the zêzere before the dam, with real sand and a boat
The beach is in the schist village of Janeiro de Baixo, right in the Zêzere riverbed, in a stretch where the river still behaves like a river. It has real sand, not constructed paving. The water runs cool through here, hemmed in by the slopes, and the sandbar widens enough to fit whoever turns up.
Before the mountain roads, people and goods moved between Pampilhosa and Fundão along this river. The traditional flat-bottomed boat is still in the village, displayed as local heritage, next to the blacksmith's block and the parish church. When you're in the water, remember that the path beneath you was for centuries the only way to cross here.
The rural campsite next door hires out canoes for river trips downstream. It's the best way to understand the scale of the valley: the slopes close in, the vegetation reaches the water, and for kilometres there's nothing that hasn't always been there. The bathing season is short, usually just July and August, with a lifeguard during that period.
It's a small schist village with a restaurant and local accommodation. If you're going for a day, you've got sand and a canoe. If you stay, you sleep where the night is silence and the river is the background noise.
good to know
- real sand, in the Zêzere riverbed
- canoe hire at the campsite
- lifeguard only during the bathing season (around July-August)
- schist village with historical heritage nearby
- GR33 (Grande Rota do Zêzere) passes through here
