Rural Tourism at the Beach - Punta Umbria

Turismo Rural Hidalgo
all about rural tourism in the Sierra Norte de Sevilla

May 5, 2006

Rural Tourism at the Beach

Would you like to combine a holiday in the mountains of the Sierra Norte de Sevilla with a beach holiday in the same style? That certainly is possible! Here we have a good tip for you.

While on the Mediterranean coast building activities don't seem to stop, the Spanish Atlantic coast is still pure and with beautiful natural areas. Last weekend we were in Punta Umbria, close to the city of Huelva.

We were invited to witness a unique happening: a concert by the Dutch choir Calle Real in the peña flamenca (flamenco club) in Huelva. Of course we had to be there! From Cazalla it is a good two hours drive, a bit too much for one night. So we decided to take this opportunity to spend a weekend at the beach. On the internet I searched for some pension or a house, and I found Camping Playa La Bota, where they had fully equipped wooden cabins.

The performance of Calla Real on Friday May 5 was a great success. It probably wasn't an easy job, I think, because if you are "not from here" - and that already is the case if you come from another village 10 km down the road - then your audience will be very critical. And if, on top of that, you dare to sing fandangos from Alosno, a small village in the province of Huelva near the Portuguese border, then you must be really good. Furthermore, I must admit, I found the Huelva flamenco club rather formal, certainly compared to the no-nonsense and spontaneous nights at "our" peña flamenca in Cazalla de la Sierra. Nevertheless, the Amsterdam flamenco choir managed to convince the Andalusian audience! After every song they were given a big applause and towards the end people were even dancing sevillanas!

And then we had two wonderful days at the beach. Camping Playa La Bota is a big camp site (more than 1.500 places) but in this time of year it was still lovely quiet. On one side you'll find the beach and on the other side the Marismas de Odiel, a marshland declared Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO. Punta Umbria has more protected natural areas: Los Enebrales, beautiful dunes with pine trees, and the El Portil lagoon. Yes, indeed: the perfect combination of rural tourism and a beach holiday!

I must admit, that this time we didn't see much of the town of Punta Umbria nor from the surrounding. But we'll certainly be back and shall tell you all about it.

Linda

Some interesting links:

Punta Umbría (in English and Spanish)
Camping Playa La Bota (in English and Spanish)
Beaches of Huelva (only in Spanish)
Huelva Tourist Information (only in Spanish)
The Calle Real Choir (in Dutch and Spanish)