HIDDEN BEACHES SPAIN
450 secret coast and island beaches to walk, swim & explore
Discover the hidden coast of Spain and the Balearic Islands. Follow paths less-travelled to remote shores, pristine coves and secret swimming spots.
Discover the hidden coast of Spain and the Balearic Islands. Follow paths less-travelled to remote shores, pristine coves and secret swimming spots.
This unique travel book combines dazzling photography and engaging writing with all the practical information you’ll need to get off the beaten track. Including the best beaches for snorkelling, sea caves and jumping as well as for hiking, surfing and skinny-dipping. Perfect for family explorers, campervan adventurers, keen walkers and wild swimmers.
Taking you to places that other guide books don’t reach, the best-selling Wild Swimming Hidden Beaches series travels to Spain to discover its secret coves, coasts and islands. Including more than 450 beautiful locations for adventure and solitude:
- Snorkel in the pristine Cíes Islands, Spain’s own Caribbean
- Discover the mythical secret cove of Atlantis in Ibiza
- Watch dolphins and whales in the Gulf of Cádiz
- Jump from cliffs into natural sea pools in Cantabria
- Enjoy authentic paella in Valencia or sea scallops and lobster stews in Andalucía
- Hike across mountains to wild deserted coves in Costa Almería
- Follow smugglers’ paths to hidden coves & caves in Costa Brava
- Swim and kayak through sea caves in Mallorca
- Find turquoise water and shell-white sand in Menorca
Including maps, directions, GPS co-ordinates and walk-in times, plus recommendations for boat trips, adventures and the best campsites and eateries.
From the authors of Wild Swimming Spain, published in 2016. Lola Culsán is a half-Spanish former stand-up comic who teaches, writes, dances and swims. John Weller is a wild swimmer, photographer and travel writer. They regularly tour Spain in their campervan and have explored its entire 5,000km coastline. When at home in London, they can often be found taking the waters on Hampstead Heath. Follow their adventures at instagram.com/wildswimmingspain
Join us on a voyage of discovery as we head off in our campervan, Federica, in search of secret places along the whole length of Spain’s amazing coastline. We’ll be travelling clockwise, around the Iberian peninsula to discover beaches, coves, islands and sea caves – all wild, exciting and unspoiled, and some so hidden they don’t have a name. Forget any preconceptions you may have of the costas and immerse yourself in Spain’s varied landscapes and climates – the charming river estuaries and wilderness of Galicia, through verdant Cantabria to warm Catalunya, the arid semi-desert of Almería to the vast sand dunes of the Costa de la Luz. Finally, we explore the Balearic Islands, each with its own distinctive scenery, culture and personality.
Taking the slow road, with diversions along paths least travelled, we encounter villages whose character has been shaped over centuries by Moors, Romans, Celts and the Spanish Civil War. We recommend places to sample mouth-watering seafood and notable wines, all influenced by the history, climate and coastline of each region. En route we meet an eclectic bunch of international adventurers, ‘campervanistas’, surfers, pilgrims and long-lost relatives – all happy to share food, drink and travellers’ tales beneath the Spanish stars. Accompany us into the blue Mediterranean for unforgettable dips at sunrise and últimos baños (last swims) before flaming Atlantic sunsets.
We had a wonderful time discovering all these beaches. If you, too, are up for wild adventures well off the beaten track, or just looking for a quiet beach to spend the day with family, then please dive in. And as is true of all memorable journeys, you may learn things along the way and be changed by them – we certainly were.
Contents
Beaches by region & overview map
Introduction
Getting started
Highlights by theme
- Best for hiking & long walks
- Ancient pilgrims’ paths lead to endless golden beaches
- Best for boards & kayaks
- Enjoy an active day at the beach
- Best for naturism
- Beautiful nudist beaches in remote locations
- Best for taking the train
- Beaches less than an hour’s walk from a train station
- Best for accessibility
- Beaches equipped with ramps, walkways or disabled parking
- Best for caves & islands
- Coves and beaches with spectacular natural features and formations
Regions
1 Costa Galicia South
2 Costa Galicia North
3 Costa da Morte
4 Costa Verde West
5 Costa Verde Asturias
6 Costa Cantábrica & Costa Vasca
7 Costa Brava
8 Costa Barcelona & Costa Dorada
9 Costa Azahar
10 Costa Blanca
11 Costa Cálida
12 Costa Almería6
13 Costa Tropical & Costa del Sol
14 Costa de la Luz
15 Ibiza & Formentera
16 Mallorca
17 Menorca
Currents, tides & safety
Also by the same authors Wild Swimming Spain