Itzurun beach in Zumaia, renowned as one of the most stunning in the Basque Country, is currently lacking one of its defining features: sand. The action of the tides has uncovered thousands of rocks and stones along the shoreline, a situation that has sparked concern among many visitors as the summer season looms.
In April, at the beginning of spring, strong tides exposed thousands of rocks and stones on Itzurun beach. Since then, the sea has not returned enough sand to cover the area. On hot days, walking along the shore at low tide has become a challenge, requiring constant attention to avoid tripping on the rocks. The abundance of stones, some quite large, covers almost the entire main beach, leaving small sandy patches at the rear and sides.
“"This is not normal, I haven't seen anything like it in 60 years."
One refuge for some bathers during these hot spells, before the official beach season begins, is to head to the section of the beach closest to the famous flysch cliffs, near the hermitage of San Telmo. This area seems to have been less affected by the spring tides, although the space is more limited and its rear part has always been composed of large rocks.
While the beach season at Itzurun officially kicks off on June 13th, this year the beach, famous for its appearance in Game of Thrones, seems set to be more like Dragonstone than ever.
