Black Strap Cove Verified listing

Blackstrap Cove is a must-visit coastal location in Gibraltar, and while it does not have a sandy beach, this iconic cove is well worth a visit.

The cove is close to Catalan Bay and Princess Royal’s Battery. The Cove is hidden away on the Mediterranean coast and was an infamous landing spot for smugglers of rum, whisky, tobacco and wine.

Ships seeking to trade with Europe, the UK and the New World had to wait at the cove for the easterly Levante wind to die down so they could safely navigate the Strait of Gibraltar. The waiting ships called this being ‘black-strapped’, which gave the name to the cove. So iconic is the cove that the Gibraltar Distillery Company have a whisky named after it.