Welcome back!
At the start of May we headed of to France in search of wild swimming and adventure in the van, and as it was unseasonably hot for Spring, after several sticky days driving in the van, we were so ready for our first swim!
There were several criteria this first swim had to meet:
1) It had to be family friendly, as I was travelling with my son.
2) No sea swimming, because who needs jellyfish or sharks in their life?!
3) Lastly I was looking for water without much current, and this actually proved harder than I anticipated, as it had been raining heavily for several days prior to our arrival. The first rivers we came across were raging, impressively wild to admire from the banks, but not appealing to step into.
So after several days of driving east/south, we came across Lac du Der, and after such a long drive, this lake did not disappoint! It's perfect for playing, diving, and "attempting" handstands 🤭
With around 12,000 acres of clean swimming water, Lac du Der claims it is the largest artificial lake in Europe! If you know me, you’ll know I like academic evidence to back up such grand claims, but I can certainly confirm that this was some lake, the biggest I have ever swam in.
The man made beach we landed on was close to the parking area, and the sand was clean for children to play on. The toilets, however, were just grim…. Take a bucket. You’ll thank me later!
Overall, this beach was a great choice for anyone swimming with children, but it wasn’t the quietist for the same reason! Regardless, the noise is a small price to pay to see the kids enjoying wild swimming in a safe space. And there is nearly 48 miles of lakeside to explore, so you could easily find a quiet spot if you want a little more privacy.
Lac du Der is situated close to Saint-Dizier in the east of France, it is right in the heart of the Champagne region, so if you haven't got children to care for (or you're also broke like me!) I'm sure you could add a very decadent post-swim champagne picnic into your itinerary, to level up the experience beautifully.
It turns out that the lake is just a year younger than me, created in 1974 to help stop the Seine from flooding at Paris. Named after the Der plain where it is located, this lake has a submerged village 'Chantecoq' as well as two other villages that were destroyed in its creation. I couldn’t help but wonder how the families who lived there felt about the destruction of their homes and community at the time?
Despite what must have been a difficult loss for some in the community, it is certainly popular as a holiday destination now. Because we visited on a hot bank holiday, the place was full of happy families, enjoying the sunshine and water.
The water itself was still a little cool but refreshing in the hot sun, and after my recent swims in February in the Yorkshire Dales, this lake felt like luxury! Lots of fun getting my head under water with no brain freeze! Bonus.
It was a great stop over, but would I travel back to France JUST to go here? Probably not, but then I had big dreams of beautiful mountain waterfalls in my sight…
Thank you for watching. Please like /subscribe for more wild swimming and adventures as we travel through France!
Mandy
Lake Parking Location:
GPS: 48.591660, 4.795712
Google maps:
maps.app.goo.g...
Lake entry/exit:
GPS:
48.590677, 4.796662
Google maps:
maps.app.goo.g...
Links:
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