It wasn’t the sight of Viking longships that put the fear of God into coastal dwellers, but the sight of them bathing in the sub-zero surf…

And keeping with this bloodcurdling tradition, relatively harmless, modern-day, Nordic visitors left the average Almuñequero agog, as they witnessed these cold-proof visitors bath in the sea off San Cristóbal Beach, Almuñécar… bless their deep-frozen, cotton socks!

This has become a regular, Christmas/New Year’s event over the last decade or so in Almuñécar and puts shivering locals to shame, who won’t be venturing into the sea before May, at the earliest. Of course, the great advantage of the Mediterranean is that you don’t bounce off it, and slide, despondently, along the surface, very unlike the Baltic at this time of year…

Most of these Ice Wrestlers are pensioners, some as old as 90, who after the quick Jaques Causteau moment, sing Nordic carols, and toast each other with glasses of Cava – so there are plenty of “God Jul” being banded about, which is “Merry Christmas” in Swedish, as pronounced with your jaws frozen shut.

There are actually organised bus trips that bring tourists down from Sweden for a 2-or-3 week stay in Almuñécar over Christmas, the highlight of which is the Christmas dip. The journey down also takes in places of cultural interest in both Spain and Europe along the way.

Anyway, firstly, a hearty welcome to our Nordic visitors and secondly our admiration for their daring-do.

(News: Almunecar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)