Caleta De Vélez: Beach, Port and Maritime Festivals

Coast

Caleta de Vélez is considered a fishing and nautical centre on the eastern coast of the Province of Málaga.

Playa de Caleta de Vélez is an urban beach consisting of two sections, incorporating the local fishing and sports port. The beach is almost one kilometre long and an average of 60 metres wide. It consists of dark sand. A lifeguard service is available on the beach throughout the summer season from June to September. Las Palmeras Beach in Caleta de Vélez has a volleyball court as well as a beach football and handball court.

Other linked destinations include Vélez-Málaga, Marbella, Alozaina, Arriate, Archidona, Ronda, Villafranco del Guadalhorce and Benaoján.

Activities

The Port of Caleta de Vélez serves both a sporting and a fishing function. The Torre del Mar–Caleta Coastal Path runs from the mouth of the Río de Vélez through Torre del Mar to the port of Caleta de Vélez and is 3,400 metres long in total. The Coastal Path connects the western area of Torre del Mar with the Port of La Caleta.

El Barco del Arroz is a catamaran trip with swimming stops and opportunities for snorkelling. El Barco del Arroz departs from the Port of Caleta de Vélez and heads into the landscape of the eastern Costa del Sol. The Caleta de Vélez Marina has 274 berths for boats up to 20 metres long.

Fishing and Cuisine

In terms of landings and trade value, the Lonja de Caleta is one of the most important fish markets in Andalusia. The main products auctioned at the Lonja de Caleta include sardines, anchovies, mackerel, horse mackerel and octopus.

The activities at the Lonja de Caleta are observed not only by sellers, auctioneers and buyers, but also by numerous locals and curious tourists; in addition to its commercial and social function, the Lonja therefore also serves a tourist purpose. The cuisine of Caleta de Vélez includes fresh fish, including pescaíto frito and grilled sardine skewers.

Culture

Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Caleta de Vélez is a church and an ecclesiastical architectural and artistic monument dating from the 20th century. The small parish church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, located close to the sea, is considered a maritime church.

The maritime and land procession in honour of the Virgen del Carmen, the patron saint of the people of Caleta de Vélez, is an important local seafaring festival and takes place on 15 and 16 July. During the procession of the Virgen del Carmen, the statue is taken onto a boat in the port and carried along the coast amid fireworks; dozens of decorated fishing boats accompany the procession, which is watched from the shore by locals and visitors.

The Feria de Caleta de Vélez is held in the first week of July at the fairground next to the fishing port and includes, among other things, social and sporting activities. At the end of the Feria, espetos and paella are offered for tasting. The maritime pilgrimage Romería marinera de Caleta begins with a floral offering and the preparation of decorated floats on Las Palmeras Beach next to the port; it is celebrated in May in honour of the Virgen del Carmen, the patron saint of fishermen.

History

At the western exit of the port area, near the beginning of the seafront promenade, a small monolith memorial commemorates the local fisherman Gabriel Rodríguez Barranco (1894–1969), a pioneer of trawling and Traíña fishing in Caleta de Vélez. The memorial was erected on the centenary of his birth.

Several single-storey houses with tiled roofs are still preserved along the coast of Caleta de Vélez. In the Province of Málaga, they are known as casas-mata and were formerly inhabited by local fishermen.

Old wooden boats stand at the roundabout entrance to Caleta de Vélez as a representative monument.

For the higher-level travel overview: Málaga.