WILD SWIMMING IN ANDALUCIA
I’m one for alternative holiday destinations, so when my boyfriend informed me of his brother’s wedding in Málaga/Marbella, I was overjoyed to be part of the celebrations but unexcited about the holiday after being in a location I had always associated with ‘Brits Abroad’.
We also were going as a family – a big one – so were booked into a big resort complex all-inclusive style. Don’t get me wrong, I know this type of holiday totally works when you’ve got a big family including little ones. It can be extremely cost effective and something I have dabbled in in the past as a broke teen. It’s just not something I’d choose, especially as my first holiday with beau.
However, we did our research. Something I highly recommend as we explored and found some real hidden treasures away from the big tourist spots and Tex Mex restaurants.
As a fully functioning mermaid I love water, and one of my all-time favourite things to do on holiday is find wild swimming spots. Little secluded gems, cascading waterfalls, rock jumping and crystal-clear freshwater. After some extensive googling we came across a place described as 90 minutes north-east of Málaga, high in the Sierra Nevada - we rented a car for the trip, stole the two older nephews and set out on our adventure.
Following some very specific directions we finally arrived at some sort of gateway displaying ‘No Entry’ and other forms of ‘No Trespassing’ all in Spanish. I have some broken Spanish skills thanks to a year’s trip in South America . I managed to dissect from a sign that we could call a number to request entry. After a broken Spanish phone call he said he’ll be down in ‘dos minutos’. We had to pay a few euros to go down in the car but we were thrilled!
The drive was quite long and treacherous. Down a long, windy old track to the bottom of the mountain. It was off-roading and by that point we were glad we got the extra insurance on the rental car!
The whole thing was guess work because I was showing off with my limited Spanish skills saying ‘sí, sí, sí’ when I had no idea what the guy was saying. So we parked up where we thought was appropriate and started on foot.
Initially the walk wasn’t that spectacular and inside I was quite worried I’d led three men (including two teenagers) somewhere that wasn’t going to deliver. Oh, how I was wrong. All of a sudden, we turned a corner and discovered a wild swimmer’s paradise!
Complete with rock pools, shallow floating areas and deep luscious freshwater. This was a mermaid’s dream. One of the best bits is we had the place to ourselves, not once did we come across any inkling of civilisation, you really feel connected and at one with nature. Those tiny moments of peace and tranquility are what I treasure.
After a short dip in the initial watering hole, I took a little look around the corner and realised there was a small trek that looked like it opened to even more splendour. We gathered the troops and set up stream.
Scrambling across rocks, some quite sheer drops and slippery moss we reached a small waterfall, which cascades down yellow rocks into a round turquoise pool - La Poza Central.
Again we were totally secluded, we had the whole place to ourselves, it was a total dream and I was so pleased to share it with the nephews and show them alternative vistas.
We rock jumped, bathed, swam and laughed before we started the trip back.
Please note: Some physical fitness and perseverance is needed for this one!
Málaga: Río Verde: From Málaga take the A7 east towards Almuñécar, then head north on the A-4050. After Otívar go north for 6km, stop at gateway on left by the yellow hut (there’s a small entrance fee for cars; in winter, the key is available at El Capricho Bar in Otívar). Drive 5km down the rough, steep track and park at the abandoned pump house or drive up steep hill for 200m and park. Head north-west, keeping the river to your right, and pass the dam. Clamber down rocks to the river, cross and follow north-east to the first pool.
