After the exhausting trip through Scotland we decided to spend some time swimming, relaxing and simply enjoying the sun (with about 36°C) at the beaches and dunes of Maspalomas / Playa del Inglés in Gran Canaria, Spain. Compared with the almost desolated landscapes of Scotland it was quite a contrast to share the beach with so many other people (see pictures below). Nethertheless we had a nice time on the island with great food and weather! I think we only saw one single cloud the whole time there.

Playa del Ingles from above - countless hotels for the tourists

Even though the main goal of the trip was to relax - of course - I could not resists taking my photo equipment with me. The first evening of the trip we headed out to explore the area and looked for some less crowded places without footprints in the sand. After about an hour of exploring the dunes we have found this nice spot you see in the photo below.

Desert Sunset - Prints Available

Although there were no clouds or drama in the sky winds were blowing almost all the time which made the temperature more bearable. One late afternoon there even was a strong sandstorm blowing as you can see in the photo below. Me and my equipment got totally sandblasted and I'm still trying to remove all of the desert sand from my camera and lenses!

El Oasis Sandstorm - Prints Available

It virtually became a ritual for us to go to the dunes after having a large tasty dinner each evening. Long walks were necessary - not only caused by the huge amount of food - but because it was not that easy finding compositions without people and footprints in it. Hundreds of people walk through the dunes each day and especially in the evening when the sand is no longer piping hot lots of people go there to enjoy the sunset. That said, we found one good spot almost every day.

Vortex of Sand - Prints Available

Fantastic golden sunset light illuminating the dunes and showing their leading lines and structures in the sand, photo below.

Dunes Sunset - Prints Available

Here you see the most of the beach and dunes of Playa del Inglés with its hundres or even thousands of people visting it every day.

Playa del Inglés - One Print Available

After sunset we enjoyed the absence of the sun and the then more moderate temperatures.

Kirsti jumping in the dunes of Maspalomas

I would have loved some clouds from time to time to get some more dramatic skies but I will not complain. You can't have it all. At the end of this trip both of us were looking forward to some more tolerable temperatures (at least below 30°C) in Germany. Being back and writing this post right now I am already looking forward to some more car camping trips during the upcoming autumn season in the forests of the Bohemian Switzerland and the Thuringian Forest.