Charco Los Chochos

The stairs are the way in. Take them down and jump, and you stay clear of the pool's sides, where sea urchins cling to the rock. The water is clean and clear.

Beyond the pool the Atlantic breaks against the north coast. On days when big waves crash on the shore, the open sea is no place to swim, and the pool is the calmer water.

A walkway follows the coast from here, and it is easy to lose hours on it watching the sea and the gulls. Los Silos is a quiet town, and this stretch of shore keeps that calm.

• Sea urchins cling to the sides of the pool. Wear water shoes, or take the stairs and jump in clear of the rock.
• Closures: the pool and the coast around it are at times taped off, and then visitors cannot get into the water.
• Big waves: when the swell is up, waves crash on the shore. Look at the sea before you plan a swim.
• No toilets at the pool: the nearest are about 300 m away (customers only) and about 450 m away. There is no drinking water nearby.

Most people come by car. A free gravel car park sits about 150 m from the pool, a second car park about 200 m away, and there is free parking on the street as well. From the parking it is a few steps to the water, past an information map and a signpost.

The nearest bus stop, Las Pistas, is about 1.6 km away in a straight line, so arriving by bus means a walk to the coast.

Best: a calm day, when the sea lies low and the pool is fit for swimming.

Avoid: days of heavy swell, when big waves crash on the shore.

The north coast faces the open Atlantic and takes its swell, which runs heavier in winter; on rough days the pool is for looking at, though the coastal walkway is still worth the walk.