Two panoramic swings installed in July in Vila Nova de Cerveira and Arcos de Valdevez have become the most recent tourist attraction in the Viana do Castelo district, with “thousands” of people queuing up to see the landscape.
The Mezio swing, in Arcos de Valdevez, rises 650 meters above sea level, in the parish of Cabana Maior, in the heart of the Peneda Gerês National Park (PNPG). It was inaugurated on July 11 and, in just over a month, the bet of the Junta de Freguesia and the Baldios Board of Directors “has already received more than 15 thousand visitors, mainly Spaniards”.
“It has been fantastic. In a short period of time, we have largely exceeded 15,000 people. During the week between 400 to 500 people pass through the swing. At weekends there are between two and three thousand people. Many come from afar to ride on our giant swing, ”explained the president of the Junta de Freguesia and the Cabana Maior Board of Directors, Joaquim Campos.
Photo: Rádio Vale do Minho
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The initiative’s success extended to social networks. A month after the swing was up and running, the official Facebook page had over 252 thousand followers, and on Instagram the stories of Baloiço do Mezio were followed by close to 100 thousand people.
“Perfect to relax and enjoy the most beautiful 360 degrees landscape from the top of Mezio, privileged area of the Soajo mountain range and the PNPG considered by UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, a view that reaches long distances”, reads in the publication on social networks .
Photo: DR
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At 7.60 meters high and 1.10 meters wide, the structure is made of wood and has a capacity for two people. To avoid “traffic constraints”, “good access” and “four car parks” were created and, due to the coronavirus outbreak, equipment with disinfectant gel and recommendations for compliance with the rules issued by health authorities were installed.
The construction of the swing cost about five thousand euros and the structure is equipped with “shockproof floor, for the protection of users”.
“From the swing our view reaches the entire PNPG, the Serra Amarela and Soajo mountains, the neighboring municipalities of Ponte da Barca and Ponte de Lima and we can still see a little bit of Viana do Castelo”, explained the mayor.
Mezio swing with clusters. Mayor calls for respect for health standards
The idea of the panoramic swing arose in 2016, but was stopped by a fire that hit the PNPG. This year, the covid-19 pandemic relaunched the village’s tourism promotion project.
“Due to the situation created by the pandemic, the exact time seemed to us to recover the swing project even to show the recovery intervention of 40 hectares that had been consumed by fire, inside and outside the PNPG, through the planting of more than 35 thousand trees , in a global investment of more than 100 thousand euros ”, explained the president of the Junta de Cabana Maior, Joaquim Campos.
Photo: Rádio Vale do Minho
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The search for other panoramic swings scattered in the region and in the country motivated the Junta de Freguesia and the Baldios Council.
“We think it would be a cheap project with an immediate return. We have a parish with a large extension and a lot of area within the PNPG, but with a very aging population. We had to create some attraction to call tourists and show what we have here ”, specified the mayor, recalling that the swing is next to the Porta do Mezio, which gives access to the PNPG entrance, through Arcos de Valdevez.
More than 50 kilometers away from that municipality in the Lima valley, in Vila Nova de Cerveira there is another popular swing that received the name “Cerlove”. It is installed in Monte do Crasto, in Serra da Gávea, considered “the birthplace of Cerveira”.
Portuguese and Spanish line up to ride on Cerveira’s giant swing
The swing of the valley of Minho, built in wood by the Union of Parishes of Vila Nova de Cerveira and Lovelhe, is next to the viewpoint of Cervo, thus named in honor of the sculpture, with the same name, by José Rodrigues.
Mayor Constantino Costa has already lost his account to visitors: “They are by the thousands. I have no idea. On weekends GNR has to cut traffic because it is crazy. It’s cars up and down. Cover everything. The lines of people reach hundreds of meters. Never before have so many people been seen in Vila Nova de Cerveira ”, he pointed out.
The mayor did not expect “such” an investment impact of just over a thousand euros that he calls “Cerlove sculpture”.
“It is a sculpture, it is not a swing. It is not to swing. It is to sit and take pictures ”, he stressed, adding that the purpose of the structure, seven meters high and five meters wide, is to show the“ unique landscape ”that can be seen from the top of Crasto.
“There is no other place that has a landscape like ours. It is not to brag. You can see the river Minho, the islands of Boega and Amores, Galicia, you can see the Atlantic Ocean, it’s a dream. The Spaniards are delighted, ”he said.
According to the mayor, the “structure offers complete security” with ship ropes that can each hold 20 thousand kilograms “and, next to the site, it is recommended to comply with the rules imposed by the covid-19 pandemic.
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