BEING able to save the world through your own imagination – and getting creatures from a fantasy parallel universe to 'sort out' the bullies who are making your life impossible – could be part of every adult's dream as well as that of children, and if you were one of those children in the early 1980s or the parent or grandparent of one, this scenario will sound familiar.
This is far more than just a beach. It's part of a magical world where furry dog-dragons provide transport, medallions protect you from harm, and a Childlike Empress can summon a saviour via a book (photo: Almería Film Office)
Michael Ende's kids' novel The Neverending Story, published as Die Unendliche Geschichte in his native German, is now 42 years old, and the screen adaptation 37 years old, but although the little people starring in it are now in or getting close to their 50s, it's still a joy to watch and does not appear to have aged a day when it graces the TV almost every Christmas.
And if you live in Spain, you might have been tempted to pop over to visit the set, unless you didn't know you could find it here; now you do, though, that's your next road trip worked out for you.
Fantasia and its fantastic beasts and humans
For those who never got to read the book or see the film, the parallel universe in question is called Fantasia, the young lad who saves it is Bastian Bux, who finds out it is in danger after 'borrowing' a 'magical' book from a shop where he shelters to escape the school thugs chasing him.
Atreyu wakes up on Mónsul beach, aka Fantasia (photo: Screen shot from The Neverending Story, 1984)
Hiding in the attic, Bastian is at first sceptical when he sees he is written into the story as a character, with the Childlike Empress stating he is the only one who can save Fantastia – now reduced to a mere grain of sand by the evil force known as 'The Nothing' – but finally succumbs to her pleas for him to call out her name.
Bastian calls to her, referring to her as 'Moon Child', and wakes up in her world, where his imagination is enough to restore Fantasia to its former glory.
Other characters are the young warrior Atreyu (played by Noah Hathaway in the film), who is protected by a magical medallion known as the Auryn – which may be where the Spanish boy band, who mainly sang their hits in English, took their name – Falkor the friendly, furry dog-dragon, Morla the Ancient One (a wise turtle, voiced by Robert Easton), and Gmork the wolf, who is initially commissioned by The Nothing to kill Atreyu but joins the 'goodies' in the end.
The young warrier Atreyu and his giant friendly furry dragon-cum-dog, Falkor (photo: Screen shot from The Neverending Story, 1984)
The Nothing represents sadness and loss of hopes and dreams, whilst Fantasia represents the human imagination, meaning it has no borders.
Bastian, played by Barret Oliver in the film, takes Falkor, voiced by Alan Oppenheimer (who also does Gmork, Rockbiter and the Narrator), back to Earth to deal with the school bullies, so it all ends happily – or doesn't end, because it's Neverending.
Tami Stronach plays the Childlike Empress and her servant, Cairon, is fleshed out by Moses Gunn, whilst Gerald McRaney plays Bastian's father.
Atreyu's horse, Artax, initially drowns in the Swamp of Sadness, but as it's a happy film overall, Bastian brings Artax back to life and reunites him with his devastated owner.
Artax, a beautiful, powerful grey, is seen galloping across a desert-like landscape with Atreyu on his back, then Atreyu awakes alone on a beach, calling for Falkor, who eventually flies to him and rescues him.
Mónsul beach is far from Neverending. It's only 400 metres long and 50 metres wide, a fairly narrow strip of sand, with mountains and rock formations behind it, mostly volcanic – which gives it the mysterious, other-worldly air it needed to be the backdrop for some critical moments in the life of Planet Fantasia and in the epic and perilous quest of the young Atreyu. The largest of these volcanic rocks literally splits the beach in two, rising out of a massive dune of much lighter-coloured sand – what is known as the Peineta de Mónsul, or the Mónsul 'comb'.
Atreyu on his beloved grey, Artax, who becomes lost in a swamp - but is found and brought back to life when Bastian the schoolboy saves the land of Fantasia (photo: Screen shot from The Neverending Story, 1984)
Its appeal to visitors is year-round, but mainly for catching out-of-season sea air and scenery – as an unspoilt, rural beach, it is never packed out with bathers, and you won't find bars, sun-loungers, toilets, foot-showers or any of the usual facilities on stretches of shoreline geared up for tourists.
Which makes it a splendid getaway if the holiday crowds are not your cup of tea and raw coastal countryside is what floats your boat.
Other films: Sean Connery was a 'regular'
Despite its diminutive size, Mónsul beach tends to see more film crew than sunseekers – and The Neverending Story was not the first time, either.
John Milius' 1975 adventure epic, The Wind and the Lion, starring John Huston, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith and the late legendary Sean Connery played a number of scenes on this rugged Almería shore, and director Steven Spielberg is said to have fallen in love with it as a location, using it for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, with Harrison Ford and, again, Sean Connery, one of Spain's most famous long-term residents and whose generation transformed Marbella (Málaga province) from a quiet fishing town to a millionaires' playground.
One of the most famous scenes from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, shot on Mónsul beach (photo: Screen shot from original film)
Moving on to the next century, former reality-show pop idol David Bisbal – who was behind the Spanish World Cup theme tune in 2014 – was born in Almería and so it would only be a matter of time before Mónsul beach became the set for one of his music videos. Probably one of his best-known and most catchy hits, Ave María, had the volcanic rocks and desert mountains of this chunk of coast as its stage set – now nearly 20 years ago.
What to see nearby, and how to get there
If you're heading for the Playa de Mónsul by car, you can park a short distance away and also take a peek at the Cala de Media Luna ('Half-Moon Cove'), which takes its name from its shape, and continuing along the same footpath, you reach another popular beach, the Cala Carbón, from which you can take a hike up the Vela Blanca hill and indulge in some breathtaking panoramic views of the coast.
What Mónsul beach became during filming (photo: Screen shot from The Neverending Story, 1984)
Visitors often end their day trip by winding down on the El Barronal beach, described as a must-see enclave for anyone spending time in the province of Almería.
The journey to Mónsul beach and its neighbouring coves is via a rural dirt-track of about four kilometres from the town of San José – drivers are advised to proceed slowly, since long weeks with little or no rainfall means it can be incredibly dusty – then you can park for free about 200 metres from the sands out of season, or for €5 in high summer.
A shuttle-bus can take you from San José to Mónsul if you'd rather not drive, and it stops midway at the Genoveses beach – a more 'conventional' one for sunbathers and holidaymakers, so you could stop off there en route or on the way back if the main aim of your trip is relaxation in the sun.
Getting there by car from Almería city takes around 50 minutes, along the AL-12 airport motorway or Autovía del Aeropuerto.
