Dubovica cove – a beach picnic in January

Dubovica cove is popular in summer, you can tell by the number of cars parked by the roadside above it. In contrast, yesterday ours was the only car to be seen as we set off down the trail to the beach. The sign points to Dubovica and Sv Nedelja, which is several kilometers further along the coast, and the path is clearly marked by our local hiking society, the Hvarsko Planinarsko Društvo.

Dubovica cove

For the moment, though, we were just taking advantage of a glorious winter’s day, and had brought a picnic to enjoy on the beach. It was blowing a bura, and we figured that Dubovica must be sheltered from the north-east, and who knows, it might actually be warm in the sun? Hopeful, but still wrapped up well, we picked our way down the path to the cove. On the way, we noticed rosemary in flower, and a couple of tiny winter crocuses nestling in the rocks.

The path down

Dubovica from the road

Pine tree

Hiking trail sign

Rosemary in flower

Winter crocus

We had the beach virtually to ourselves. Just the man from Villa Benedeta greeted us on our way past, and two local cats dashed out to share our picnic! It’s a gorgeous little place, with a few old stone houses, carefully tended, as are the surrounding olives.

Stone houses

Houses

Friendly locals

Church of Sv Stjepan

Kasandrić house

Boat dock

Lovely beach!

Cat on a beach

The tiny chapel of Sv Stjepan dates from the 17th century, and the Kasandrić house has been owned by the same family since the 1800s, guarding their privacy very effectively against the summer tourists. In contrast, the rather secluded Villa Benedeta welcomes visitors, offering accommodation and food in season. There’s also what appears to be a konoba / beach bar, which I had no idea was there.

Konoba terrace view

Wall decor

Church reflections

Red bicycle

Church belfry

Donkey harness

As the cove faces south, the winter storms must hit it pretty hard. We saw a couple of winches to pull the boats out of the water and up onto the beach. I love a bit of solid rusty ironmongery! The hiking trail continues along the coast, and one day we will follow it further. But for the moment, it’s enough to watch the waves lapping on the shore, and enjoy this lovely little cove.