Tunnel vision

More rustic
Having just visited the elusive free hot springs of Alicún de las Torres, we continue onwards back to the motorway, close to the town of Baza and then take the turnoff onwards to the village of Zújar. 
Once in Zújar and after a coffee, we follow the rather small signboards heading to the presumed hot springs which lie between the looming Cerro de Jabalcón and the Negratin lake. 

Fifteen minutes out of Zújar and past a couple of nasty potholes, we come to a steep side road. Up this rather grand drive way we arrive at a modern looking and very recently constructed spa building. Named Balneario de Zújar it makes a very swish impression.
We enter the balneario with a bang; apparently the huge door jams this way. We patiently ask what a soak would set us back. Soaking around for a couple of hours will set you back 20€. 

I had read that there's an inexpensive more rustic place. This isn't it. 

 

Looks like a soak?

With another bang of the door, we continue a little onwards away from Zújar, along the lake. 

Windchill
A little further along the main road encircling Negratin Lake, located on the lakeside itself, is a restaurant. Below the restaurant, halfway down to the lake itself, is a semi-circular pool.

Though the principle business here is catering, the proprietors also manage the hot spring pool. Entrance fee paid at the bar is just 2€. 

Through a gate and down stairs one comes to the pool on the right with minimalist changing facilities on the left. Half of the pool lies under a hard plastic tunnel, assisting in warding off the chilly winds blowing in off the lake. 

A quick change of clothing and it's a dive into the hot springs .... Brrrr, the waters themselves are not so hot, barely 30°C? 

There are a few other soakers here, but what with the winds and cooler than anticipated waters, a longer soak is not really what's required ....
We quickly dress and continue our onwards drive ...

View from the restaurant

While away
Now let's see what more info can be delved from the internet, starting with the above mentioned balneario. 

Next door to the balneario is an hotel with rooms going for €50 for an early December overnite stay.  
Booking.com rates this hotel with a 8.9 (from 80+ reviews), with many glowing stories regarding the excellence of facilities and staff. Tripadvisor is less generous, giving it just three stars out of possible 5; apparently breakfasts are not so appealing. Meanwhile tripadvisor's reviews the balneario itself and it has 5 stars! Though only from 1 review ...

Then the website of Balneario de Zújar itself. What do we learn? 
The current site has been open for just over 1 year.  
It adds a snippet of information on how the waters were famous since Roman times, though there's precious little to be seen concerning this glamorous past. Because the former site (indeed dating back to Roman times) has been submerged under the lake water (source) from 1985.

This is what it would have looked like. From panoramio:

 'Baños romanos-árabes de Zujar'

Then additional information on the soaking (not) site we failed to appreciate. Not much more to add, apparently what you see is what you get. 
The adjacent restaurant itself gets 3,5 stars from tripadvisor based on 10 reviews. Just an example:

'... the Menu del Dia at €10 includes starter, main course, dessert, drink and coffee (choose the simplest homecooked options). The reason to go is for the healing waters of the baths .. at just €2 adults and €1 children, it is a great way to while away a few hours overlooking the beauty of the lake'.

Pilgrimage

So what's more to do?
The nearby village of Zújar seems nothing special, but the aforementioned Cerro de Jabalcón is a magnet for more active pursuits. There is a road, which heads all the way up to the summit. Once there are great views to be had of the surroundings. 
As well as various ways of getting to the top, paragliding down is quite popular. And rock climbing. Cavehousecountry adds:

'The Hermitage of the Virgen de la Cabeza, situated at the top of the hill, is the object of the annual pilgrimage which is undertaken by much of the population of Zújar during their patron saint fiestas'.

Then in summer the beaches around the Negratin lake cater to many a swimmer, there's even an official naturist beach (source).
 
Baza is a nice town to visit. It was once the frontier town of the Moors and much of the ramparts and the original town remain. Among the buildings reconstructed are the original Arab baths from the 13/14th century, see this website.

Further away, Guadix is famous for it's cave dwellings but also has a pleasant town center with an old town situated around the cathedral and Moorish castle. 

Near Guadix there are still some more or less original Arab baths to be found, mostly in combination with cave dwellings. 
Take the example of nearby Las Cuevas Hammam del Abuelo Jose. Bathing prices are comparable to those charged in Granada. 

Located near Las Cuevas (in Cortes y Graena) there is a restored thermal bath in what was once an hammam. The website of these facilities appears to suggest that this is once again old-school bathing: a single bath is to be had for just under 10€ with a load of adds-on to make your stay worthwhile (and expensive). Temperatures are a neat 44°C. Might have been a better choice to visit.

Then back on subject, there is this website which mentions (and illustrates) the existence of secret hot springs of Zújar. They certainly look worthy of an invitation. But they're not telling where exactly they are to be found .....

Die hards

Badlands
The high plains directly north of Andalucia's Sierra Nevada are windswept and arid. The few people living here are mostly dependent on agriculture which  means growing olives.

Touristicly though it is an interesting area: there's much history to be discovered whereas the natural surroundings though desolate are very photogenic. 
However with the summer holidays, temperatures here are very hot, thus dissuading potential tourists. 
So it's not surprising that the hot springs of Alicún are little known.

Finding Balneario de Alicún de las Torres is not straight forward: the GPS router seems to disbelieve the existence of the place. 
Luckily the turn off from the main A-92N motorway (between Baza and Guadix) prominently features Balneario de Alicún. So off we must go.
From the motorway the road goes nearly deadstraight until the edge of this part of the Altiplano de Granada has been found. Here, the road swirls around a corner and you arrive at the balneario. Simple.

Closure
The balneario and surroundings are rather non-descript this Monday, not much seems to be going on, though some seniors are milling around the building. The entry to the balneario itself is not clear and the congregation of elders all seem to know what to do. A lady proclaims 

'cerrado'

: closed. 

OK, though that does seem to contradict most of the ongoings, hmmm.
We cross the main road to where it looks like there is an overflow from the balneario. Some of the water flows swiftly away in what's best described as an irrigation ditch, which is enveloped in vegetation.

To the left of this is another stream with water seeking to progress through a park-like landscape. More buildings are here. Behind these, there are a few large pools to be seen. But all are empty; closed. 

Later I discover the reason. Apparently old habits die hard here: it's been decreed that after September 1 the outside swim season has come to an end. Today (mid-October) the outside temperature was 25ºC! Pity this.

In the surrounding park there is though a small pool which might afford a soak, but it's not very deep, nor any warmer than 30ºC. 

We returned to the balneario and I then followed the above mentioned irrigation ditch. Who knows, maybe there's a soakable overflow somewhere downstream?
While the adjacent track itself descends swiftly, the ditch continues it's higher trajectory. The difference gets bigger, 5-7 meters. At about 500m from the car park, there's a narrow underpass. The drop on the other side of the irrigation ditch is even bigger. From the underpass there's a good overview of the swimming pools. But empty.

Alas, it's not evident that a wild soak is to be had here ...
 

Ancient
Concerning the termas of Alicún, there's not too much additional information available on internet, certainly not in English. 

The balneario's own website adds nothing in English, though I could swear there was more English info on the site during the summer. 
In Spanish there's more info, such as the fact that the balneario was built in 1920.
About the swimming pools, otherwise known as Piscinas Termales los Torreones:

'Enclosure of 20,000 m2 with two outdoor thermal pools, one for adults 1,000,000 liters and a children than 100,000 liters. This complex is complemented by a restaurant, 2 bars, barbecues, changing rooms, first aid, games room and solarium'. 

The balneario has a site on pininterest with a couple of pictures from the swimming pool area. Some added info such as the swimming pool is the biggest thermal pool in Andalucia.

The bigger of the pools, source.

On the site of conocetusfuentes.com the additional info includes stating the temperature of the water (34ºC) and that the hot spring has been

'... famous since ancient times'.

Then there's an extensive photo visit report (in French) which notes finding a cave in the back of the springs somewhere; looks idyllic, no idea whether it's naturally heated ...

The forum site Furgovw (Spanish) has an extensive posting on this hot spring, with many photo's. In this forum entry, the author adds more info but not with enough detail. Apparently the best place for a soak is behind the main bathing building .... 
If only I were not sick the day before ... 
The info found: the irrigation ditch would date back 3,000 years, rises to 15m above surroundings in some places and in this dry climate encourages a moist micro climate.

In the Spanish language Waste.ideal.es site there's a full article on the irrigation ditch itself. It is 3 km long and is of high natural significance for the province of Granada. Because of the carbonated nature of the carried water, the irrigation canal has grown in height and length naturally.

The balneario hotel itself gets just 3,5 stars from tripadvisor but based on only 3 reviewers. Booking.com gives it a 7,5 based on 6 reviews. Not much word on soaking experiences or even the use of the swimming pools.

The following gives a good overview of the swimming pool itself:

A good youtube of the surroundings of Alicun:

Dolmens
We get in the car and continue our descent into the gorge. We'll return to the motorway, this time via the village of Gorafe. This a picturesque route. Near Gorafe, about 5 km from the balneario, one can find dolmen from Megalithic times.

From here the road winds itself back up the opposite side of the gorge. At the top more dolmen are to be seen and we are also blessed enough to see vultures soaring under and above us.

For more info on Gorafe check this page. 

Feeling

Lessons to be learnt
Alhama. The name already says it all. 

What? Well Alhama is derived from الـحَـمّـة , Arabic for hammam. Some say Arab bath, others Turkish (steam) bath. 

Any road, the town of Alhama de Granada is a town fortified in the Middle Ages, perched on a ledge over a not so deep gorge (but still spectacular) through which the Alhama river flows. 

And a couple of kilometres downstream, just around a sharp corner in the gorge, are the hot springs which gave name to the town.

Though the town may show it prominent roots (it thrived through the latter centuries of Moorish rule and the earlier rule under Catholicism), the existence of hot springs traces it's history to pre-Roman times when human interaction was said to have taken place. During Roman administration, the local rulers of course did their best to upgrade the hot spring facilities and oddly enough the fact that the Arab rulers did some renovations to the original Roman building seems to have sticked: the hot springs are referred to as Arab baths. After the Moors left further adjustments were made, such as the division of baths and the consequent construction of surrounding buildings, which increased in pace in the latter nineteenth century as the springs became more and more a traditional European bathing place for the elite. Originally there was one spring, but after an earthquake in 1884 another appeared.

In more recent times there seems to be confusion as regards to the ownership. This news article (Ideal, Nov. 12, 2008) discusses some of the then already protracted claims over 8 years between the company operating the spa and the local council.  

Concerning the exact details of the  history of the baths of Alhama de Granada a thorough scientific historical account has been undertaken by Salvador Raya Retamero entitled:  Historia de los Baños Termales de Alhama de Granada. De Roma a la actualidad. I take most of the above from an interview with said author. The interview comes with a few interesting historical pictures.

To do

The town of Alhama de Granada is worth a visit in it's own right. With spectacular views over the gorge, the town is a criss cross of small streets leading along centuries old buildings. Prominent during the Moorish reign, many of the buildings were then catholicsized.

The square before the oldest part of town is now packed with terraces, Alhama certainly has a lot of charm. In the gorge below the town, one can partake in one of the many walks. 

The town has an extensive local tourism office, which provided good info as well as a having a good web presence. They also do cheap tours of the old town.
One of the buildings which was open had a so-called exposition on thermal bathing places. But in reality it were just some general posters concerning bathing institutes in Spain.

Another good intro to the town can be found here with quite a lot of links on what to do. 

Further afield are two good places for a (wildish) swim: La Resinera (more info) and Embalse de Los Bermejales (more info). 
Though apparently activities are in reverse outside of summer, especially La Resinera was deserted. So we were a bit undecided whether or not we were at the right place. By the time we were at the lake we spent a great deal of time to find a lunch; here the lakeside eatery had closed up again.

Cheats?

The hot springs themselves are on the premises of the bathing resort. From the main highway, a narrow one lane road winds itself through the gorge and follows the flow of the river. Once beyond the rocks and the gorge, you will get to the gate of said bathing resort. Beyond is a small rough car park. Park here and cross the bridge. 

On the bridge, downstream you will see the overflow from the resort with two other pools, all adjacent to the stream. A steel set of stairs has been made to take you from the bridge to the pools. No more facilities than that are available.

The soaks next to the river.

When we arrive, there is already a family leaving the soaks, changing alfresco. We follow suit and spend the next half hour, watching patrons of the bathing institute to and fro over the bridge and other soakers joining us in the process.

 

The outflow.

It is a nice facility, free yes. But the temperature is just not hot enough for a longer sojourn. What's more, bathing under the stares of other guests somehow is not really comfortable, it feels like they think of us soakers as cheaters ... Them paying for all the frills, we paying nada ...

From the soak. 

 

Escort
This is a great web entry on the hot springs with bags of info and a first hand account of actual spa-ing. It notes that for a small fee one can observe the ancient baths from behind glass if allowed entrance to the bathing resort; they aren't in use (?).

'The property has a distinct health-focused, sanitarium feel, with professional staff dressed in white who offer a range of thermal water treatments. The water is said to not only relax the body, but also to help with removing toxins, cleaning and moisturising the skin and relieving arthritis and rheumatism amongst many other attributes.
The spa circuit is escorted, so a member of the team is with you for each stage.
It starts with classic water jets called 'Chorros a Presión'; one stands in a bathing suit in a private cubicle as powerful hoses are carefully and precisely directed at major muscle groups to relax, and tone.
Then it's a good 10 to 15 minutes in a large bubbling spa hot tub,  the 'Baño de Percussion': and then further time to relax and even meditate in the hot 'Baño de la Reina'. This is a large, shallow pool of hot thermal water, constantly refreshed by a bubbling source spilling out over lava rocks in the centre of this dimly lit, centuries-old space. One can cool off in large walk in circular showers.
To end, there are a range of additional services including a personalised mineral bubble bath in a huge, antique marble tub, hewn from a single, huge piece of marble. Therapeutic massages and facials are also available, as well as a salon dedicated to the inhalation of the water vapours'.

 

From the Balneario Alhama de Granada website

 

Then there is the Balneario de Alhama de Granada resort's website. Though it adds little know how than above. Prices are 80€ for an overnite stay with free use of the outside pool. Use of other facilities means more expenditure of nearly a minimum of €20 per treatment / usage.

Vernon has this experience of the free soak:

'But there is such a thing as a free bath.

Beside the spa there is a natural source of constantly flowing thermal water. Those who, like me, don’t want to pay to experience the benefits of the thermal waters, simply pull up in the car park and go to sit in the river.

Thereafter, you should take a stroll around the town and enjoy some tapas in one of the main squares'.

Here's another experience, this time from myNerja:

'The rock pools themselves are just a ramshackle couple of shallow pools, made from stones piled up around the side. There is also a concrete outlet drain, which people use as a makeshift hot tub. There are empty bottles and items of discarded clothing lying around, so don’t expect a high class spa experience, but on the other hand, it is free. The hotel pool is opposite the hotel, down a tree lined footpath. If you are not a guest in the hotel you have to pay €8 per person to use the pool, plus €3.50 for a swimming cap. The waters are naturally heated inside the ground and the pool temperatures are around 37ºC'.

There's a lot to discuss concerning this soak on the Spanish language forum FurgoVW, always an interesting site. Tips are for nite bathing or very early morning.

An extensive description in German, while at realandulacia, there's a photographic visit from a few years back. This website has an extensive number of links on Alhama and it's baths.

This is what the interior pools look like:

#me #arabresort #alhama #granada #summer #2013 #spain #instapic #elventorro #friends #spa #relax #peace #swimmingpool #love #alhamadegranada #andalucia #cuevas #arquitecture

source

And finally, from youtube there's this experience from a few years back:

Distraction

 

Idyll

When planning a trip to the Andalusian city of Granada, visiting the hot springs south of the town of the nearby town of Santa Fe were of highest priority. Or was it the other way round?

From internet research I had discovered what seems to an idyllic located hot springs, free to public use and enjoyment. 
But as this is Europe, when it comes to hot springs, idyllism is something that can't be expected. There had to be a hitch.

The information I had gathered prior was mostly from blogs from long-term travellers or from Spanish websites for motorvans. All very positive about the experience, but no word why it wasn't a commercial entity. Or more regulated. 

Or possibly I had to delve deeper ...

And though it seemed that many made it here, I still supposed that the possible hitch was that it lay partly in the access to the soak. There didn't seem to be any road heading there, but thanks to this Spanish website, GPS coordinates were on hand. Even better my GPS navigator (used to taking commands to polite addresses on existent roads) had no doubts. It confirmed the place and added the fact that there were non-paved roads to be crossed. Fine!

So while Santa Fe is 15 km due west of Granada, the hot springs are still some way from Santa Fe itself. From Santa Fe, the GPS navigator took me in the direction of Granada's airport, then a left and a right and that was the end of the asphalt. We took another left passed a farmhouse and were now well and truly between the olive groves.

Another right left us with a meandering of tracks to follow, some rutted, others not so. They all went uphill, so uphill we went. We passed a mountain of trash bags and then came by a number of travellers vehicles: trucks, buses, motor homes. All old and seemingly having stayed here already for quite some time.

The track I had taken became impassable so I parked the car. It couldn't be far, after all the travellers wouldn't park so far away. To confirm this a young lady left the last van we had passed with a baby in her hands and a young buy jumping up and down and singing. They walked over what was the last hillock, we went around it. We met again at the hot spring pool itself, exactly as had been expected: a half meter deep pool, with a size of 10 by 5 meters. Two pipes were pumping water in. As always I checked the temperature straight away: that's soakable!

Where's everybody?
What did surprise me, was the fact that there were more cars parked nearby, apparently the tracks to the west are better. But there also seemed to be a disconnect between the number of soakers and the number of cars. All I could see were two naked gents minding their own business. Anyway, as there was a cement wall on the far side we walked around the source: this would mean not having to put our things on the dirt. The young boy, now starkers, commented in German to his mother that they (meaning us) are not going for a dip; they're not naked. My wife's German is very good and quipped straight away just you wait and see (in German).

We walked around and briefly looked at other pools in the forested gully which lies just off the main pond: no one there. We proceeded to undress and took the waters. Wow this was bliss. As said the pond was sufficiently deep and in the middle was a former wall where you could lie down with your above half sunning in the now not so sun, your bottom half in the warm water. The water from the pipes proved to be excellent massage showers and we spent a half hour lazing in this pool. 

During this time one gent left, a couple arrived and the German boy had his fill of playing in the water, the baby was relaxed and was been fed by it's mother. A cyclist came and came prepared: his swimsuit already on, so no changing qualms. But still no sign of the other occupants of the car.
 

We then moved on to one of the pools in the adjacent gully. There, there were two pools that we could find, under each other but fed separately. They both were the over-ultra of relaxing. Surrounded and covered by greenery, there was only the gushing of water from a pipe into the 50 cm deep pool. Simply bliss.

The lower pool of the hillside pools.

But even this has to end. We reluctantly step out and head back to our things near the pond. Not much change there. 
But then off to the right we see behind another cement wall what appears to be 3 gents probably soaking in another pool. Without wanting to invade their privacy to complete the analysis of the soaking situation here, we dress up and reluctantly leave. 

We leave behind what appears to be one of Europe's best soaks. I can only hope it stays so.

Seeking oil

And though access was far from optimal, I'm still at odds as to why this place has failed to capture the imagination of the capitalists funders with administrative backing. Not that I'm advocating this, but there doesn't seem much to be standing in their way.

So why the lack of development?

Apparently the site has been this way for some years. Backpackers in Granada host tours to these hot springs. Concerning the origin of the spring(s), their website notes:

'The only natural hot springs left that are free are just outside the city in the middle of some olive groves. The government began looking for oil about 40 years ago, instead they found hot sulphuric water instead.

There are 4 differnt hot springs on the site to choose from, all with different degrees of heat. A popular place for all ages and the alternative crowd'.

I also noticed the following concerning the development of the hot springs of Santa Fe. In an opinionated piece for the Ideal (16 July 2008) the writer notes how the bankruptcy of the  Martinsa-Fadesa construction and real estate conglomerate has knock-on effects especially in the building of Aguas Calientes project a multi million project designed around the hot springs. The author sees the silver lining: it will also save the local government from bankruptcy which had committed itself to quite some investment in public services provision. As the crisis continues in real estate in Spain, no new news here ...

Other info gathered on Santa Fe. This Italian website notes (and here comes the google translate):

'Why keep hidden from most of the existence of this earthly paradise? Simple. It is a private land. Apparently the owner is a nice old man, a sworn enemy of those who would buy his land to build a thermal plant, but willing to maintain public access to the spa. Provided that there is total respect for nature. In a nutshell a hippie type rather generous. Why, in these areas, there is often rave'.

The biggest of these raves is the Dragon festival. Whether or not this is so positive to the springs remains to be seen ... A report from March 2013 speaks of more than a thousand ravers which passed off with no incidents. 
Not everybody seems to take a shine from the relocation of this Dragon festival from Orgivia to the hot springs of Santa Fe: 

'The next day begins with a stroll up to Santa Fe’s very own hot springs. It’s nice, but the plethora of unshorn genitalia on show is slightly distracting'. 

So not so hippiesque after all?

The Italian article continues with more information such as the amount of sulphate in the water, the temperature (38ºC) and that the use of mud is highly agreeable. He / she includes a lot of photo's. 

There are also quite a few personal experiences, I can't include all. Many though focus on the lack of hygiene at and mostly around the hot springs. Though that's self-evident especially in the case of this being a celebration site (there are after all no facilities) it's something that I didn't experience. However I might have come on a good day ...

The above mentioned website with GPS coordinates details a several years long discussion and it's conclusions are that human misuse is going to be it's downfall.

The dodman has some disheartening experience to share from an expedition he tried in December 2010. He describes how the lack of a GPS navigator will send you round in circles; there's nobody to ask. Then in winter all roads are mud, so it becomes very tricky. He adds there are many travellers encamped with little regard to hygiene. In a recent response to his sharing, Stefanie describes how it was 6 weeks before my visit: again not so appealing. 

With this hot spring site open to all, it's also open to abuse, witness the classic case of tragedy of the commons. It's a pity that there seems no self-regulation and thus abuse will continue until authorities decide otherwise. I wonder if any voluntary management could be installed as an antidote? 

Ondrejt possibly unwittingly photographs the possible end of a then trashed Santa Fe hot spring site. But this was 2007 ...

Gregory of Europebybus describes his sojourn at Santa Fé:

'These are the main thermals which were full of young people and noise, I opted for the quieter one round the corner that was smaller and populated by a collection of old men and two beautiful people from Gibralta. It's a favourite spot for homeless, jobless and local farmers to come and bathe, who it would transpire in the town of Santa Fe are mainly old men.

...

One of the naked old men, a local farmer, told me that certain areas of Spain have been struggling with poverty for so long that there was no work and no food so people just upped and left, leaving whole villages to fall apart. It's bizarre to see so much desolation in what is essentially a first world country'.

With over a third of the population unemployed one can understand why those who probably won't get back in the job market will prefer the hot springs. 

Other mentionable finds: There's a band called Lori Meyers which have a PR photo of them (fully clothed!) in the springs (source). 

There are youtube video's on how to get here, part 1 and part 2. 

There's even a website dedicated to the hot springs, but not so many postings and the few seem to appeal to party goers ...

Bathing culture

The city of Granada was for a century or two the capital of Moorish Spain. As such it's pretty commonplace to find so-called Arab bath houses in many of the towns in Granada province, as well as in other towns / cities in Andalusia and Spain. 

What distinguishes an Arab bath from other bath houses is unclear to me. Other than the users obviously. It also seems that Arab baths only existed in Spain, so maybe it's got more to do with how they are named rather than what they stand for.

In the old part of the city of Granada there are still ruins of what were once heavily used Arab baths, the Bañuelo. There are a couple of significant features: the roofs with stars, the small bathing areas, etc. Up in the former palaces of Alhambra you can witness more of the same.

Granada city, now heavily part of the international tourist trail, of course offers you the opportunity to savour a real Arab bath experience. 
Well, it may not be my cup of (mint) tea exactly, but you never know what the experience will be until you've taken it. 

We choose the Baños de Elvira. It wasn't very elaborate at all and only opens after 5 pm. Entrance was a hefty 20€, cheaper though than the other more upmarket places. 

It was also non-suits night, at least until 8:30, so the 20€ gave us only a two hour time frame. In this time we could use the main bath, a cold dip pool, the Turkish steam bath and enjoy some refreshments (juice, mint tea (Moroccan style), fruit and chocolate).  

Though I can't say that the other soakers there were tourists, it did seem to be tourist driven. For the amount of visitors, the facilities were small (even though there were only 8 of us) and prices hardly compared to what we are used to more to the north: back home it's 13,50€ for unlimited use of three different sauna's, a steam bath, a dip pool and a small swimming pool. And more spacious. But not in Granada.

Tripadvisor gives it 4 stars which shows that at least the international visitors are well satisfied.

Enjoyment

Aside of the termas of Santa Fe, other thermal possibilities close by are the baths of Sierra Elvira in Atarfe. These are a commercial operation about 15 km north of Santa Fe town. It looks nice, but not a soak as such. 

Southwards towards the Mediterranean coast, between the mountains, lie the springs of Durcal. At nearly 25ºC, it's difficult to characterise these as hot, but nonetheless not cold ... (source).  Located in the forests they are certainly a nice place to visit.

The province of Granada has more to do, in terms of outdoors. Of course are the many beautiful hikes up the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
We had a pleasant walk along the Cahorras of Monachil and through the uplands. Half way through there's a good opportunity for an icy skinny dip. No better way to enjoy nature!

View from Santa Fe towards Sierra Nevada.

What's brewing ...

This website has the distinction of focusing on what remains of the natural state concerning hot springs of Europe. Most news is bad news, i.e. another source falling victim to development. Thus the re-existence of a lost hot spring is some good news.

On the Canary island of La Palma lies the town of Fuencaliente. Despite this being a direct translation of hot springs there were none.
Lapalma-island.com:

'Fuencaliente means “Hot Spring”. The southernmost municipality takes its name from the hot spring which seeped out into pools on Echentive beach. It was famous for curing all kinds of sickness, including leprosy and syphilis, so Fuencaliente used to attract sick people from all over Europe and even South America. That’s the setting for “A Star in the Water”, one of the stories in “The Seer’s Stone“.
And then Volcan San Antonio erupted in 1677 and buried it under 40 metres of lava'.

Apparently it was rediscovered in 2005 deep down in the earth and a tunnel was built to assist in finding the water. 
But only just recently have the public been allowed to access the tunnel (source) which gives access to a few small, what best could be described as, puddles. Wonder what the future plans are .... 

I'll be heading to south Spain later this year. It's always fun to seek out what lies ahead. Who has heard of Cuevas Hammam Abuelo Jose near Guadix, Andalucia? Well, it might not be totally what I'm looking for, but north of the Sierra Nevada are a number of wildish hot springs to visit. Coming to you soon?

I'll have to look this place up:

'Termas de santa fe. Granada, Andalucia. #dragon #festival #granada #santafe #termas #hot #water #onelove #burnbabilon #chillout #relax #takeiteasy #yah #jungle #paradaise #fucknormal #freeparty #rave #kaotik #fyahburn #runaway #roadtozion #happiness

Source

 

Sascha
Coming up as a regular feature in future postings here, we will have the honour of reviews from around Europe by Sascha: let's term them Sascha's soaks:

Sascha's soaks

Ischia, Italy

On Ischia, there seem to be three natural hot springs. All the other are commercial ones, whereas some of them are very beautiful and definitively recommended. Two of the three natural hot springs are only usable at low tide. 

When I was there, I could see the hot water coming out of the sea, but there was not enough hot water to soak. The one which remains, is on the sea near Sant Angelo (Sorgeto). The water comes out of the rocks at 90°C and flows into the sea. In some areas cold water needs to be mixed up, on other places the water keeps the same warm temperature. Unfortunately, this spot was too touristic for me, as you can see on the picture.

My evaluation: 3 stars (I prefer pools with a constant temperature in a less touristic spot).

Around the continent

Further afield: Abkhazia. Apparently named Kyndygsky (or Kyndyg) hot spring, the water is boiling hot. Used to be a lot more primitive, seems that new Russian money has arrived. But where are the soakers?

Кындыгский горячий источник вот так выглядит днем Скважина считается высокотермальной, температура на выходе около 100 градусов. Настоящий кипяток. Вода течет по системе желобов и постепенно охлаждается до температуры приемлемой для человеческого тела. Здесь можно принять мощный напористый горячий душ и искупаться в нескольких бассейнах. Также есть лечебные грязи. Вода хлоридная, кальциево-натриевая pH 7,5.

 Source

Armenia

Where does Europe stop / start? The picture below is from a muddy hot spring in Armenia (source). On the edge of Europe? The hot spring of Hankavan is not really muddy, more sulpheric.

#hotspring #thermal #mudbath #Estonians
 

France

Via my tumblr site, Noel sent me a dozen or more photo's from a visit to Rennes les Bains:

'Rivière salé de Rennes les Bains. Cet endroit se nomme “La fontaine des amours” Elles se trouve à Rennes les Bains dans le sud de la France. Sur les bords de celle ci se trouve un lot d’inscription datant de 1800 voir 1851. Plein de messages d’amours y sont gravé dans le roc et les arbres bordant cette rivière. Beaucoup de couple y viennent de nuit var il y a de jolies bassins étagés. Non loin de là à moins d’un kilomètres se trouve une source chaude ferrugineuse ainsi qu’un lavoir que l’on nomme ” les bains forts”

Source chaude des bains doux de Rennes les Bains dans le sud de la France. Cette une eau chaude à 33° en permanence été comme hiver. L’eau sort en dessous des anciens thermes. Le 26 septembre 1992 il y a eu une très grosse inondation qui à littéralement nettoyé le rivages. Cette une eau thermale de très bonne qualité…'.

Hungary

CNN (June 27) has a presentation on Hungary's best spa's, all based on thermal waters. The article also seeks to warn it's readers:

'There's an emphasis on health and well being, so many of the facilities are more functional than plush'. 

What's wrong with functional?

Iceland

Did we know that Iceland is hiding hot springs from us unsuspecting folks? My1stimpressions:

'Hidden in a canyon of lava stones difficult and dangerous to reach for those who are not used to, there is a hot spring of clear blue water waiting for you. The place is like a hidden forgotten paradise on Earth. At times it gets really full of locals who use to go there to bath and drink in company. Sometimes they enlight candles in it, making the atmosphere even more magic. They say young Icelanders are allowed to get down there only when they are teenagers, and imagining the adventure that means at that age makes you feel jealous of them.

Tourists are not allowed. The place is in a private property whose landlord has allowed locals to bath in it. Only locals. No tourists please. That’s what makes this place special. It is still a place where you can find the pure Iceland'. 

But the you used, is not you! 

Hrunalaug source

But don't count the inventiveness of the tourists out. The Reykjavik Grapevine (May 3):

'RÚV reports that construction workers for the tunnel found themselves in the position of having to act as lifeguards as well. About half a dozen tourists were spotted – and photographed – bathing in a steaming creek of water near the construction area.
While the heat of the water is a comfortable 40°C, it is not one of Iceland’s many natural geothermally-heated creeks and pools. Rather, it is run-off from the drilling of the Vaðlaheiði tunnel, near Akureyri'.

The Iceland Review  (July 18) keeps us abreast of the legalities of admission fees in Iceland for the use of what are essentially nature's gifts:

'The magistrate in Húsavík has placed an injunction on the collection of admission fees at the hot springs by Námaskarð and the Leirhnúkur-Krafla caldera, by the Association of Landowners at Reykjahlíð'.

However then comes the following news (Iceland Review, July 25): 

'Travel agencies have been warned not to take tourists to certain areas near Lake Mývatn after an injunction was placed on fee collection in the area, in particular to the hot springs near Námaskarð and the caldera of Leirhnjúkur-Krafla where the landowners at Reykjahlíð have been charging for admission over the past month'.

The gloves are off?

Italy

A bit off-topic (well not really): the Guardian (25 April) gives us a Top 10 Wild swimming locations in Italy. Great natural places to be. It includes Terme del Bullicame in Lazio near the Tuscan border.

Talking of Tuscany, if you're interested in other uses of geothermality you need not to look any further than there. The novel part, as reports thinkgeoenergy (July 23), is that geothermal steam is now an integral part of the process of brewing beer with names as double malt Magma, Sulfurea pale ale and the Weiss Geyser!

'A huge range of products have been created thanks to EGP’s geothermal energy in the small towns of the Tuscan hills. A number of agricultural enterprises in Monterotondo Marittimo use steam from EGP’s plants in the production of their pit-aged cheeses, just like pork meat factories do for the aging of their Cinta Senese sausages. The geothermal menu also includes vegetables: each year Parvus Flos, a cooperative in Radicondoli near Siena, produces more than 12 tonnes of organic basil that is cultivated in 20,000 square metres of greenhouses heated with steam from EGP facilities'.

Spain

Day Four: I spent the whole day swimming in the hot springs just outside Valencia! It was amazing!! #valencia #spain #hotsprings #eurotrip 

Source

Not really hot, the Fuente de Los Baños springs delivers waters at about 25 C. Weekends see big crowds.

Turkey

Earlier this year, Nomadikat visits Bursa, Turkey and does the hamam at Karamustafa Kaplicalan. Her account:

'"Turkish baths are a traditional thing," Mehpare explained, "Not many young people go anymore. Turkish Baths are not at all hip – they are considered to be somewhere our grandparents go." She went on to explain how some doctors prescribed visits to the Turkish Baths for various medical conditions, from arthritis to herniated discs. That explained why a lot of women were not in the best shape, and watching a bunch of half-naked women scrub one another was not exactly the scene from a stag film that one might imagine.

At first, I wore my bikini, as I initially did not want to go topless. I was slightly uncomfortable, and a bit plagued by my American nudiphobia. This would be cured, though, by the time I went for my massage. All of the women at the bathhouse were totally topless. It was normal practice to be almost nude'.

Eventually though she loves the experience though hates the lack of hygiene.