19th August

Our holiday is never complete unless we have swum at Lougratte.  The town itself is tiny, just a few buildings with a church on the top of a hill, but follow the sign for camping and you come to the lake.  It appears to be manmade, but is I suspect fairly deep in the middle.  It is surrounded by grass and you can easily walk around it.  On one side is a campsite with mostly static caravans and chalets.  There are picnic tables and lots of trees giving shade, there is a children’s play area and a beach leading to the lake itself.  Most of the time a lifeguard keeps an eye on the water.   There is a rope with bouys at intervals where the water is only about a metre and a half deep, but there is nothing to stop you swimming out of the safety zone and indeed right across the entire lake.  There is a moored diving platform in the middle and pedalos and canoes for hire, and a bright blue whirly slide into the water too.  In fact everything needed for a fun family day at the beach, only this is not the seaside it is a lake in the middle of France.

The sense of freedom swimming in a body of open water is incredible.  There is none of that claustrophobic intensity you find in indoor pools, none of the noise or the heavy smell of chlorine and none of the splashing of excited children.  Here there is space and peace and calm and a feeling of being at one with nature.  And better even than the seaside there is no current, no tides, no waves and no salty water stinging you, just placid soft and remarkably warm and clear water.  You come out feeling relaxed and invigorated and good to be alive, especially when the sun is shining.  Here in England we have gotten rid of most of the lidos and there are very few safe lakes to swim in either.  Here whole families come to spend the day bringing picnic baskets and drink and young and old enjoy the wonderful lake at Lougratte.