Spain is famous for its Camino de Santiago, the incredible pilgrimage to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. But in a way it overshadows all other walking trails; some of Spain’s most storied landscapes come to life on extensive trails throughout the country. Travel writer and photographer James Taylor completed a stretch of the Cami de Ronda along the coast in Catalonia, snaking its way along the beguiling Costa Brava from Barcelona to the French border. Alive with twisting cliffs, hidden coves boasting striking turquoise water, and ancient fishing villages that have retained their charms despite the riches of tourism, this is one of Spain’s most popular coasts for tourism.

The beaches are divine and the seafood fresh, but traversing the Cami de Ronda lets you immerse yourself in the nature of the coast and whisk yourself away from the crowds, exploring the wild stretches of coast that connect the picturesque villages. The path winds along the entire Costa Brava, at times wide and well-paved, at other times disappearing into the thick Mediterranean forests and forgotten, sandy coves. And like the Pyrenees mountains to the north, this too was a haven for smugglers during the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s reign, a time when the local fishermen would use the cover of the coast’s countless hidden coves to land goods in Spain and smuggle them into nearby Barcelona.

53mm ISO 125, f/22, 1/30, Canon EOS 700D