Loading up a cooler and an umbrella to get the best spot on the sand doesn’t have to be the definition of summer. There are alternatives that allow you to disconnect and quell the high temperatures with a dip, even if it is not in salt water. If you are reluctant to throw in the towel and let a speaker, a running child or a skyline of colorful umbrellas ruin your days off, you may be interested in getting to know the less crowded Catalonia.
At this time of year you can also opt for refreshing landscapes. One option is the natural environments where we find lakes and pools with turquoise waters. There is only one condition that you should meet: here and on any beach you walk on, respect the landscape you walk through and take your rubbish where it came from. We propose a tour of some of the best natural pools. In one of them you will not be able to bathe, but its exclusive high mountain location is enough to enjoy lower temperatures.
We start with the typical magazine pool: waterfall, crystal clear waters and a nature route suitable for all audiences to get there. Located in Sadernes (municipality of Montagut and Oix), in the Girona region of La Garrotxa, it is one of the most recommended destinations for a summer excursion. Without being an excessively crowded place with tourists, the excursion by the river to get there is very pleasant and will not take more than three and a half hours between the round trip.
Depending on the season, you will be able to find several climbers along the route, since it is one of the meccas for this sport in the region. If you want to spend the weekend, there are options for rural hotels and hostels at affordable prices less than five kilometers away, such as the Masía el Puig or the Hostal de la Rovira.
Just 20 kilometers from Girona is the largest lake in Catalonia with an area of ??108 hectares. The Banyoles lake is a unique natural space with great ecological, landscape, geological and cultural value. It is not only an exclusive place to enjoy a day of bathing, it is also the perfect place to take a canoe or rowing trip, especially if it is done early in the day enjoying the sunrise. Not in vain did it host the rowing competition during the Barcelona 92 ??Olympic Games.
If the high temperatures give us a break to get out of the water, we can walk around it on foot. Walking around the lake can take about two and a half hours. An eight kilometer path, flat and simple to enjoy with the whole family. The tourist office, located in the area known as Front de l’Estany, can be a good point to find out the details of the route and start from this location.
This exclusive environmental system is the largest karstic complex in Spain, and offers some of the most emblematic and instagrammable postcards. Following the path and on the shores of the lake are the fishing houses, constructions for fishing that began to be built in the mid-19th century. They have been declared a cultural asset of national interest in the category of Historical Garden. Originally, they were no more than simple platforms, but over time, and as a symbol of social prestige, they became more sophisticated spaces. They are privately owned, so we have to settle for seeing and photographing these constructions from the outside.
It is not surprising that a lake of these characteristics has its peculiar legend. The inhabitants of Banyoles have nothing to envy their neighbors from Loch Ness. Here they also have a dragon that hid and only came out when Saint Emeritus, a French monk, managed to convince it to show its head thanks to his prayers. It is not surprising either that with these temperatures it is still submerged and without being seen again.
Precisely, the legends are accompanied, on most occasions, by places of exceptional beauty. This is the case of the next stop. In Sant Joan de les Abadesses, located in the Ripollès region (Girona), is located what is known as Gorg de les Bruixes, although its real name is Gorg de la Malatosca. The River Ter in its path creates this natural pool with a waterfall included where, according to legend, witches gather on full moon nights to kill time with their particular covens.
But if you’re more into hiking than covens, this is also your place. To get to the waterfall, you will have to cross a path of leafy vegetation through the Iron and Coal route, which receives this name due to the important tradition of forges in Baix Rispollès and the extraction of coal in the mines of ogassa. An excursion full of mysticism and history.
If you still have strength after the dip, you can visit the monastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses, located in the municipality that gives it its name. Founded in 887, it welcomed the community of Benedictine nuns, although they were expelled in 1017 accused of leading an unexemplary life.
Another gift of the Catalan landscape is the Foradada de Cantonigròs, in the Osona region (Barcelona). This waterfall, 15 meters high, from the Les Gorgues stream falls on a natural pool. In one of the rocks that surrounds the jump, a hole gives the place its name. The sun’s rays filter through it and its reflections on the water give the landscape a greater mysticism.
The route to get here can be started from the municipality of Cantonigròs and does not present any difficulty. It won’t take us more than half an hour. A paved cement path marks the route. Before starting to walk you have to pay an ecotax of 2.5 euros with which access is controlled and capacity is limited.
To the north of the province of Lleida, in the Pallars Jussà region, is the town of Montcortès, which gives its name to one of the least touristy summer getaways. This is the perfect location if you are looking to find a secluded corner. Around here we will only come across some locals spending the day. Its blue waters do the rest. Together with the Basturs lakes, it is the only lake of non-glacial origin in the Pyrenees. Since 2018 bathing has been prohibited, but the incredible environment and location allow you to escape the torrid heat of the summer months. Casa Teresina, Casa Parranxo or the Hotel Vall Fosca are three of the best options to stay for a few days in the area.
The environment is accessible, so it allows the walk with the smallest of the family. Its natural wealth provides the opportunity to enjoy bird watching and is home to one of the most important waterfowl reserves in the Pyrenees. In case we still lack arguments to relax and let our imagination run wild, there is no lake without a legend. Tradition has it that it hides the city of Pallars under its waters. A place that was buried by a storm after its inhabitants refused alms to a beggar.