tourist beaches are usually heaving by 10am in the mornings and I cant imagine how the authorities will cope with very angry holiday makers who will take no notice of any signs or warnings! And whatever we think of the tourists, they are on holiday and I wouldnt blame them for causing a scene or two

Jo xxx


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Personally, I'm not the slightest bit bothered - I'm not a beach person.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> Personally, I'm not the slightest bit bothered - I'm not a beach person.


Blimey Baldy - we agree on something! I've lived in Spain 12 years including 6 on our boat within a few yards of a beach and I haven't had one urge to go anywhere near it. What is the attraction?


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

jimenato said:


> What is the attraction?


It's 10 degrees cooler near the water, and the Atlantic waves are so refreshing! I became a bodyboard convert last year. Nothing fancy like jumps or rolls, just gliding in on a wave - bliss!


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## Iberican (Feb 18, 2012)

Why can't they clean the beaches early in the morning, before it gets hot? I would think the workers would be happy to work in the cool and then the holidaymakers have the beach for the full day.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> It's 10 degrees cooler near the water, and the Atlantic waves are so refreshing! I became a bodyboard convert last year. Nothing fancy like jumps or rolls, just gliding in on a wave - bliss!


OK - that seems like fun.  Also...


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

That photo reminds me of family holidays spent on Swanage beach many decades ago....

We only use our beach off-season to walk our dog by moonlight but my dil takes a lounger and book and walks to the beach from her house....our beach isn't much used in summer as people seem to prefer their pools.

As do I. I prefer to disrobe in private.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> That photo reminds me of family holidays spent on Swanage beach many decades ago....


Jimenato's photo??? Swanage?????


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> Jimenato's photo??? Swanage?????












I had holidays in Swanage many years ago - it wasn't like that...


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I dont think this is about whether a few expats like the beaches or not, its about the struggling tourist industry and the economy of the area, and this isnt going to do it alot of good. They could find this will be a costly mistake, not only cos it will put tourists off, but I assume to enforce it, they'll need to employ more police, beach guards etc. I doubt tourists will hang around long enough to worry about paying fines etc

Jo xxx


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

I've never seen a beach cleaned after 8a.m. anywhere ?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

gus-lopez said:


> I've never seen a beach cleaned after 8a.m. anywhere ?


Nor me! Maybe thats gonna change????? Maybe thats the money saving part of this silly idea???

Jo xxx


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

For those of you who can't understand why people go to the beach, here are two very different reasons. 1. If you believe in evolution, we originally came from the sea, so perhaps there is an innate yearning to return. 2. We have a 2 year old toddler; not going to the beach is not an option...


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

thrax said:


> For those of you who can't understand why people go to the beach, here are two very different reasons. 1. If you believe in evolution, we originally came from the sea, so perhaps there is an innate yearning to return. 2. We have a 2 year old toddler; not going to the beach is not an option...


I love going to the beach, and I dont even have the excuse of young children anymore, that was one of the reasons why I moved to Spain, sun, sea and sand. Even in the UK, I live near a beach (WORTHING SEAFRONT IS NOT QUITE THE SAME!!) But more importantly for Spains economy is thats why the "costas" are what they are - holiday destinations!!! To try to stop people going there before 11am when the sun isnt burning and to try to force people to use over priced sun beds (and there are not enough of them anyway) isnt going to go down well with your average family holiday makers

Jo xxx


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

gus-lopez said:


> I've never seen a beach cleaned after 8a.m. anywhere ?


It does seem crazy what Benalmadena are doing. I hope they see sense before the season starts.

El Palmar (Costa de la Luz) is cleaned between about 10 and 12, but there's no question of banning anyone from doing anything. Dogs aren't allowed on after 12 and you aren't supposed to light fires or camp overnight, that's all.








.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

In Benal, they use a tractor to clean the beaches, so I can see why they dont want people, towels, parasols etc on the beach when they are doing that. But up til now, they do the cleaning early in the morning. I used to love to for for a stroll along the beach early in the summer (6amish) and watch the sun come up and yes, the tractor would be out

Jo xxx


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

When we were at Fuengirola last week, the only tractor we saw seemed to be something to level out sandcastles and not much more. As a "cleaning" instrument it would be particularly useless. Unless you just wanted to push all the broken bottles, cans, etc under the surface.

I was born by the "seaside" (Sarfend or near to it) and to start with all that area was still closed off after the war. When it was opened, we had to put up with all the effluent from London being discharged into the Thames and paddling about in raw sewage was not my idea of fun. Neither is getting sand out from between toes that are freezing cold. Beaches? - for my money, you can keep them.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Alcalaina said:


> It does seem crazy what Benalmadena are doing. I hope they see sense before the season starts.
> 
> El Palmar (Costa de la Luz) is cleaned between about 10 and 12, but there's no question of banning anyone from doing anything. Dogs aren't allowed on after 12 and you aren't supposed to light fires or camp overnight, that's all.


Dogs? In most places they are banned from the beach and quite rightly too! We currently have two and they are not allowed where children (in particular) are likely to play.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

baldilocks said:


> Dogs? In most places they are banned from the beach and quite rightly too! We currently have two and they are not allowed where children (in particular) are likely to play.


And quite right too!

We take Our Little Azor on our local beach in winter months with a bag and scoop (although he rarely 'goes' in public oplaces, he was well-trained) and tend to stay away in the summer, although the beach isn't much used since most summer visitors here tend to stay in their rented houses by their pools.

But as the beach is used year-round by locals exercising their horses it seems pointless worrying about a scoop of dog poo compared to a mountain of horse dung.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Alcalaina said:


> Jimenato's photo??? Swanage?????



Yes. Minus sun of course.

I'm older than you so I can remember when a trip to the nearest seaside resort was THE holiday for most less well-off people.

Beaches in places like Swanage, Weymouth, Bridport and the Marbella of the south coast, Bournemouth, were like tins of sardines...packed with people all within a foot or two of each other.

I remember going on an outing to Bournemouth in the early 1950s and we stood on the cliffs looking down on the beach...it was like a cross between an ant colony and a wasps' nest: you couldn't see the sand for dark dots and you could hear rising up from below a sort of hum, a buzz of conversations.

I used to love those trips until I became a teenager and hated the public changing, the damp bathing gear, the sand in the sandwiches, the luke-warm lemonade, the presence of all those people....

Innocence lost and simple pleasures with it.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> And quite right too!
> 
> We take Our Little Azor on our local beach in winter months with a bag and scoop (although he rarely 'goes' in public oplaces, he was well-trained) and tend to stay away in the summer, although the beach isn't much used since most summer visitors here tend to stay in their rented houses by their pools.
> 
> But as the beach is used year-round by locals exercising their horses it seems pointless worrying about a scoop of dog poo compared to a mountain of horse dung.




But horse poos doesn't smell like dog poo.. horses don't eat meat.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

MaidenScotland said:


> But horse poos doesn't smell like dog poo.. horses don't eat meat.


very true - but I still wouldn't want to sit next to it on a beach


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> But horse poos doesn't smell like dog poo.. horses don't eat meat.


and you can use the 'orse variety on the garden! Apologies to Wilfred Bramble!


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> and you can use the 'orse variety on the garden! Apologies to Wilfred Bramble!



yep.. I used to sell mine.. mine as in what the horse produced..

biodegradable..


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

baldilocks said:


> Dogs? In most places they are banned from the beach and quite rightly too! We currently have two and they are not allowed where children (in particular) are likely to play.


They aren't allowed on the town beaches between May and October. But we have plenty of less populated beaches for them to enjoy themselves. I've never seen any dog poo, so people must pick it up I guess.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

MaidenScotland said:


> yep.. I used to sell mine.. mine as in what the horse produced..
> 
> biodegradable..


My Irish Gran ended up living in a small hamlet in the New Forest. The forest ponies used to roam all over the place, often coming into gardens and eating plants.

When I went to stay with her as a child I was sent out with a bucket and shovel after the ponies had wandered off to collect the dung, for her vegetable garden, I presume, since I don't remember flowers featuring there.


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

jojo said:


> In Benal, they use a tractor to clean the beaches, so I can see why they dont want people, towels, parasols etc on the beach when they are doing that. But up til now, they do the cleaning early in the morning. I used to love to for for a stroll along the beach early in the summer (6amish) and watch the sun come up and yes, the tractor would be out
> 
> Jo xxx


Well they take a long time Jo as they were still cleaning opposite the fort (?) at gone 10 most days last year, still its a real long stretch to cover I guess its a numbers game to get it all wrapped by 09.30 when the holidaymakers start to wander down.

Btw I never saw the beach that crowded as in the link's picture ?, and as you know the beach can be a real nice place to be given the right time/place.
That is what I liked about LaCala as it never had that many people on the beach and with a decent umbrella for some shade, a snack or two with some refreshment


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