As you know I’m a big all year round sea swimmer or dipper. So, when we first looked at Portugal, there were dreams of buying a house by the sea. However as the house needed to be near to the Camino Portugues, to be able to offer a B&B to caminos -Central Portugal was a much more sensible buy. Plus it is much more affordable than the Sagres or the Silver Coast.
Portugals West Coast Beaches
Portugal’s West Coast is edged by the Atlantic and the times that I have been, and stood on the beaches, it has been too choppy to swim. It is these waves that make it popular with Surfers.
So with the Portuguese house being Inland, finding swim spots inland is going to be a mission. I hope to write about these and feature them in the Portugal section of my blog. River Beaches that are going to play host to my desire to get in the water.
River Beach Swimming
One of the first river beaches into which i waded was at Foz De Alge. This is part of the Zêzere river and is possibly the closest to our house. We discovered this place after a day picking olives in the sun. We drove down and round some lanes and eventually came to the river at Foz De Alge. We crossed the river on a bridge and found a small beach.
Foz de Alge is a quiet, scenic village in central Portugal. It sits along the steep banks of the Zêzere River, nestled inside the massive Castelo de Bode reservoir. Its location with steep cliffs covered in trees make it an ideal location for getting into the water and feeling like you are in nature.
The area is famous for outdoor sports, a local campsite, and peaceful river swimming
Access into the Water
Changing in the car park, I got the swimsuit on and waded in. Access into the water was quite easy, although there was a bit of mud to walk through. I was a little hesitant as there was no one else in the water. However once i was in it felt fantastically fresh. Surrounded by trees and hills is not my usual water experience, swimming in rivers is not something I do in the UK. Mainly because i live near the beach in North Devon and on Lundy its just a 3 mile long rock surrounded by the sea.
The water felt warmer than Lundy. I knew there would be fish but happily no seals!
if you would like to checkout the spot, watch the video below.
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