Only one kilometer separates the coves of Sa Tuna and Aiguafreda.
Forests by the sea. Surrealism. Fishing boats in the sand. Snorkel between rocks. Reserved table in a restaurant with stars. Seafood and white wine. Medieval architecture. Outdoor festivals. This is the Costa Brava. But above all it is that, coast, many kilometers of it, wild and in some sections almost intact.
The Girona coastline between Portbou and Lloret de Mar fills up to the brim when the rigors of summer call for being in the cool of the Mediterranean. But there are still many enclaves on the beach that, although it seems incredible, in the middle of the summer season they remain calm apart from the hustle and bustle Exterior. You have to walk to reach them and that is something that not everyone is willing to do.
Camino de Ronda was used by the Civil Guard to control the maritime border and prevent smuggling.
'LADY ARTICLES' TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER
In that strip where Girona ends and the Mediterranean begins are the Caminos de Ronda, a network of trails that skirt cliffs, discover isolated coves, They cross beaches and cross pine forests, which were once carved to unite the different coastal villages.
Later, these steep trails were used by the Carabineros de Costas y Fronteras to patrol –hence their name– in search of smugglers. And it is that, during the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th, the proximity to France turned this coastline into a propitious place for the estraperlo not only of products such as tobacco or alcohol, but also of refined goods 'for ladies' such as makeup cases, lingerie or jewelry.
Port Lligat was a refuge for Dalí and his muse, Gala.
SWIMSUIT, TOWEL... AND MOUNTAIN BOOTS
Nowadays, the Caminos de Ronda are the perfect excuse to walk along this Costa Brava where the pines touch the sea. There is the option to walk all the way between Portbou and Lloret de Mar in ten stages, following the route of the Long Distance Trail (GR-92), which between these two towns covers a whopping 210 kilometres. That for the very prepared. Or more affordable: walk specific stages, stopping to swim in coves and dedicate time to that gastronomy of the sea and the mountains that is so local.
Among the most picturesque stretches are the one that joins Roses and Port Lligat through the Cap de Creus Natural Park. Nature in its purest state, coves where you can bathe with some privacy, walk through Cadaqués and an artistic parenthesis in Port Lligat, where the former home of Gala and Salvador Dalí stands.
Another stretch of spectacular views and places where you can eat a paella with your feet in the sand is the one that goes from Tossa de Mar to Cala Pola. It is a short but intense section that promises medieval architecture, charming beach bars and two coves —Cala Bona and Cala Pola— which are the dream of any snorkeler.
Port Lligat was a refuge for Dalí and his muse, Gala.
AND TO SURRENDER TO DOLCE FAR NIENTE...
After the walk, it's time to recharge your batteries and for this, it's a good idea to treat yourself to that seafood cuisine so typical of this part of the Catalan map. In Llançà, there is the restaurant Els Pescadors where chef Lluís Fernández recovers suquets de peix that local sailors have cooked all their lives.
More sea and mountain cuisine from the trio of chefs Casañas, Castro and Xatruch, former elBulli kitchen team who today runs the Compatir restaurant in Cadaqués.
And a final stage of a swim in the pool, massage and candlelight dinner at La Malcontenta, a charming boutique hotel with only 14 rooms located in an old fortified farmhouse.
In the Compartir restaurant, many old fishermen's recipes are creatively reinterpreted.