Praia Fluvial de Loriga

Loriga sits at around seven hundred metres in a valley on the southern flank of the Serra da Estrela that is itself a glacial trough - U-shaped, with the moraine and striated rock that go with it, though smaller and less known than the Zêzere. The village terraces its slopes and the river runs through it, and the praia fluvial is a stretch of that river dammed and shaped into a swimming pool with a concrete edge, sand, lifeguards in season and cafés alongside. River beaches like this are a Portuguese institution, and this one has the best setting of them: mountain walls on both sides, granite and terraces above. The water comes straight off the Estrela and is properly cold. Loriga has emptied over decades like most of these mountain villages, and its textile industry closed, which is visible in the empty buildings.

What you actually see

• The river pool - a dammed and shaped stretch of river with sand and a concrete edge.
• The glacial valley - a U-shaped trough with moraine, smaller than the Zêzere.
• The terraces - stepped cultivation climbing both valley walls.
• The village - a mountain settlement visibly depopulated, with its mills closed.

When to go

June to September, when the pool is filled and staffed; outside that it is simply a river. Half a day. August weekends are busy with returning emigrant families.

Honest expectations

The water is genuinely cold, coming straight off the mountain. Facilities operate only in the summer season. The village has limited accommodation and services. Roads up from Seia are winding.

Nearby

Seia is down the valley; Torre and the Estrela plateau are above.