Charco del Chalet. Río Guadiaro. Cortes de la Frontera
- Protected Area: Los Alcornocales Natural Park
- Watershed: Mediterranean Catchment Area
- Main Watercourse: Río Guadiaro
- Municipality: Cortes de la Frontera
- Coordinates: x: 287453 / y: 4046474 / z: 206 m
- Location: easy
- Access: convenient
- Swimming Potential: medium.
How to Get There
From El Colmenar, a hamlet belonging to Cortes de la Frontera, look for the street that takes you to the Buitreras power plant, which is suitably signposted and coincides with the SL-A 34 trail. After a little more than 500 m, you will enter the site of this hydroelectric facility. There are a couple of parking spaces outside. Leave the local path after passing by the huge pipe that carries and drops the water collected a few kilometres upstream, in the Buitreras dam. Now walk down a narrow lane towards the river. You will soon reach the Charco del Chalet, which owes its name to the nearby power plant which looks like a magnificent manor house.
Interesting Facts
The river marks the boundary between Cortes de la Frontera and Gaucín. It is an interesting pool for swimming, with enough space to do a few lengths. There is usually a rope to swing from hanging on the opposite bank. You can stretch out or sit on a stony but comfortable enough flat area. Upstream, but only a short distance, lies the Charco del Polvorín, which owes its name to the presence of a little stone house on a hill where the gunpowder used in the construction of the hydroelectric facilities was handled. This pool has a charming little sandy beach. In the shallow waters of both pools you can see enormous barbels that are part of the diet of otters, which are abundant in the Guiadiaro.
Please Note
Both the Charco del Chalet and the Polvorín are deeper than an adult in some places, although this usually varies depending on the year’s rainfall. It is fairly easy to walk along the riverbed itself to get from one pool to another. The Polvorín retains its waters at the earthen wall usually used to cross to the other riverbank. Cows and horses, which should not be disturbed, often graze in the nearby floodplains. We do not recommend jumping from the rocks surrounding the pool. The bottom of both pools is not visible due to the water current and the sandy riverbed.
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