Cooke made numerous trips throughout Europe and North Africa. In 1860, in company with Robert Bateman, he undertook a journey around Spain towards Tangier, travelling en route through Catalonia, Valencia and Andalucia. A new, more luminous quality began to pervade the colours in his work. The light of the Mediterranean can be seen even in his pencil sketches, which show clarity and the sense of exoticism that Spain awakened in European travellers.

In spring 1861, Cooke made three visits to Gibraltar from southern Spain and the north coast of Africa. He spent some time in Catalan Bay, a small bay and fishing village on the eastern side of Gibraltar, on the far side of the Rock from the main city, where he was interested in the remakable geology. Only fishermen were permitted to live there in the 19th century, and here, rather than treating the area’s natural history, Cooke focuses on the everyday life of the fishing community. In this lively vignette, he shows a small fishing boat pulled up on the beach with three of its occupants lying asleep alongside, while another mends nets.