What you can see on the La Pineda webcam
The camera stands behind the sand and looks south-west down the beach. The sea fills the left of the picture, with lines of small waves and the swimming buoys; the wide, raked sand runs off into the distance past rows of straw parasols and a lifeguard post, and on the horizon rises the pine-covered headland of Cap Salou. Fenced dunes with wild grasses fill the right-hand corner. It shows the state of the sea, how crowded the sand is and whether the clouds are coming in from the hills.
La Pineda beach and Cap Salou
Vila-seca council streams this camera from behind the sand of La Pineda. It looks south-west along the beach: the sea on the left, with lines of small waves and the swimming buoys; the broad sand, raked into curves by the cleaning tractors, in the middle; and on the right a fenced strip of dunes with wild grasses, a lifeguard post and rows of straw parasols. At the far end of the beach the low, pine-covered headland of Cap Salou rises with apartment blocks along its foot.
It answers the beach-day questions at a glance: how busy the sand is, whether the sea is flat or rolling in, and whether the sky is clear. From mid-afternoon the sun is ahead of the camera and the shadows of the parasols stretch towards it.
A beach next to the theme parks
Its name means "the pine wood" in Catalan, and it belongs to Vila-seca, an inland town whose municipality also takes in part of the PortAventura World resort. The Aquopolis water park sits on the seafront, the theme parks are a short drive inland, and a broad, flat promenade runs the length of the beach. Don't confuse it with Pineda de Mar, a different town on the Maresme coast north of Barcelona.
When to watch La Pineda
La Pineda is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. The beach faces east-south-east, so the sun rises over the sea, and from mid-afternoon the camera looks into the light along the shore. In summer the sand is busiest from late morning; in autumn and winter it is almost empty, and an easterly can bring bigger waves.
Around La Pineda
Salou, with its Llevant beach and promenade, is about 2½ miles (4 km) to the west, on the other side of Cap Salou. The Roman city of Tarragona lies about 4 miles (7 km) to the north-east, beyond its commercial harbour.
Visiting La Pineda
Reus airport is about 5 miles (8 km) inland, the closest airport to the Costa Dorada resorts. Besides the main beach, the resort has two smaller ones, Els Prats and El Racó. Lifeguards watch the beach in the bathing season: check the flag before swimming on windy days.
