Playa de Camposoto

About Playa de Camposoto

Playa de Camposoto is the Atlantic beach of San Fernando, on the Isla de León just south of Cádiz. Golden sand runs for more than 6 km from Torregorda, on the Cádiz boundary, south to Punta del Boquerón, opposite Chiclana and the islet castle of Sancti Petri. About 5 km is open to the public; the rest still belongs to the Ministry of Defence. The whole beach lies within the Bahía de Cádiz Natural Park.

Its emptiness has a military explanation. This was an army firing range: civilians were let in during summer from the 1960s, and a permanent bathing area was released in the 1980s. Old gun batteries and two concrete bunkers survive, unmaintained because they are not listed monuments. There is no promenade, just wooden walkways at the main section.

Camposoto-El Castillo has held a Blue Flag nearly every summer since 2000. There are lifeguards, toilets, showers, parasol and sunbed hire, beach bars and a pet area. Waves can be strong.

June and September are the best months, warm but without the busiest summer weekends. Come in the late afternoon, when the heat eases, and walk south along the shore to Punta del Boquerón for the view of the castle.

Playa de Camposoto in pictures

What you’ll find

• Beach lifeguardSupervised swimmingFree
• Beach sunbedsSunbed hireRent
• Beach umbrellasUmbrella hireRent
• Public showersWash bodyFree
• Public toiletsPersonal SanitattionFree
• Sandy beachRest on beachFree
• Sea shoreSwimmingFree

Nearby places to visit

North along the isthmus towards Cádiz, Playa de Urrutia (2 km) is the next named stretch of the same Atlantic strand, followed by Playa de Torregorda (4 km), where Camposoto meets the municipality of Cádiz, and Playa de El Chato (6 km). To the south, Punta del Boquerón y Playa del Castillo (4 km) covers the end of Camposoto that faces the islet castle of Sancti Petri and the sandy spit at the mouth of the Sancti Petri channel, where several old coastal batteries still stand. A car or bike makes it easy to combine several of these in one outing.