Fuerteventura Day 3 – Flag Beach, E-Bikes, and 13 Bistrot

Our afternoon itinerary featured an e-bike tour, so we spent the morning exploring the coast and dunes, heading towards Flag Beach in search of the windsurf centre—which we never actually found. Along the way we found some popcorn sands which are fossilised algae that form sand that looks like popcorn. These form from marine algae called rhodoliths. When living they are red in colour and don’t attach themselves to the seabed. Rather, they roll like tumbleweeds along the seafloor forming into balls of living coral-like consistency. Once dead they turn white and look just like popcorn. The waves push them ashore where they can be found around Fuerteventura and some beaches here have ‘sand’ comprised almost entirely of these peices of ‘popcorn’. ,We enjoyed the scenery, and then wandered back, stopping for coffee along the way and then through Corralejo where we had lunch before making our way to the headquarters of ‘Electric Legs,’ where we met Néstor, our e-bike guide for the day.

The e-bike tour turned out to be a great experience, taking us up to the top of the local volcanic peaks and down to the island’s northern coast. Being a private tour, (just the two of us) it was nice not to feel any pressure to push too hard, and Anna could comfortably ride at her own pace without worrying about holding anyone up. We stopped at a few scenic points for photos, took a short climb to the crater at the summit—where we befriended some curious chipmunks—and then adjusted the planned route to ensure we stayed on schedule without overdoing it.

We made a stop at Majanicho, a small fishing village, and checked out a couple of surf spots along the north coast before heading back to Corralejo. While it wasn’t a huge ride, it was our first time on e-bikes, and best of all, Anna enjoyed it. She did end up with a bruised ankle, though, and I doubt it convinced her to take up cycling in Wales, but it was great to see her on a bike and having fun.

For dinner, we went to 13 Bistrot for some excellent tapas before heading back to the apartment. Thankfully, the carnival festivities had settled down, and we had a relatively peaceful night.

Tags: Fuerteventura