Last Updated on 23 April 2023 by gerry

After yesterday’s mission to tick off one stretch of Maresme coastline we had not yet traversed, it dawned on us that we don’t know how the coastline might look beyond Malgrat de Mar. So we set off to walk from Santa Susanna to Malgrat and beyond, knowing that the River Tordera dissects the coastline at some point along there.

Beyond Malgrat the beach is straight and uniform. There is a “nudism recommended” section at one point, where, because of the high shelf in the sand and low numbers of passing foot-traffic, sun-bathers can easily enjoy the beach unseen. We plodded on until we reached the first of many campsites out this way. Unlike yesterday we hadn’t brought or bought a picnic, so we were hoping to have lunch at a restaurant or campsite along the way.

Our hopes were dashed because all the campsites either looked closed or deserted and there were certainly no cafes open there for us. We carried on as far as the beach would take us and found the way well and truly blocked by a metal fence. The campsites at this point were like ghost towns – very strange. The beach was lined with big square sandbags. To cross the river we had to take a large detour along the road heading west until we found a road taking us north again. At the end of that road we found the river bed, completely dry.

When we followed the path on the other side we came to a dead end we discovered the reason for the blockage and the ghost campsites, thanks to some large information boards. The Tordera delta had been declared a restricted zone to protect the flora and fauna there, so access was prohibited either side of the river mouth. Although part of the river bed we crossed further upstream was dry, the delta area down by the sea was a type of marshland.

We retraced our steps back up to where a path could take us in the direction of Blanes, now within our reach about 2km away. We kept going till we finally reached beach again and lay down for an hour. We had been walking for over 3 hours with just a bottle of water each, so we were looking forward to a feed when we got to Blanes. Unfortunately it was now past 4pm and we were entering that in-between mealtimes zone and consequently we struggled to find anywhere open. We took refuge in a hotel for some crisps and a drink to sustain us, while we reviewed our options. It looked like there would be some eateries open in the centre of Blanes. We hadn’t really explored the narrow shopping streets of the town on our first visit and found some lovely shops and a cafe selling pizzas. We stopped there for some absolutely delicious pizza and a bottle of catalan red wine which was just as fabulous. The wine is made by the monks of the Monestir de Poblet in Conca de Barberà.

After walking a record number of steps today, we decided we deserved a taxi to the railway station on the other side of Blanes, leaving us just enough time before the last train for a drink or two in a really nice wine bar called L’Activa 7.0.