Foz d'Égua Guide

Foz d'Égua sits in the Serra do Açor, in the Coimbra region of Portugal, a short way below the village of Piódão. Two watercourses meet here, the Ribeira de Piódão and the Chãs d'Égua stream. A small dam holds them back into a clear pool before they flow on towards the river Alvoco.

Schist runs through everything. The streams cut the landscape gently along the path, and the stone turns up in the bridges too: two of them mark the spot, one of schist and one of wood. The wooden one has a reputation, since it is said to be crossed only by the most fearless. Lonely Planet also mentions lovely old stone bridges and a precarious-looking footbridge over the river gorge.

The Arganil municipality lists Foz d'Égua as a bathing zone, while Turismo Centro de Portugal calls it the river beach of the Schist Village. Trees and leisure areas surround the pool.

A signposted trail runs from Piódão to the pool after a few km of walking. Lonely Planet rates it the best village-to-village hike and puts it at about 2 h, with views over the hillside on the loop back.

Up in Piódão, the schist houses are fitted into one another on the slope, with windows and doors painted blue and many stairs along the alleys. A viewpoint sits at the top of the village, and Lonely Planet notes that it can get busy with tourists. The village has its own river beach behind a dam on the Ribeira de Piódão, shaded by trees and counted among the most popular in summer.

The Piódão blue route leaves the main square on the Vide road, drops steeply to the pool, then turns right for a climb of around 2 km to Chãs d'Égua. The route peaks at over 900 m, with panoramic views over the valleys of the Serra do Açor.