We could have picked a better day to hire a car to explore the island. 34°C in the shade of the boat as we prepared to set out, and 36°C and rising as we drove south from Las Palmas, so we opted to explore the coast rather than the interior.

Maspalomas and its sand dunes beckoned as the best option to combine tourism with the beach. Not quite La Dune du Pilat but still a great playground for the children.

Arriving at the edge of the dunes on our approach to the beach we were a little shocked to be confronted by regular instances of naked men seemingly thrusting towards both the sun and us passers-by.
Whilst we’ve nothing against nudism per se, the male bias and frankly in-your-face stance of some made the experience a little distasteful – a bit gross but all part of life’s rich tapestry, right?

We soon found space on the great beach and made the most of the breakers rolling in from the acceleration zone off the island’s southern tip.