From Port de la Selva to Cala Tavallera

Park on the esplanade in front of the El Port de la Selva fish market.

(S/E) Walk up Carrer del Mar, the seafront road, to the junction with the pier.

(1) Descend towards Platja del Pas to join the coastal path. It leads to several small coves before returning to the road around Punta de la Creu.

(2) Once past the point, continue towards Cala Tamariua, then turn right onto the first street that climbs up through the houses (Carrer del Puig Gros). Serving the properties, it climbs the slopes of the hill above Port de la Selva. Shortly after passing the summit, it meets up with another road leading up from the village.

(3) At this point, where the road runs along the narrowest part of the ridge, turn left to climb up to the pass overlooking the heart of the village.

(4) Pass the barrier that marks the start of the left-hand track and climb it for almost two kilometers. When you reach the pass, keep to the right of the track leading up to Puig de l'Oratori. Just before you reach the pass, on either side of the path, you'll see the long, high retaining wall of a now-wooded terrace, and the ruins of old farm buildings.

(5) At the pass, let two tracks go off to the left, and when the track curves to the right, leave it to the left at the foot of a masonry cistern. The path descends into a wooded area where a fine dry-stone shelter remains.

At the first hairpin bend, leave the track and continue straight ahead, passing a masonry shelter. The path continues downhill, following the bottom of the thalweg. It crosses a first track before continuing down to the San-Baldiri hermitage.

(6) Descend to the bottom of this valley, skirting the clearing on the left to find the path that leads back to the right at the bottom of the clearing.

After the first hairpin bend, the path offers a fine view of the buildings. Continue along the path, rounding the top of a hill as the view opens out over the calas, the destination of the walk. After descending into a valley and crossing the stream bed, the path climbs steeply to the left. The climb shows signs of ancient paving. As you reach a track, you have to go round the remains of a fence to the right to reach it. Turn left and let a track go off to the right.

(7) Leave the farmhouse on the left and continue along the track which runs straight ahead along the right bank of the Talabre ravine. Pass a grove of pines, from which a path leads to a dolmen (of no interest), then skirt a first combe before veering sharply to the right. You then come to a small plateau from which you can see the indentation of Cala Tavallera. On this plateau, turn left between two low drystone walls and follow the trail up to a wooden post planted above the slope. As you pass, notice the beautiful stone shelter on the left.

(8) Pass the wooden post and continue along the path to the left. It gradually enters the slope, then yaws to the right as the gradient steepens. The path then descends steadily, splitting into several branches as it nears the beach. If you choose the one on the right, you'll end up in a small pine forest just behind the beach. It's the ideal place to grab a bite to eat in the shade, and just a stone's throw from the welcome water.

(9) From the beach, take the path that starts between the two fishermen's huts. It winds its way along the rock through the sparse vegetation, until it meets up with the path from the outset a little higher up. Return to the start along the same path to the crossroads at the pass above the village.

(4) There are two possibilities here: either return to the port on the outward route, if you fancy another swim at Cala Tamariua, or cut straight across to the church, which is the choice of route.

To do this, take the path on the other side of the asphalt road. It runs downhill along the walls of several properties. A staircase leads to Carrer Joan Maragall. Cross this road and continue down the staircase opposite. This leads to the end of a small square, before entering Carrer de les Ginesteres. Continuing downhill along Carrer de la Costa, take the first street on the left to reach the church. Turn your back on the white façade to complete the descent and return to the harbour esplanade (S/E).

Once you've left Port de la Selva, you may come across other bipeds, but there's no chance you'll find anything to eat. So don't leave without the food and water you'll need to get there and back, especially on hot summer days.

We discovered Cala Taballera at the end of September and were lucky enough to be able to enjoy the beach in complete peace and quiet. While it's relatively difficult to reach on foot, it's much easier to do so by boat. So I guess the peace and quiet we enjoyed is not the same in high summer.

San-Baldiri hermitage: the first thing you notice when approaching this memorial site is the astonishing revival of the tower. Next to it, the chapel and ruins of the former priory dominate a peaceful wooded valley.

(9) Cala Tavellara is on the pedestrian itinerary linking Port de la Selva to Cadaquès or Cap de Creus, and is situated about halfway along the route. The outward journey described here can therefore also be the first part of these routes. But you'll need to find a way to get back to the starting point, as the whole round trip takes a long time.

Note: while it's common for consolidation work on ruins to be dated by the materials and techniques used, the work carried out on the tower of San Baldiri is incongruous, to say the least, as it completely altered the original structure. A great pity in such a place.