The same calm in a whole new Perchel
Remodelling its surrounding area and installing new services makes El Perchel Beach, in Arguineguín, even more attractive.
Peace and quiet bathe in the sea every day in Arguineguín, on the Mogán coast, in the south of Gran Canaria. The tranquillity of these waters is contagious. It sticks to your skin, like gentle salty residue. You can spot the same effect on the gentle pace of bathers as they stroll in and out of the ocean. Or in the conversations on the promenade that ebb and flow with the waves. “The sea looks perfect for fishing today,” say the locals sitting on the bench, as they look out over the immaculate blue mirror stretching out before them. Indeed, it is. In fact, around eleven in the morning, a slow trickle of local fishing boats begins to return to the harbour.
Nearby, El Perchel Beach, protected from the winds by its northerly point, now has a whole new look thanks to its remodelling, as if heading out for a walk sporting a brand-new summer hat. The promenade hugs the beach, made twice as accessible by new ramps. It is a friendly beach, welcoming everyone on an equal footing and nowhere more so than the walkway down to the sea, adapted for people with reduced mobility.
El Perchel is now a small world of relaxation by the sea for all tastes and ages, with a play-park, goalposts and a beach volley court on the sand, areas providing shade, palm trees, wooden platforms from which you can let your thoughts swoop out over the Atlantic with the seagulls, toilets, a lifeguard unit and the bars, restaurants and shops in the centre of Arguineguín, all close at hand, with their tables practically leading right down on the sand. Furthermore, every Friday there is a well-stocked market in the area which opens from 9 am to 2 pm, with no shortage of tropical fruit grown nearby in the south of Gran Canaria, from mangoes to papaya, plus tomatoes, salt and a huge range of Canary Island aloe vera products.
The urban refurbishment work on El Perchel was topped off with a seawater pool that fills and empties with the tides. The fish swimming around inside all know this, just like the elusive crabs that scurry back and forth depending on our movements, as if mimicking our shadows. In fact, this is the modern version of an ancestral space, which only makes this spot more attractive, next to the mouth of the Arguineguín ravine where it seems like nothing ever happens, but which remains forever alive and kicking.
Ancient Canary Island people lived here before the Conquest. What’s more, sailors found this a great spot to come ashore and replenish their supplies, thanks to the gentle sea, the coves and how easy it is to land here. The current urban settlements in this area of Mogán can be traced back to groups of fishing families, who frequently dried their fish in Arguineguín’s almost everlasting sunshine to the murmur of this silent, stealthy sea, which acts like it’s not there, as if it doesn’t want to bother you. Nevertheless, it is ever-present. Serenity is part of its way of being and its daily gift for everyone who visits its shores.
Related links:
Arguineguín: legendary seas
