The river beach season is coming to an end so we decided to explore one more local treasure. The river beach season runs throughout July and August but you can often enjoy the fun well into September. Lifeguards are only on duty during July and August and some of the facilities such as cafes and watersport hire may not be available. Some river beaches have dams which are lifted so the water drains. This usually occurs in September or October so we are making the most of the 35 heat before we have to hang our lilo’s up until 2021. The river beach of São Sebastião da Feira is located in Oliveira do Hospital and is a 30 min journey from our casa. It was very easy to park right on the roadside. It has a beautiful wooded setting and is surrounded by nature which is vividly green. There is a weir where the shape of the river bed is an inverted S and a pretty water wheel. The straw umbrellas on the pebbled riverbed provide much needed shade from the hot sun. It offers several surrounding trails through cultivated fields and Roman sidewalks to challenge all abilities. It is an accessible river beach with a ramp so people with reduced mobility can enjoy the delights. It has a cafe/bar with a terrace and tables. I liked the stone and wooden picnic benches. There is a beautiful water wheel and a great 9.7KM trek starting at Aldeia das Dez. We didn’t do the trek as it suggested the time was 2 hr 50 mins and it was 34 heat.

The river beach was very empty and there were only about 10 people including us which was so amazing and peaceful. I don’t know what has happened to me but I can’t see to mount my lilo anymore! It took me about 30 attempts to get on it and I kept slipping off into the water like a seal. I think hubby has dipped my lilo in olive oil for a laugh as it’s really slippery and this was before the application of sunscreen to my body. What can I say, I have lost my lilo mojo (ha ha). We had a lovely day floating around on the river and didn’t have to worry about drifting into anyone. There are a lot of leaves in the river which didn’t really bother me. I did drift into a huge bush on the other side of the river which whipped me in the face and woke me up. Hubby just let it happen and laughed from a distance. He is not taking his job role of ‘Official lilo monitor’ seriously. If he doesn’t want the job I will give it to someone else. It’s not a difficult job after all so I am mildly disappointed with him and his whole attitude (ha ha).

The weather is forecast to reduce to the 20’s this week and even some rain. It’s been 30-40 for several weeks now and although I do love visiting river beaches I am desperate for some cooler weather and rain for our garden. It’s hard to believe that in a couple of months we will be lighting the log fire, wearing jumpers, sheepskin slippers and proper shoes instead of living in flip flops. I’m actually quite sad that this is very likely my last 2020 visit to a river beach. With the cooler weather we will embark on several hiking trails so I will still get to hug a tree or two!

GPS Coordinates: 40°18’55.0″N 7°51’57.0″W 40.315263, -7.865824