The Pelion peninsula drops steeply into the sea on this side, which is why the coast is cut into so many separate bays. Each one is its own small world, and the water in all of them is startlingly clear.
There are at least ten beaches within half an hour of the house by car. Four of them you can reach on foot.
Papa Nero
The one below us, and the longest on this stretch of coast. Many people rate it the best in the area on the three things that actually matter: how easily you get to it, how it looks, and how quiet it stays.
Our path comes out at the southern end, which is the calm end. The corner beneath the steps is good for snorkelling, and there is an open-air shower on the way back up, warm and cold, which everyone uses on the return leg rather than the way down.
Agios Ioannis
A few minutes along the shore, and the busiest of the local beaches in the best sense: it runs the whole length of the promenade, part sand and part shingle, with cafés, tavernas and shops facing it.
This is where to go for lunch, an ice cream, or an evening when you want other people around. It grew from a fishing village into a resort without losing the shape of the original village.
Damouchari
The next bay north, and the most photographed. Old Damouchari is a pebble beach under a ruined medieval castle; new Damouchari has the only natural harbour in east Pelion, which for centuries made it a working port for cargo boats.
It is also the bay where the Dancing Queen sequence in Mamma Mia was filmed, and the locals remain extremely fond of Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.
Mylopotamos and Fakistra
South of Tsangarada, and worth the drive. Mylopotamos is internationally known for the arch of rock that splits it in two. Fakistra is smaller, harder to reach and tucked into the cliffs, which is exactly why people love it.
Further afield there is Plaka, where the trees come right down to the water, and Limnionas below Xourichti, which is still more or less undeveloped. North towards Zagora you have Chorefto, Elitsa, Ovrio and Agioi Saranta below Makrirachi.
A note on timing
July and August afternoons sit around thirty degrees, and the beaches fill from late morning. Go early or go after five, and if you want one of the quieter bays to yourself, take the car and go in the first half of the day.
