Winning tip: a sublime dip in northern Italy
In the hills above Riva del Garda in Trentino is Lago di Tenno, a beautiful blue-green mountain lake. It’s small enough to walk around in under an hour, enclosed on all sides with lovely mountain views, but it’s the swimming that will bring you back again and again. The clear waters may be a tad chilly at first toe-dangle, but goosebumps are soon forgotten as you swim across the small gap to the grassy island. Relaxing, mountain air, beautiful views. The village of Tenno, with its medieval hilltop castle, has a few hotels and there’s a fine campsite close to the lake.
Ant
We’re on a Spree, Germany
The meandering rivers and 200 canals of the Spreewald, a richly forested Unesco biosphere reserve south-east of Berlin, offer hundreds of miles of navigable waterways. Basing ourselves at Lübbenau, we hired kayaks and glided past wildlife-rich riverbanks spotting coypu and kingfishers. We often saw owners of riverside homes slipping into their own vessels to commute or go shopping. Handcrafted signs on tree trunks guide paddlers: our favourite stop being the Gasthaus Wotschofska – a wonderful beer hall that cannot be reached by car. Tie up your watercraft and step on shore for a stein of beer and a dish featuring the famous Spreewald gherkin pickle. We hired our kayaks from Bootsverleih Franke in Lübbenau from €30 a day or €12 for one hour.
A Slovenian hiking and paddleboarding haven
We stayed in the Julian Alps at Camp Bohinj (adults from €16 a night) in a tent directly on the shores of Lake Bohinj, the largest permanent lake in Slovenia. The place has marvellous views, great swimming, hammocks and a nice little bar. There’s lots to do on the lake with kayaking and paddleboarding, but you can also easily hike up into the mountains for incredible views. It’s also close to Lake Bled and the Austrian/Italian borders, so a perfect stop-off if touring around.
Dave Gregory
Lakeside camping and sunsets, France
Lac d’Aiguebelette in France’s Savoie Mont Blanc region (a few miles west of Chambéry) has deservedly entered our family folklore. Smaller and less developed than neighbour Annecy, and being a nature reserve, motorised vessels are forbidden – making it perfect for swimming, kayaking and paddleboarding. One of France’s warmest natural lakes, its still, emerald waters are surrounded by stunning mountains. Most days were spent playing on the campsite’s private beach, or exploring the waters by paddleboard, jumping off regularly to swim. Once the kids were tucked up, the adults took turns to take to the water to enjoy the sunset. We stayed at Camping le Curtelet where pitches start at about €22 in August.
Cycling the shores of Garda, Italy
Another tack, eastern France
Adrift in southern Sweden
Europe’s largest volcanic lake, Italy
Angharad
Healing waters, Romania
One of Europe’s largest heliothermic lakes is Ursu (Bear) Lake in Sovata, Romania. Here you can float like a cork in blissfully warm saltwater regardless of how many papanasi cheese doughnuts you’ve scoffed from the village’s cafes. The lake formed in 1875 from a combination of natural events. The freshwater top layer flows in from nearby streams and acts as a thermal insulator, but the deeper you go, the warmer it feels: at 1.5 metres, temperatures can top 45C. Besides the warmth, the salinity increases buoyancy, making it impossible to sink. Fringed with woods and wooden sunbathing terraces (and changing cabins), the spacious four-hectare lake is renowned for its healing properties. And if you fancy trying another similar lake, there are four others within the nature reserve: Alunis, Rosu, Verde and Mierlei.
Caroline
Weir and wonderful: kayaking in Belgium
The Lesse River is lovely. You can hire your kayak in Dinant then paddle up to eight miles and catch the train back, or do the train bit first. Brilliant spots for a picnic and a break are around the chateau at Walzin. There are some weirs to navigate: as newbies it took 20 minutes to build up the courage to go down the first small weir. The second one was whitewater-esque, but we barrelled through like we were on our way to Olympic gold. Chips with mayo were well earned. Back in Dinant there are little electric boats to rent out (€60 but hold six) and the chance to enjoy the mightier Meuse River.
Source: The guardian
