Playa de El Aila

LAREDO.- The beach of El Aila, located between the cliffs of El Secar and those of La Lastra, has a difficult final access through a very narrow path and down through gypsum terrain that, being wet, slides a lot and you can rush to the rocks that are at the end, it is appreciated the irons and ropes placed so that it is easier to access. You can only go down when the tide is at low tide, ensure that it is with a high coefficient for greater tranquility and on a day without storms, as it is a dangerous beach and all care is little, since there is no surveillance and it is in the open sea . The entire area of ​​Cliffs, El Secar, El Aila and La Lastra is of great geological interest. In this small sandy beach of El Aila we can see Flysch, which are rocky facies of sedimentary origin composed of alternating layers of cohesive hard rocks (limestone, slate or sandstone) interspersed with other softer friable rocks (marl or shale). Where there are harder strata, the capes are formed and where the softest, more easily erodible, are the small beaches such as this one and the Cala del Secar (The Hidden Jewel of the Cantabrian Sea). To the west, there is the mount of the Watchtower which is a completely eroded, collapsed round ash cone that was formed during the Upper Triassic, with the dominant rock being dolerite or diabase. Between the Watchtower and the Aila beach are the Secar cliffs with its small cove, which can be accessed on the other side with a rocky slope and that is quickly covered by the tide, leaving you isolated without being able to leave the mainland. I suggest: go at low tide, especially having a great coefficient, a good day and controlling the tide, scares are very dangerous there. Towards the other side, to the east of El Aila beach, a stony place, are the Lastra cliffs, a place highly appreciated and known by mineral professionals since in this area there is an important deposit, where in addition to a lot of plaster In different colors (white, black, green, red), there are minerals like sulfur, calcite, aragonite, hyacinths, celestine. Celestine and calcite are present in transparent, white, blue geodes. Large amounts of sulfur can be seen in seams and veins, also with crystals of calcite and celestine and pyrite cubes have been found, there are abundant sulfur geodes with an intense lemon color, although the marls of the seashore appear in a greenish yellow due to being in contact with water and having inclusions. With this I only want to disclose a small part of the attractiveness of my Villa, which I knew since I was a child and that today a large part of my neighbors do not know in situ, and incidentally to all in love with nature, I would like to remember that its extraction is not recommended except if you are a professional, since it is very difficult to recognize the geodes, remove them and open them, in addition to the fact that suitable utensils are required; I never dared to chop a rock, due to my geological ignorance, for which I do not have personal photos of the minerals although I have seen them, I have been helped by a Laredana geologist. "The Paradise of the Costa Smeralda"