Cala del Pilar

The colour is what stops people at the top of the dunes: hills of intense reddish clay dropping to golden sand, turquoise water below them, goats grazing on the slope above. Because it takes 30 to 45 minutes on foot to get here, the beach stays quiet — a handful of people on the sand, and in March it can be empty. The water is clear, and the rocky reefs flanking the bay, inside a marine reserve, hold plenty of Mediterranean fish for anyone who carries a mask down. The walk is part of the visit too: shaded pine forest first, then rolling red dunes, then a wooden staircase for the last drop to the shore.

• Shoes: the trail is rocky and uneven the whole way, with a wooden staircase at the end. Wear trainers or walking shoes.
• Nothing there: no toilets, no beach bar, no lifeguard, and nothing nearby. Carry your own water and food in, and your rubbish out.
• Time it: 30 to 45 minutes each way, and the return leg is the uphill one — a late start leaves the climb for when you are already tired.
• Car needed: no bus route comes near the cove, and the car parks sit off the Me-1 with the rest on foot.

A car is needed. The rural car parks off the Me-1 sit about 1 km and 1.8 km from the cove in a straight line, and no road goes any closer — everything after that is on foot. The walk takes 30 to 45 minutes: shaded pine forest first, then open red dunes, then a wooden staircase down to the sand. The ground is rocky and uneven, so leave the sliders in the car. Count the same time again for the way back, which is the uphill one, with whatever you carried down still on your back.

Best: March, when the beach can be empty and the pines on the way in give shade for most of the walk.

Avoid: setting out late in the day, and any day the north-coast swell is up.

The walk runs 30 to 45 minutes each way, so a late start leaves the climb back to do when you are already tired, and with no lifeguard on the beach rough water is a reason to pick another day.