HIPPIES BACK ON NIJAR BEACH

Last week Guardia Civil officers in Nijar received a call denouncing hippies for camping on the beach, building makeshift homes and making fires in the Cala of San Pedro, a beautiful beach in the natural park of Cabo de Gata-Nijar.

The denuncia came from the owner of the land on which this beach is situated, Daniel Navarro. It is actually the 40th complaint he has made to the police, in writing, about the situation.

Last year the municipal government came to the conclusion that something must be done about the matter, but that was as far at they went. A year later, together with the permanent hippies, hundreds of holiday makers camp every night on the beach during the months of July and August. There is even a bakery on site now.

The Mayor, Rodriguez, says that he plans to resolve the matter shortly, and is awaiting cooperation from the new delegate for the Ministry of the Environment, who will begin working in September. He says, “I hope we will be able to sit down together and decide how we are going to resolve this matter.” He says the biggest worry is the hygiene on the beaches.

The only way you can reach this cove is either a long walk or by boat. It is quite cut off from local services. This is one of the reasons it is so popular with hippies.