La Ermita and La Llana: two bathing pools in the Serranía de Ronda with lots of shade and easy parking

It is little more than an hour's drive from the nearest beach on the Costa de Sol, but this location in the Serranía de Ronda offers a cool alternative for bathing when the sun is at its hottest. Jimera de Líbar, like several other inland towns and villages in Malaga province, has a river as a solution for enjoying a dip and spending long days at the beach, even if it is a riverside beach.

This white-washed village, located in the triangle between Benaoján, Cortes de la Frontera and Atajate, is one of those where the Guadiaro passes by, a major river that originates in the province of Malaga but also spills into the neighbouring province of Cadiz.

This river course plays a leading role every summer in the holiday memories of locals and visitors alike thanks to the bathing pools that are created each year to enable swimming. This can be seen in what is known as the Charca de la Ermita (Ermita pool), so called because it is located next to the remains of a former shrine dedicated to San Roque (the current shrine is a little further away on the other side of the railway line).

In addition to this pool, there is the one at La Llana, located a kilometre and a half downstream, in the vicinity of some rural lodgings where there are large houses for families to rent as well as huge wine vats converted into giant watermelons and cucumbers, also for rent. This is camping with a difference and the site is well-known to locals of Jimera - it is called Villa Sandía.

Both pools are adapted by the local town hall every summer with small dams that allow these pools to be filled up further while still allowing the river to flow. They are two sanctuaries for those who are looking to take a dip in the midst of nature, with little hassle for parking (there is space to park up just a few metres away) and there is no need to take a sunshade.

Sun protection here is more natural as the river bank is surrounded by tall trees, around which the bathers set up temporary camp as the morning goes on. Here you can live a different outdoor experience, as it is important to know how the shade will move during the day so as not to end up in the sun after a short while. There are also large stones that serve perfectly well as tables. They are the first to be filled with the picnic baskets and bags of bathers ready to face a long day on this riverside beach.

Some of the day-trippers come fully equipped with their own folding tables and chairs, inflatable mattresses and even diving goggles, although the deepest parts of the pools are not exactly crystal clear. Even so, you can still spot freshwater fish like common chub, barbel or carp, which have no choice but to spend the summer surrounded by legs. They might even spend a moment of stress caused by some swimmer who thinks they are capable of catching them with their bare hands or some device like a fishing-net or beach bucket.

Although the sun is plentiful for most of the day, the water feels cold to most bathers. Most of them prefer to enter the pools bit by bit. There are several large steps with rocks that are similar to those used as tables. They are not always stable, but at least they ensure gradual contact with the cool waters.

All these bathers are watched over by Martín Gil. But it is not a real person, although with that name it may seem so. It is a rocky peak almost 1,400 metres high that is known as such by the people of Jimera de Líbar. It is not clear if it is because someone with that name lived nearby or if he simply carried out some kind of major feat to be thus remembered. This rocky peak, which overlooks both Jimera and the spectacular high plateau of the Llanos de Líbar, is a silent witness to everything that happens in these pools as they turn into natural swimming pools during the summer months.

It is worth watching children go for a swim in a river for the first time. Some of them hesitate when entering the water because of a possible ichthyophobia (fear of fish). A minor encounter with a fish might turn into a major drama for a few seconds. There is also a certain aversion to the wasps that have enjoyed riverside environments all their short lives. As with many beaches in Malaga province, there is an abundance of rocks and pebbles. Rivers are capricious like that. The flowing waters drag them little by little along the course of the river, slowly eroding them and leaving them at the mercy of someone treading on them.

It is advisable to wear good footwear for these pools. Footwear that can get wet, but also comfortable enough to move through the water like a fish. Slip-on boots may seem appropriate, but in a matter of minutes of walking back and forth in the river, the soles of your feet will be sore. Of course, there are also those who go barefoot and never flinch or complain.

In the late afternoon, the riverbank is fully shaded. This means that many begin to gather up their temporary campsite of chairs, tables and inflatable mattresses, maybe even a canoe or a paddle surf board. Maybe now is the time to enjoy the terrace of Allioli Bar y Más, which is on the other side of the railway track. It's as close as you can get to the comforting beer at the chiringuito, and there may even be live music.