Cooling off in the north of La Palma

This year we have had the driest winter and spring that people can remember - great for those on holiday on La Palma, but not so great for the farmers or those with small-holdings and even just gardens. Along with the lack of rain, these past few months have been hot, hot, hot, or so it seems.
Luckily though, we are fortunate on La Palma to have natural fresh water springs that provide crystal clear water all year round and this is what we use on the land.  For the 'hot, hot, hot' element, we can also use a natural and plentiful water supply - the sea.

 Just below us here at the finca in Franceses lies the old port and beach of La Fajana de Garafia.  Once the most important port across the whole of the north coast, it is now mainly laid to banana plantations which are transported by a road which wends its way up to Franceses and then eventually to the main port of Santa Cruz de La Palma.
In the other bay to the port though is a secluded beach - usually a mixture of sandy and rocky stretches but at the moment, one glorious stretch of sand.  Even if it's not for an actual swim, it's still a good chance to cool off with the help of the mighty Atlantic.

Another favourite of ours are the sea pools at La Fajana de Barlovento which lie halfway between Barlovento and Los Sauces. They are a great place for a swim with three pools in addition to changing facilities and a couple of restaurants.  With lots of colourful fish in the water, they are also really interesting when snorkeling plus a very good place to swim for anybody who is a little less sure of themselves in the water. Here's our blog post about it, Keeping your Hat On.
Other sea pools nearby are at Charco Azul, by San Andres, Los Sauces. Again, great for anyone who is not so water-confident but also great fun for anyone to cool off and have a bit of a swim at the same time. Plus, there is a waterfall in one corner with water crashing into the pool - a bit of a power shower and head massage all at the same time!  This is the blog post we wrote last year about it - Charco Azul, the Blue Lagoon.

For those who love to get in the sea, there is also a bay just by Charco Azul.  The water can be turquoise and it is so tempting, it's difficult to resist!  It's fantastic for snorkeling with lots of fish and even a swim through - hold your breath and dive under a rock archway and pop up the other side.

However, there is a new beach on the block, so to speak, at Puerto Espindola near to San Andres.  It's an excellent sandy beach with an easy entry and exit and you can park the car just by the edge of the beach. There are no changing facilites but there is the excellent restaurant Meson del Mar for a post-swim freshen up and lunch.

Just recently with family staying and a complete day off, we had the great enjoyment of swimming in three different locations on the same day - La Fajana de Barlovento then Charco Azul and finally topped off with a swim at Puerto Espindola.  That's hard to beat for a lot of fun - and cooling off big style!