The Gola de Ter beach, also known as Fonollera beach, in l’Estartit village, is one of the most peaceful and evocative landscapes of the Costa Brava. Of great ecological interest, it forms a very long beach of fine golden sand, in a natural environment. In this post we tell you how to arrive and how to enjoy it.
The area is located south of the Basses d’en Coll, near Pals beach, on the south bank of the Daró river, that in facts marks the beginning of this long beach, about 5 km long, up to the end of another river, the Ter, along a protected nature reserve. From there, another 5 kms to the north, the beach arrives to l’Estartit.
You can arrive to this area through a road about 4 kms that starts in Torroella de Montgrí, for example right under the bridge across the Ter, coming from Pals. It’s a track that can be traveled by car, although if you cycle or walk you’ll enjoy much more what it offers. This road offers the chance to enjoy the end of the river, the quietest part of it, the characteristic vegetation, the typical local crops such as rice or fruit, etc.
Finally, as we approach the sea, we will see how the river begins to form gaps in the beach sand, mingling with it. Here nature has created a curious mixture of fresh and salt water. The name of the beach from a little mound, Fonollera, located just a few hundred meters inland, where some experts believe in the presence of a prehistoric settlement called Cypsela, and probably witnessed by ancient travelers. However, we still have no real proof of its existence.
On the beach, the nearby presence of the Medes Islands is majestic. Around the area, only a few farmhouses, typical Catalan houses, and most from the XIXth century, are the only evidence of human presence. We are in a rich area of dunes and the associated vegetation: the reeds. It is important to respect this plants as they are part of the fragile ecological balance that forms this area.