PEDALOS IN SUMMER

There are certain things kids never seem to tire of, no matter how many summers pass. Hiring a pedalo is one of them. They sit just beyond the shoreline on many Ibiza beaches, usually spotted by the kids long before the towels have even made it onto the sand. Bright slides rising from the back, little ladders trailing in the water, and the inevitable question of whether one can be hired before anyone has even sat down.

Once out on the water, the beach is quickly forgotten. Kids take turns pedalling, steering and climbing up the slide before throwing themselves into the sea, swimming back to the ladder and doing it all over again. There’s usually an argument over whose turn it is to steer, someone insisting they can pedal faster, and at least one adult eventually taking over when little legs have had enough.

Pedalos can be found at plenty of family beaches around the island, including Cala Gració, Cala Llenya, Cala Llonga, Cala Pada, Cala Vadella, Es S’Arenal Petit, Port de Sant Miquel, Port des Torrent and Santa Eulària. Some bays are small and sheltered, others open out onto a much wider stretch of water, but the ritual is much the same. There’s something lovely about seeing a beach from slightly further out too. The noise from the shore begins to disappear, the clear water deepens beneath you and, for an hour or so, the kids have their own little boat to command.

Then it’s back to the beach, wet footprints across the sand and another summer memory quietly added to all the others. Of all the things to do in Ibiza with kids, hiring a pedalo might be one of the simplest. Which is probably exactly why they love it so much. An Ibiza ritual that continues across generations.