mountain pools that actually work
Some places deliver. Louçainha is one of them: cold mountain water, flat rocks to lay your towel on, green everywhere. It isn't a secret exactly, but it isn't the chaos of a beach with flags and sun loungers at three euros either.
The natural pools at Louçainha are tucked into the Serra do Espinhal, inside the municipality of Penela. What you have here are pools formed by the rock itself, with water clean enough to earn a Blue Flag regularly. In practice, that means you can dive in without a second thought.
The place has a picnic area and a panoramic restaurant right there. Bring your own food or eat on site, doesn't matter. What doesn't make sense is going in a hurry, because the Serra do Espinhal doesn't ask for hurry.
come prepared for
- cold water even at the height of summer
- rocks and shade instead of sand
- the kind of quiet you don't find on the coast
