As the summer holiday season is starting in earnest, you can guarantee that many beaches all over Europe will be packed, as the locals and tourists alike head away from the heat of the cities. My tip to beat the crowds is to head inland away from the crowded coastal strips and try to find some inland swimming locations to cool off. When we were in Sardinia last August, you could hardly find a grain of sand to park your beach towel or plant your sun umbrella. Instead we took the recommendation of my sister who had visited the area before us and headed for a river swimming spot within a half hour of the packed beaches of Cala Gonone.   From the town of Dorgale in Eastern Sardinia, we followed the signs for Gola di Gorroppu and when the track ran out, we parked the car and walked along the path beside the river which would have taken us towards the Gola di Gorroppu gorge. After about 20 minutes, the path led down to a spot in the river where there were large boulders and the river deepened into pools just deep enough to touch the bottom. Although there were a few people, we more or less had the place to ourselves, sunning ourselves on the rocks and jumping in to the pools. So when the going gets hot on holiday, scour your guidebooks or ask for local recommendations to find an inland swimming opportunity to beat the crowds at the beach.

Original Source Beat the crowds with river swimming in Sardinia