What you can see on the Canyamel webcam
The camera looks out from the trees at one end of the beach across the sand towards the northern side of the bay. In the foreground are the straw parasols, the sunbathers and the wooden lifeguard tower; behind them, apartments and villas climb a pine-covered hillside below a band of pale cliffs, the slopes of Cap Vermell. It shows at a glance how busy the beach is, how calm the water is and whether waves are breaking on the shore.
Canyamel beach webcam: sand, lifeguards and Cap Vermell
Partly screened by feathery trees at one end of the beach, this camera looks across Canyamel's sand to the northern side of the bay. Straw parasols stand in the foreground, the wooden lifeguard tower rises in the middle of the beach, and sunbathers and swimmers spread along the water's edge. Behind, white apartments and villas climb a pine-covered hillside below a band of pale limestone cliffs, and a strip of open sea shows on the right.
It is the view for checking the beach before you go: how many people are on the sand, whether the water is calm and clear or churned up by an easterly wind, and whether the lifeguards are on duty. The hillside catches the warm afternoon light.
Sugar cane, a tower and the caves
The name means "sugar cane": in the 15th century local landowners tried to grow it on the flat land behind the beach, by a coastal lagoon, and the venture was abandoned after a few years. A small wetland, the Estany de Canyamel, still lies behind the sand. Inland stands the Torre de Canyamel, a square, battlemented tower from the 13th century that once guarded against pirates. In the cliffs of Cap Vermell, a short way along the coast, are the Coves d'Artà, show caves with halls of stalactites and a column more than 20 metres (65 ft) high, visited in the 19th century by the Archduke Ludwig Salvator.
When to watch Canyamel
Majorca is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. The beach faces south-east, so mornings are bright and the sun rises over the sea; in the afternoon the light falls on the hillside of Cap Vermell. The sea is warmest in August and September, and easterly winds bring the biggest waves.
Around Canyamel
Cala Ratjada and its beaches lie to the north, with Capdepera's medieval castle inland. The resort also has a golf course, and the caves are only a short drive away.
Visiting Canyamel
Palma airport is about 45 miles (75 km) away, a little over an hour by road. The beach is about 300 metres (980 ft) of fine, golden sand that shelves gently; lifeguards watch it in season, so keep an eye on the flags when the wind is onshore.
