Wild swimming is as ingrained within the tradition of Extremadura as meals and wine. On this wild and sparsely populated area to the south-west of Madrid, out of doors bathing may be very a lot a part of village life. Every summer season throughout the area, rivers are dammed with boards laid between metallic beams set into the river mattress to limit the move downstream and create massive deep swimming pools. Individuals of all ages collect spherical these swimming pools on the finish of the day, towels and picnics unfold out to talk, swim and calm down.
Throughout our week spent within the area we noticed numerous of those wild swimming spots, each dammed rivers and in plunge swimming pools of waterfalls. In some villages, seashores type naturally whereas others have rocky platforms from which to dive into the water and cliffs for the daredevils to leap from.
Alongside the swimming comes watersports like canoeing or canyoning, and mountaineering trails sprawl away from the rivers main you additional into the forests of oak and chestnut. These valleys are pockets of fertile land and wealthy with butterflies and birdsong, fairly at odds with the picture many have of Extremadura.
Picture: Chris Willan/Greentraveller
There are numerous theories across the etymology of the phrase Extremadura – and I discovered all of them to be correct ultimately or one other. There are those who regard it because the ‘excessive’ border of the Christian kingdoms of the north and the Islamic empire to the south, and certainly the Moorish structure right here is testomony to that. Then there’s the idea of merely combining extrema and dura that means ‘excessive’ and ‘onerous’, a mirrored image of what life could be like for the comparatively poor inhabitants of this area and the problem of creating a dwelling right here. Lastly, some imagine Extremadura means past or finish of the Douro River, and it’s this interpretation that formed our journey because it led us to an sudden jewel in Extremadura’s crown – the luxurious and verdant river valleys that cradle the tributaries of the Tagus and Guadiana rivers that reduce by way of the steppe grasslands of this area.
Throughout our journey exploring the world, we by no means met one other English vacationer – these huge pure parks are visited hardly ever by anybody exterior of Spain – and even Madrid. The town dwellers have a tendency to go to on the weekends, retreating to fincas, bigger distant farmstead properties, or the extra modest cortijos or townhouses handed down by way of generations of their households. On our journey lots of the village homes had been shuttered up and we discovered the weekdays blissfully quiet bar the busier centres like Merida, recognized for its Roman structure. That is the time to go to and end up the one vacationer watching the world go by in a city sq. or taking the plunge in a pure swimming pool. Listed here are our discoveries:
Garganta de los Infiernos Nature Reserve
The Sierra de Gredos and Tormantos mountains supply a dramatic backdrop to the Garganta de los Infiernos Nature Reserve, a panorama that’s sustained by the water that drains from them. This pocket of lush vegetation is pock-marked with strolling and cycle routes in addition to idyllic swimming spots. Go to through the week and you possibly can discover you don’t see one other soul, as we discovered once we visited the Los Pilones water function, often called big’s kettles. The collection of potholes linked by waterfalls have been carved out of the granite by eddying stones scouring the rocks, leaving clean bowls in a cascade down the hillside. They’re accessible by mountaineering up from the Centro de Interpretacion de la Reserva Pure, a customer centre that’s effectively value a go to for its data on the historical past and geography of the world with English explanations alongside the Spanish. It’s a 6km return hike to Los Pilones from right here up well-marked tracks which stand up by way of a planted forest of candy chestnuts and onto to lichen draped oak timber, or there are longer loops of as much as 28km in case you like a problem – you’ll be rewarded with epic viewpoints, numerous streams and waterfalls and loads of picnic and pictures spots. Come late spring by way of to early autumn it is a lovely swimming spot with the water move slightly lighter, although the temperature is usually in single figures so swimmers ought to gown accordingly. You’ll be able to take a dip in beneath the footbridge or decrease straight into the swimming pools above the bridge, although the rocks are notoriously slippy. Again on the centre there’s a café with out of doors seating within the shade that serves good easy meals and snacks.
Pictures: Chris Willan/Greentraveller
This watercourse is simply exterior the mediaeval city of Garganta la Olla, recognized for its half-timbered and tile-roofed buildings which, like lots of the settlements on this space, spill away from a church tower within the centre. We began the day watching the solar rise over this valley then headed right down to the river which encompasses a collection of waterfalls and swimming pools, standard swimming spots with native households. Closest to the village, Las Pilatillas de Abajo is a pure swimming pool created by damming a bit of water. Alongside it’s a café that’s open through the summer season and could be fairly energetic on summer season evenings. The additional you hike away from the villages, the quieter the swimming pools get.
Piscina Pure de La Granja
Although not as fairly as a few of Extremadura’s different pure swimming areas, we got here throughout this swimming spot on the Rio Ambroz simply off the N-630 freeway between Plasencia and Bejar, and had been gained over by its setting and the fab little Bar Chiringuito La Granja Seashore alongside it. Sited on the La Vía de la Plata route of the Santiago de Compostela it’s likely been a welcome respite for a lot of pilgrims too. The pool fills in the summertime season and has a carpark alongside it, then there’s Bar Chiringuito on the river financial institution. The all exterior seating is undercover and the modest kitchen produces a different menu that features a excellent home gazpacho in addition to salads, grilled meat and chips, and sandwiches.
Different swimming areas to discover: Garganta de Cuartos in Losar de la Vera, Cáceres; Garganta de Alardos in Madrigal de la Vera and Garganta de Pedro Chate in Jaraíz de la Vera.
Disclosure: Ginny Mild had full editorial management of this overview, which has been written in her personal phrases based mostly on her expertise of visiting Extremadura in June 2024. All opinions are the authors’ personal.
