It’s been a long time coming, but the La Siesta park and pump track has finally opened, following the inauguration on Saturday.

The park has many different facilities for different sports modalities, and there’s seating around the entire area. There are not many trees and green areas however, and hardly any shade so summer is going to be difficult.

The park is built on a 44,000 m2 space made up of recreation and rest areas, sports court areas and pétanque courts, and the largest paved pump track area in the world.

The Pump Track is for skateboards, scooters, and BMX bicycles, which, according to the town hall, the younger people have been demanding, so no doubt a welcome addition to the skate park in the railway station grounds. The new pump track has three well-differentiated areas, Advanced Pump Track, Medium Level Pump Track and Children’s Pump Track, which are colour coordinated.

The mayor of Torrevieja, and the councillor for International Residents, Gitte Lund Thomsen, were accompanied by many of their town hall councillors and colleagues at the inauguration in an urbanisation popular with foreign residents, with hundreds accompanying them through the gates for the first time.

The town hall had invited many different local groups to use the facilities during the opening, both to show how they can use the facilities, and showcase what can take place in the park, with something pretty much for everyone on show including basketball, hockey, football, Zumba, canine agility, pétanque, and more, with plenty of children enjoying the play facilities, including a rock climbing wall, and many adults trying out the keep fit equipment, whilst those of all ages were active on the pump track.

After several years of inactivity, the work started at the beginning of last year, with an anticipated completion of 20 months, a deadline which has been brought forward to now.

As well as the sports facilities, there is space for enjoying walks for people and families, with picnic areas for recreation and rest. However, as mentioned, there is very little in the way of shade or covered areas, there are some, but not many, and even in this early spring day of March the sun was blistering, and so it will not be a particularly pleasurable experience during the hot summer season.

La Siesta Park also has an agility area for large dogs and another for small dogs, a large central area that divides the park with two circular squares, skating circuits, children’s games, bio-healthy areas, mini auditorium, skating rink, hockey rink, soccer, pétanque courts, calisthenics area, bike path, as well as three paddle tennis courts, so this park will become the first in Torrevieja that will have courts to enjoy this fashionable sport, which normally takes place in the Sports City facility.