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penyó

foto antiga

History and heritageEs Penyó, or Punta de la Torre, is a natural rock headland located to the west of the beach at Cala Gamba and to the east of the Las Rocas urban centre


Its geographic location meant it was of great strategic importance from the Middle Ages, and in the seventeenth century a watchtower was built there, which stood until the twentieth century.

The name Penyó as a result of the soldier Joan Cantallops Mayol, who in 1957 obtained the concession to build a bar on Punta de la Torre, which he called El Peñón.

In 1986, a 120-metre jetty was built from the western part of the headland and another just before the mouth of the Torrent Gros to prevent the currents from carrying off the sand that was deposited to turn the rocky coast into an artificial beach, which is still there nowadays.

See location

Marine ecosystem

The seabed is predominantly sandy substrate with some rocky parts. Species of fish that are typical of sandy bottoms can be found, such as the Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus), the Mediterranean horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus), the common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) and the red mullet (Mullus barbatus). In addition, other species can be found in the rocky seabed such as the white seabream (Diplodus sargus) and Couch’s seabream (Pagrus pagrus).

LThe most common algae seen in the sandy areas are Halimeda tuna, Dasycladus vermicularis and “peluqueta” (Codium vermilara). “Cistoseira balear” (Cystoseira balearica), peacock’s tail (Padina pavonica) and “acetabulària mediterrània” (Acetabularia acetabulum) are usually abundant in the rocky areas.

Finally, the jellyfish that can be found near this beach are the mauve stinger (Pelagia noctiluca), with a strong sting like that of a nettle, the common jellyfish (Aurelia aurita), which has a painful sting, the fried-egg jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata), with a very weak sting, and the sea raft hydrozoa (Velella velella), which does not sting.

Safety, services and accessibilityBathing area

SHOWER

NO ACCESIBILITY POINT

LOW-RISK BATHING AREA

Birds of interest


Thanks to its coastal character, a wide range of seabirds can be found here. The shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) can often be seen swimming very close to the coast or on the rocks. The yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) and Audoin’s gull (Larus audouinii), which is endemic to the Mediterranean, are also often seen. These species can be seen all year round.

There are also species that can only be seen during their migration periods, usually the autumn or winter, such as the cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), the little egret (Egretta garzetta), the ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres), the sanderling (Calidris alba), the black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and the Sandwich tern (Sterna sandvicensis).