Tamariu to Llafranc revisited

We covered the walk from Far de Sant Sebastia (Llafranc) to Tamariu two Januaries ago but at the time part of the GR92 path was closed due to construction works and the weather was a little overcast. I added an update to the original to say the path is now open, but until now haven't updated the pictures, so this weekend we took advantage of the sun and recompleted the stretch from Tamariu to Llafranc, this time going all the way in and out of Cala Pedrosa to complete the coastal part of the walk.

The bath is popular out of season, particularly on a gloriously sunny January Sunday and there were lots of families taking at least  the first part of the route to the rocky bay and barraca just around from the main Tamariu beach (great for rock pools in the summer). It was good to run into German and English walkers too as the Costa Brava really is a fabulous winter destination for a little sun and good hiking.

The main part of the walk which was closed last time runs at the back of two new villas and has been done up very well. The path now consists of a wooden gangway at the back of the houses above a small rocky cala, one of the classic Costa Brava inlet type coves with no access other than from the sea. The wooden gangway turns into a small walled path which a bit uneven where water has washed away the top of the path leaving some pipework exposed. This path then curves into the woods around La Musclera.

The route then climbs around the Musclera headland, getting quite high above a cliffside before connecting to the path down to Cala Pedrosa. This particular path goes steeply down the hillside along a narrow cliff-side path with wooden barriers/bannisters all the way down to the Cala. It's not difficult, but it is steep as it zig-zags up the side of the bay. At the bottom, we reach a large bay filled with large pebblestones. Pedrosa means stony or rocky and the pebbles are chunky inviting you to make pebble stacks or to try skimming the stones out across the water. At the back of the bay is a small house/bar that it often open in summer sometimes serving food straight off the barbeque.

The path out of Cala Pedrosa runs along the stream at the back of the bay, through a shaded valley that was cool in the January air unlike the sunnier parts of the walk. At the top it meets a broader track/path at the back of a view houses before running past first fields and then woods up to the lighthouse (Far de San Sebastien) above Llafranc. The lighthouse can be approached from two directions. The main GR92 path runs high above the sea and gets a little high if you're not comfortable with heights, before connecting to the watchtower next to the Restaurant de Far at the top behind the lighthouse. This time we turned right earlier, following a forestry track that connects to houses on the other side of the hill (Carrer Panama), then taking the road across the top of Llafranc. The views from the lighthouse are spectacular. As this was a particularly clear day, we could see the snow on the Pyrenees behind Palafrugell on one side and the coastline and beaches stretching away to the south past Palamos on the other.

For a walking route see the original: Far de Sant Sebastia (Llafranc) to Tamariu