When I lived in Spain, I could see the Med from my roof terrace. The beaches of the Costa del Sol lay just an hour down the road, yet none of my neighbours ever went. For them, vamos a la playa meant loading up the car — or, in some cases, the donkey — with booze, a picnic and old inner tubes, then heading through the cork oaks to spend the day beside the river. The best locations were the most remote: silver beaches of sand with shallow bits for the kids, waterfalls and a decent stretch of white water for those inner tubes.
Spain’s vast hinterland has thousands of such spots, so take a day off from the beach this summer to see what you’ve been missing.
Praia da Coba, Galicia
On a horseshoe bend of the Minho River, in the winelands of the Ribeira Sacra, there’s a cove of golden sand and clear green water that could put you off the sea for good. First, you have to find it: 17 miles up the N120 from Ourense, taking a left at Segade and following it for six miles until the right-hander to Vilariño. Exactly half a mile further on, there’s a sharp left-hander. Don’t miss it. The beach has a bar (El Rincon del Gin Tonic) and boat hire; if it’s busy, follow the path through the woods downstream and you’ll find secret coves — some with rope swings.
Los Tres Tubos, Aragon
Two miles southeast of the town of Aguaviva, in Teruel province, an unpromising-looking dirt track heads off to the left down the side of an olive grove. It leads to the cool, clear Rio Bergantes, a natural water park with shady pines and Dali-esque boulders, perfect for acts of reckless bravado. There’s nothing manmade here bar a 17th-century pack bridge, so bring a picnic and inflatables.
Fontcalda, Catalonia
Hidden between the mountains of La Mola and Crestall, 25 miles north of Tortosa, there’s a naturally heated wild swimming spot of astonishing beauty. It’s named Fontcalda — or Hot Spring — for the geothermally heated waters that bubble out of the rocks. It can get busy at weekends, but on weekdays, even in summer, you could be the only bathers. To get there, head to Gandesa, then follow the C43 southeast for two miles. The signpost will be on your right — take the track south for three miles.
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Los Pilones, Extremadura
If you’re on the road between Salamanca and Caceres this summer, stop at Los Pilones, a thrilling series of granite pools that spill into each other along the Garganta de los Infiernos — or Throat of Hell. It’s an odd name for such a paradise, reached after a heavenly four-mile walk through the oak woods of the Jerte Valley. The form is to pick one of the circular pots and treat it like your personal whirlpool. If you want to explore upstream, you’ll need rock shoes. To get there, leave the E803 at Plasencia, follow the N110 northeast for 32 miles and take the right turn just after the Hotel Los Arenales.
Rio Chillar, Andalusia Quite the most fun you can have in the Andalusian seaside resort of Nerja is to leave town and hike to the source of the Rio Chillar. It rises four miles north of Nerja in the Sierra de Almijara, making a short dash to the Med through a mesmeric string of pine-shaded limestone gorges. There are clear pools for swimming, ankle-deep shallows for splashing and flat rocks for picnics; if you make it to the end, wading through gullies so narrow in places that you can touch both sides, the waterfall will pummel the knots from your muscles. Park round the back of the Mercadona supermarket in Nerja — the river is 100yd west.
Montanejos, Valencia
An hour north of Valencia (take the AP7, then the A23, getting off at junction 42), you’ll find the prettiest swimming spot in the entire region. The jade-green Rio Mijares makes its entrance through a sheer-sided limestone gorge, watched over by eagles, then spreads out into a shallow pool that looks like a dreamt-up tropical lagoon. It feels like one, too: geothermal springs pump out 6,000 litres of water a minute at a constant 25C. There’s a little chiringuito (beach bar), and those ruins on the bank are the 12th-century Arab baths.
Gorg Blau, Catalonia
Here’s one for adventurers. In the canyon lands of the Alta Garrotxa, an hour northeast of Girona (on the C66, then the A26 to junction 75, following the GIV-5233 five miles north to Sadernes), lies a gorge so beautiful that the local authorities have taken extreme measures to reduce visitor numbers, forcing them to park a couple of hours’ walk from the loveliest bits. It’s worked: as long as you avoid July and August, you’ll have the Sant Aniol river to yourself. Park at the Pont d’en Valenti, then head upstream for four miles until you reach a turquoise pool fed by a Timotei-style waterfall two miles south of the French border. This is Gorg Blau, the holy grail of Spanish wild swims.