Los Charcones Natural Pools (Arucas)

Put your face in the water and the fish are right there, moving over the bottom of a pool clear enough to count them. The pools run deep in some places and shallow in others, so a strong swimmer and a child can share the same stretch of rock.

The water inside is a touch warmer than the open ocean beyond. In winter it is still cold, and in January getting in takes some resolve. Between swims there is the shore itself to walk, dark rock with the Atlantic breaking past the edge of the pools.

This is a local swimming place as much as a sight, and it is looked after: the water is clean and the pools are kept in good order.

• Some pools are deep and others shallow; keep children who cannot swim in the shallow parts and within reach.
• The water is clean but cold in winter, and a January swim is a chilly one.
• The bars and restaurants nearby are closed early in the morning; bring a drink if you come at first light.
• The nearest toilets are about 280 m away in a straight line.
• The rock around the pools is uneven and wet; wear shoes with some grip until you reach the water.

Los Charcones lies on the north coast at Bañaderos, close to the motorway, and the drive in is straightforward. There is a paid car park as well as free street parking; the nearer parking is about 150 m away in a straight line, the other about 240 m. Both fill at peak hours.

By bus, two stops are within reach: El Puertillo, about 430 m away, and Iglesia de Bañaderos, about 450 m away. From either one, the last stretch is on foot.

Best: a calm, sunny day, early enough to find parking without a search. Avoid: days when a heavy swell is running, and the peak hours when the car parks fill.

The pools sit on the open north shore, so a rough sea sends waves over the rock and churns the water, while on a still day it lies clear enough to watch the fish.