I worked with Inntravel as a photographer to capture their Along the Catalan coast walking holiday. They also asked me to share my experience here and on my Instagram, therefore I am marking this content as an AD. All words, images and thoughts are my own.

Following my Scotland shoot with Inntravel back in August, I was delighted to be commissioned to work with them again at the beginning of October. This time, I was photographing their flagship walking holiday on the Costa Brava coast, walking from hotel to hotel across sandy beaches, past rocky coves and through shady cork forests. Again, Dave (my partner) accompanied me to shoot video and drone footage (which you can see on my Instagram), and it was an absolute delight to spend five days walking along the Catalan coast together. The Costa Brava wasn’t somewhere that had previously been on my radar to visit, but I instantly fell for it’s picturesque coastline, crystal clear waters and varied landscapes.

The route mainly followed the Camino de Ronda coastal path, with a few sections weaving inland. The full holiday if you were to book through Inntravel is seven nights, including two loops which we missed out. If you haven’t heard of Inntravel before, they’re a tour operator who plan self-guided walking and cycling holidays with over 300 European trips to choose from. The walks vary in ability, graded into tiers ranging from pleasant walks to strenous hikes. Their ‘Along the Catalan Coast’ walking holiday is Grade 1, which means generally easy walks with a few steep but short ascents. Three out of four of our walks took us the whole day, factoring in plenty of stops for swims, lunch, drinks and simply to admire the views. Read on for a detailed look at each day of our walk, and possibly too many photographs.

Day one

Let’s start at the beginning. We flew from Manchester to Barcelona on a Friday morning, taking a train into the city where we found a tapas bar for lunch before our train onto Girona. Inntravel encourage their travellers to take the train wherever possible, but as we were limited by time and there for work, we flew. From Girona, a pre-booked taxi drove us to our first hotel, S’Agaro Hotel, located right on Patja de Sant Pol beach in S’Agaro. We arrived late in the afternoon with the sun already threatening to disappear behind the hills in the distance, so I snatched up my camera and spent a couple of hours documenting our beautiful surroundings. The four-star hotel is less than a five-minute stroll to the sea, so I also had to squeeze in a long swim in the warm and shallow waters. Following a golden hour barefoot stroll along the beach, we spruced up and walking ten minutes along the promenade to find a selection of bars and restaurants to choose from. You’re spoilt for choice with options for dinner, but we enjoyed our meal at Terracotta S’Agaro.

Day two

S’Agaro - La Fosca | 15km

The next day was our first day of walking — and also the longest walk of our trip. We rose early and enjoyed the hotel’s buffet breakfast, filling ourselves with bread, pastries and manchego cheese, then leaving our luggage at reception to be transported to our next hotel. I really enjoyed moving hotels everyday and being able to spend time in different places along the coast. We set off walking bright and early, following the notes that Inntravel provide. This was one of my favourite walks of the holiday, as we stayed right beside the sea all day, yet the scenery still felt varied.

The first section of the walk followed the coastal path — the Cami de Ronda, which we would follow for most of our journey. We reached a square with a stone pagoda, where we refilled our water bottles from a fountain and stopped to admire the view. Shortly after the square, we descended to the first of many beaches. As someone who is at her happiest when swimming in clear blue water, I was tempted to immediately jump in, but I knew we’d be passing smaller coves later in the day and decided to save my swims. If you love swimming, you will find this first day to be an absolute delight!

After crossing this beach (which I recommend you do barefoot — there’s nothing like the exfoliating touch of sand on your bare feet!) there is a slight detour inland around a marina and a 1.5km stretch along a promenade with plenty of bars and restaurants if you need refreshments. Inntravel’s notes hinted at quiet coves ahead, so we kept walking. I’m so glad we saved our rests and swims for the next part of the walk, as this was my absolute favourite section of the entire trip. Serene cove after serene cove, with some of the most beautiful crystal-clear waters I have ever seen. Cala del Pi (named after the pine trees surrounding the cove) was possibly my swimming highlight of the holiday; I didn’t want to get out of the water.

As we wove in and out of the coves and longer stretches of sandy beaches, we could see our destination on the horizon. We were heading towards the town of Palamos, with our hotel tucked away in a quieter bay just around the headland. After walking for several hours both on the coastal clifftop path and barefoot across beaches, we were starting to feel ravenous. In peak season, there are several beach bars to dine in, but most of these were closed in early October. We eventually stumbled across a bar that was open, Guingueta Cala Cristus, not expecting much but being pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. Dave ordered prawns and a cold, refreshing beer, I ordered a goats cheese salad and a sangria, and we shared a bowl of fries as a treat. Following our rest, we continued across the beach to one of the old smugglers tunnels that line this stretch of coastline, adding an adventurous twist to the journey.

A 3km stretch of promenade was approaching, so we picked out another small cove for a rest and a swim before leaving our favourite section of the route. Cala del Paller was another idyllic spot to swim and float for a short while; I could easily spend a whole week dipping in and out of the water in these beautiful small beaches. We continued along the coastal path, eventually descending to the long promenade which led to Palamos. Along this section of the route, there are many places to stop for refreshments; we chose to order ice cream and sit on the beach to enjoy it. At the end of the promenade, the route skirts through Palamos before arriving at the next hotel, Hotel Ancora which is located close to Cala de la Fosca, a much quieter beach on the far side of the town.

Here, we explored the hotel’s grounds (there’s a large pool, a tennis court and mini golf) and made friends with the hotel’s kittens, before heading to the beach, just a five minute stroll away. We watched children fishing from a large rock, strolled across the sand and enjoyed a drink in a beachside bar, before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Dinner is included in some of the hotels (three out of five of the nights we stayed) which was a welcomed treat. Food and drink is relatively affordable in this part of Catalonia though — especially the delicious local wine! Following a three-course dinner, we retreated to our room to edit our footage and get an early night, ahead of our next day of walking.

Day three

La Fosca - Calella de Palafrugell | 9km

Our second day of walking was a shorter stretch, although we extended it by taking a detour to visit a botanical garden and once again enjoyed several rest stops along the way. There are no restaurants along this route, so we took a few snacks with us and ensured our water bottles were full before an early start from the hotel. The first section of the walk is a slight detour to rejoin the coastal path, walking uphill through woodland to admire views of the route we were about to hike. The route then descends down to La Fosca beach, before heading up to the ruins of Castell de Sant Esteve de Mar. We stopped here to send our drone up, but I also paused to watch a fisherman leaping across the rocks below.

Around the corner, you are treated to your first glimpse of Cala S’Alguer, an unspoilt collection of colourful fisherman’s huts that are a Cultural Heritage Site. The first hut was built in the sixteenth century, and strict rules have kept this cove stuck in time, harking back to a period before tourism. The huts are still in use today — we watched a fisherman packing away his gear and spotted a group of friends dining on a rooftop terrace. Be wary that everyone walking by stops to admire the huts, so it could be very busy during peak periods. After stopping to admire the huts, we continued to Platja Castell, a long sandy beach which we’d spotted at the beginning of the day from our first viewpoint. This beautiful sandy beach has completely avoided development, and felt quite wild and remote. We settled down by a couple of old stone buildings at the far side of the beach (which I will warn you transpired to be the nudist section of the beach) where we took a long break. The water is particularly beautiful and clear here, and I enjoyed several long swims, sunning myself on the rocks between dips in the water.

The route then snakes inland, following a path behind the beach across a preservation area, through a meadow and eventually into a forest. Following a path through the forest, you steadily climb higher, walking through pine, olive and cork oak trees, before eventually reaching the border of Cap Roig Botanical Gardens. Although I relish being beside the sea, I really enjoyed this section of the route, surrounded by different scenery and admiring the cork trees. After emerging from the forest, we decided to take a slight detour to visit the gardens. I’m so glad we did, as we discovered not only a clearly labelled gardens with tropical plants and flowers, but also a variety of interesting sculptures and an old stone castle to admire.

After tracing back our steps and rejoining the Cami de Ronda down a couple of flights of stone steps, we again took a short detour to visit a remote beach, El Golfet, which can only be accessed by foot. The scenery around this beach is breathtaking, with huge stone cliffs and rocks topped with trees jutting out into the water. I had a short but sweet swim here, before rejoining the coastal path. Unfortunately, I tripped and broke my walking sandals on this last stretch of the clifftop path, which made for an interesting walk/hobble to our hotel!

Our home for the night was Hotel Sant Roc, with beautiful clifftop views of the sea and the town of Calella de Palafrugell below. We enjoyed a drink and bowl of olives on the hotel’s terrace, before heading down a steep flight of steps to explore Calella. This was one of my favourite places we stayed the night — it’s the only seaside town in the region with a fairly large year-round population, thanks to its fishing and cork industries, and is popular with mainly Catalan and French tourists. There are several small coves along the coast here, and many bars and restaurants to try out. We actually dined in the hotel restaurant (although dinner wasn’t included on this night) but visited a couple of spots in the town beforehand. I’d recommend El 10 de les Voltes for cocktails and Calau, a popular pintxos bar where a queue starts to form half an hour before it opens. After dinner, it was another early night to bed after catching up on editing.

Day four

Calella de Palafrugell - Llafranc | 6.5km

Today’s walk was described as “a mere hop”, and that it was! It’s just 2km (a 45 minute walk) to reach the next hotel — although there is an optional leg stretcher loop if you so wish. We actually didn’t walk the extended loop — partially because I’d hurt my ankle a bit when I broke my sandal the previous day, but we also wanted to take our time and capture more footage around Calella.

Our first stop was Cala de Sant Roc, just below our hotel. I’d spotted people swimming and kayaking here, and thought it was the perfect place for a morning dip. After a short swim, we admired the views and the fisherman’s huts built into the wall, before continuing our walk through Calella. We then stopped for lunch at a wonderful seafront restaurant named Tragamar, where we shared a bowl of mussels, a delicious bowl of hummus, a plate of pan con tomate (Catalan toasted ciabatta with tomato and salt) and fries. This was one of my favourite restaurants we visited during our walk, but remember to book your table!

It’s then a quick and easy stroll around the headland to Llafrance, the pretty coastal town where the next hotel, Hotel Terramar lies. The long sandy beach here is particularly lovely, and is perfect for a long swim (or bobbing up and down in the waves, as it was a bit choppy that day). We strolled along the promenade, admired the fisherman’s huts, enjoyed a delicious ice cream, and then ordered a couple of drinks in the hotel’s seafront bar. That evening, our dinner was once again included and we both chose paella from the menu.

Day five

Llafranc - Aiguablava | 9km

What a day! I absolutely adored our final day of walking, and only regretted that we hadn’t added on a couple of extra nights in our final hotel. It’s definitely somewhere I will return to in the future. It was also the toughest walk of the holiday, with an initial steep ascent, several scrambly bits and a steep ascent from a cove halfway through the day, but we welcomed that challenge.

The day began with a steep set of stairs out of the bay, followed by following a winding road uphill towards the Sant Sebastià lighthouse. Just before you reach the lighthouse, there is a spectacular viewing point where you can look back over the entire route you have walked so far. The lighthouse, one of the most important in this region, is just above this viewpoint, next to the Hotel El Far which was converted from a fifteenth-century watchtower. There is also the remains of a pre-Roman Iberian settlement and a shrine to St. Baldiri here. From here, you follow a rocky coastal path through the woods, which is a little scrambly in parts. The path emerges onto a sandy track, before descending a particularly beautiful stretch of path through a gorge, emerging at Cala Pedrosa. This small, completely unspoilt cove is a wonderful place to stop and rest. It is a popular spot with divers, but sadly the waters were too rough while we were there for me to enjoy a swim. The beach is covered in large stones (bring swim shoes) and has a wonderful beach shack where a family-run bar pops up in the summer months (everything is brought in daily either by foot the way that you walk into the cove, or by boat).

To leave the cove, there are steep steps built into the rocks. I had to use my hands and scramble a bit, but it wasn’t too hard. The incredibly views distracted me from the height! The path continues on the cliffs, slightly nerve-wracking for anyone with a fear of heights, but the views are spectacular along this stretch. You then reach the Punta des Burro, where you have to look out for the waymarkers as you navigate your way across a rocky section with no clear path. I loved this scramble across the rocks, and had to talk myself out of submerging in a tidal pool in favour of waiting for the beach just around the corner.

Tamariú is a small bay overlooked by pine-clad hills with a sandy beach separated by rocks. To reach the beach from the coastal path, we had to take our shoes off and scurry along a stretch of path and sand while avoiding the waves. Fun! I had a swim here, before we settled down at a beachside restaurant to enjoy a couple of drinks and tapas in the sun. After eating, we rejoined the route, which heads inland for a stretch up a hill, through a woodland and down a road towards Aiguablava. From this wonderful small beach, you can look left to spot the last hotel in the small hamlet of Fornells — but it’s more than worth pausing here for a swim and a drink in the bar which is located right on the sand.

From here, you cross the beach and head up a flight of steps (again, we had to take off our shoes and wade here — why is it so enjoyable to walk barefoot on the beach?) before following a wonderful section of the coastal path with tantalising glimpses of the hotel. I took so many photographs during this section of the walk, as everything was just so beautiful I wanted to freeze it in time. After walking through a tunnel and up a flight of steps, the route takes you down the back of a few houses, dropping down a flight of steps before emerging in a small cove. The four-star Aiguablava Hotel sits above this cove.

All of the hotels we stayed at were lovely, but Hotel Aiguablava was by far my favourite. We were treated to a corner suite, with a balcony on one side and a juliet balcony on the other, framing the king size bed. I also fell a little bit in love with our red tiled bathroom. Inside, there were plenty of lounge and restaurant spaces to sit, as well as a cosy bar that I wish we’d had time to enjoy. Outside, the restaurant terrace (where we later ate dinner) offered panoramic views of the bay, while a smaller bar terrace was the perfect spot to soak up the late afternoon sun. I enjoyed a long swim in the seawater pool (which was absolutely huge and a delight to swim in, for someone who doesn’t really like pools) and couldn’t resist nipping down to the cove below for a final sunset dip. Dinner was, as expected, wonderful. Inntravellers can choose any two dishes from the menu, followed by dessert (stuffed aubergine followed by seabass for me).

It was a wonderful end to one of my favourite trips of the year. I’m still pinching myself that this was a work trip, and that we were being paid to photograph and video the experience. I’ve discovered that walking holidays are the perfect trip for the two of us to enjoy together, and that the Costa Brava is an area that I would love to explore more at my own leisure.

We experienced a shorter version of Inntravel’s seven-night Along the Catalan Coast trip. Request a brochure to discover more of their walking holidays across the UK and Europe.