the oldest bridge on the trip is Roman, or nearly
There's a bridge there that changes the context of the swim. The so-called Roman-Philippine bridge crosses the Meimoa stream right beside the leisure area, and it's that detail that sets this spot apart from other grass fields with water nearby. You're swimming with centuries of stone in sight.
The Zona de Lazer de Meimoa is on the banks of the stream of the same name, in a corner of Penamacor where the programme is simple and unpretentious: a river pool, a bar with a terrace, a futsal pitch and beach football. Nothing complex, no queues.
What sets the visit apart is the scale of the place and what surrounds it. Penamacor is in the Beira Baixa, low-density territory where silence isn't marketing. The bridge is the element worth going to look at up close, before or after getting in the water.
the Roman-Philippine bridge
The name mixes two eras: a Roman origin attributed to the design, a Philippine intervention from the period when it was likely rebuilt or reinforced, during the Iberian Union at the end of the 16th century. Whatever the exact historical truth, the structure is standing and it's right there, reachable on foot, with no ticket or museum context.
In Penamacor there are few people competing with you over these things.
what you'll find
- a river pool with support facilities
- an old stone bridge at the water's edge
- a futsal pitch and beach football
- a bar with a terrace
- shade and grass to lay the towel
