The springs
Cold water seeping from the rock and mixing with the sea in front of you.
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**A small cove where sulphur springs seep out of the rock straight into the sea** โ which makes it unlike any other beach on the island, and the strangest. The cove is **narrow and cliff-backed**, reached by a steep flight of steps, its bottom pebble and rock, and its water **unusually clear** but **noticeably cold** โ because the cold springs feed into it. โ You will smell the **sulphur** before you arrive: a distinct mineral, eggy smell from the springs, entirely natural but startling if you are not expecting it. The sulphurous water is credited in local tradition with **benefits for the skin**, and some people come specifically to swim in it โ โ but that is **a folk claim rather than a demonstrated medical result**; swim because it is a strange experience, not as a treatment. โ And it is **very small and fills quickly**: a few dozen people are enough to fill it.
Cold water seeping from the rock and mixing with the sea in front of you.
Unusual transparency over a pale pebble bottom.
A narrow cove ringed by rock that shades it early and late.
Xigia, 29100 Zakynthos, Greece
**Natural sulphur from the ground, and swimming is safe for healthy people โ but know three things.** โ **The cause**: groundwater passing through rock layers containing **sulphur compounds** picks up **hydrogen sulphide** โ the gas with the characteristic eggy smell โ and emerges from the rock at the shore. **The phenomenon is natural** and common at springs around the Mediterranean; it is not pollution. โ **Swimming**: generally safe, and people have swum here for generations. โ **What to know**: **the water is clearly colder**, so do not go in all at once; **sulphur tarnishes silver**, blackening rings and chains โ take them off; and it **can mark** pale swimwear. โ **Anyone with a known skin sensitivity** or open wounds should avoid it. โ **Rinse in fresh water** afterwards.
**Stop if you are passing; do not make a trip of it.** โ **Its real limits**: **very small** (dozens of people fill it), **a pebble and rock bottom** rather than sand, **cold water**, **a steep stair down**, **tight parking**, and **a strong smell**. None of these alone is disqualifying, but together they mean **it is not a full-day beach**. โ **What earns half an hour to two hours**: **it is strange** โ you swim in water where cold springs come out of the rock beside you, and that does not repeat on the island; **the clarity is exceptional**; and **the view from above** before you descend is genuinely lovely. โ **And its position is excellent**: **on the northern coast road** between the town and Cape Skinari โ that is, on your way if you are going to the **Blue Caves**. โ **The better alternative for a full beach day**: **Porto Azzurro** or **Makris Gialos** to the north, or **Keri** in the south.
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