Multiyear (2008-2014) ADCP data were collected during 7 deployments at a single location on the inner shelf of the Gulf of Cadiz. The time series (~18 months of hourly records) are used to characterise the patterns of coastal counter currents (CCCs) that alternate with upwelling jets of opposite (eastward) direction in this area. The observations indicate that CCCs develop all-year-round and occur frequently, ~40% of the time, without significant seasonal variability. The occurrence of coastal warm water is exclusively controlled by this circulation during the upwelling season. Wind data from various local sources generally fail to account for the development of CCCs. The coastal circulation is mainly correlated with south-eastward local wind, which proceeds from the rotation of southward wind (at the west coast) around Cape São Vicente. Furthermore, CCCs show the highest correlation with large-scale winds in a band period characteristic of the upwelling system. This set of observations strongly supports that CCCs develop in response to the unbalance of an alongshore pressure gradient in the basin.