We Watched the Perseid Meteor Shower Over the Mar Menor

Midnight on the Mar Menor in August is the best free show on the Costa Cálida, and most people staying near Roda Golf sleep straight through it. We didn't, and it's worth losing an hour or two of sleep for. The Perseids peak this year on the night of 12 to 13 August, and if you know where to stand and what to bring, you'll see more shooting stars in twenty minutes than most people see in a decade.

When to actually go outside

Forget the early evening. The Perseids are active from late July right through to late August, but the real activity, the fireballs and the long streaking trails, happens after midnight and before the first hint of dawn, roughly 2am to 5am. That's when your side of the planet is facing directly into the debris trail left by Comet Swift-Tuttle, so you're driving into the meteors rather than watching them chase you from behind.

Check moonrise and moonset times for your exact dates before you head out. A bright moon above the horizon will wash out all but the brightest streaks, so the darker the sky, the better your night. Give your eyes at least twenty minutes away from phone screens and car headlights before you start counting. That adjustment period is non-negotiable and most people give up right when their night vision is finally kicking in.

Where to watch around the Mar Menor

You don't need to leave the area, but you do need to get away from streetlights. Los Alcázares promenade is too bright and too busy on an August night. Head instead for one of these:

• The salt flats near San Pedro del Pinatar, where the flat open ground gives you sky in every direction and the mosquitoes are (slightly) more manageable than in the pine woods.
• Calblanque natural park, a short drive past Cartagena, with proper dark-sky conditions and no light pollution at all once you're past the car park.
• The lighthouse road out at Cabo de Palos, quiet after midnight with a clear horizon out over the Mediterranean.
• A south or east-facing terrace, if you're staying somewhere with one. Several of the holiday rentals near Roda Golf have roof terraces that face away from the resort's own lighting, which is more comfortable than lying on sand at 3am.

La Manga is tempting because it's right on the water, but the strip itself is lined with hotels and bars that stay lit until dawn in August. If you go, pick the quieter southern end near the marina.

What to actually bring

A reclining chair or a blanket thick enough to lie flat on, because craning your neck upward for two hours is miserable and you'll miss half the sky by looking in the wrong direction. Bring a jumper even though it's August; the breeze off the Mar Menor at 3am is cooler than you'd expect after a 35 degree day. A torch with a red filter (or red cellophane taped over an ordinary one) keeps your night vision intact while you find your bag or pour a coffee. Repellent is essential anywhere near the water or the salt flats, the mosquitoes don't stop for meteor showers.

No telescope or binoculars needed, and they'll actively make things worse. Meteors move too fast and cover too much sky for magnified viewing to help. Lie back, look roughly halfway up the sky and slightly away from the constellation Perseus (which rises in the northeast), and let your peripheral vision do the work. The meteors radiating from that point will show the longest, most dramatic trails the further you look from it.

Recovering the next day

A 3am finish doesn't mix well with an 8am tee time. If you're staying to play, ask about a twilight slot instead: several courses in the area, including options listed under golf courses near Roda Golf, run late afternoon tee times through August specifically because the heat and the early starts don't suit everyone. It's a far better plan than dragging yourself round nine holes on three hours' sleep.

We finished our own Perseid night with churros and coffee at a bar in Santiago de la Ribera that opens early for the fishermen, which turned out to be the perfect way to fill the gap before sunrise properly broke. If you're planning a longer stay around the Mar Menor and want local advice on where to base yourself for stargazing, beaches or golf, get in touch with our team and we'll point you in the right direction. For more nights out and local know-how, our local area guides cover the rest of what's worth doing around Los Alcázares this summer.