Small, sleepy, sunsoaked, Calafell feels as if it hasn’t changed since the first paper-white Pom’s stumbled out of their tour busses in the 1960s.

The town is anything but inspiring, but the beach is spectacular, gigantic, and seriously underpopulated (at time of writing, which is late September).  It’s hard to imagine the Calafell beach crowded even if every hotel in town was packed.   The beach is just so massive.

We spend a blissful day soaking up the sun and reading David Niven’s “Bring on the Empty Horses” (author recommends).   The water is cool, clean, and a sparkling aqua blue.

The strip of buildings along the coast is so narrow that there are heaps of great camping opportunities, and we find a very private and comfy spot barely 200 metres from the water.