We were leaving Soajo, when Pedro told us he was going to take us to a surprise place. As we were at the Peneda-Gerês National Park, it was obvious that wherever we went, it would be worth it, so we rapidly tagged along.
Getting closer and closer, we understood where we were, the newly built Mezio’s Swing, in one of the 5 doors to the National Park, Mezio’s Door, at Cabana Maior, Arcos de Valdevez, in an area that was considered part of UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
This swing can be seen in the distance, understandably, as it is 7,60m high and is at 900m above sea level. On the way there, you pass by a camping site, and around you can still visit an archeological site, a picnic area, an adventure park, an interpretation center, and others. We only visited the swing, we were tired, it was cold and raining and it was late.
There is a parking lot, maybe 100m from the swing, so you don’t need to walk a lot to reach it. On a sunny day, I bet there’s some queues to take THE perfect picture, but as it was a freezing wind and some rain, in about 3 minutes, the 10 to 15 people that were there previously, they all disappeared, leaving the swing all to ourselves. We weren’t planning on taking pictures there, but the opportunity presented itself, and we took it, obviously.
The swing is big enough for two people, and with that cold, it really felt better that way. I also found curious, and really appreciated it, that they installed two disinfectant dispensers, near the swing, in the middle of the nature, and they were both full. Responsible natural tourism, when visiting these places.
Because it was a bit dark due to bad weather, the landscape observation conditions weren’t the best, but I believe that with a nice sunset it must be really nice.
It was a nice visit, and I guess it’s “more” worth it if you go there with better weather and light conditions, but, again, probably more small crowds too with those conditions. It was a great first visit to a swing, and now maybe I turn this into a collection, and visit many others. Will I be able to visit a lot of them?
Let me know which ones are your favorite, and if it’s only in Portugal this swing tendency.
There are amazing trails to explore around, check these ones, at Sistelo, Trilho das Brandas and Trilho dos Passadiços do Sistelo and at Soajo, Trilho Caminhos do Pão e Caminhos da Fé.
