Tuesday, October 04, 2016

LAC DE L'EAU D'HEURE

It is now over 60 years that I live in Belgium and had never been at these lakes. My two friends who were born here neither ! As it was so hot this summer and most of the Belgians hurried to the sea which caused terrible traffic jams on the highways, we decided to discover the lakes ! And we discovered a paradise !

The Eau d'Heure lakes (French: lacs de l'Eau d'Heure) is a complex of five artificial lakes, forming the largest lake area in Belgium.

The dams were built during the 1970s. The lakes are about  30 km south of the city of Charleroi, and the border with France.

The primary river feeding the lakes is the Eau d'Heure. There are five dams and one hydro-electric power station. The largest lake, the Lac de la Plate Taille, is itself the largest single lake in the country, at 3.74 square kilometres (1.44 sq mi), while together the lakes have a surface area of 6.17 square kilometres (2.38 sq mi).

It is a popular tourist attraction, with water sports, including fishing, kayaking, diving and windsurfing.

The five lakes are:

Lac de l'Eau d'Heure, the central lake of the complex
Lac de Falemprise, a medium sized lake to the south-east
Lac de Féronval, a small lake at the north end of Lac de l'Eau d'Heure
Lac de la Plate Taille, the largest lake at 3.74 square kilometres (1.44 sq mi), at the south-west of the group
Lac du Ry Jaune (sometimes spelled Ri Jaune), a small lake on the east side



Instead of sand we had green grass and pebbles. The beach for the public was unguarded and ideal for families, but there were also groups of young people and elderly couples. Everybody behaved very well and the beach was clean despite the fact or because there was no guardian !



The boats have another part of the lakes they were there for a short while and then left. As  you can see from the grey spot in the grass, people had made a barbecue here.





My friends dog Charlie was very happy ! He was more in the water then outside !



making friends



The lake was warm and the surroundings very beautiful !





Later in the afternoon more and more people arrived, but still it was not so crowded as on the sea beaches !



The power station tower



I couldn't find out for what these round little artificial islands were, but then somebody told me that they were for divers.




We had lunch in the restaurant at the lake, with a beautiful view. Underneath the terrace was a snack bar where you could buy chips, hamburgers, icecream etc.

Of course what you see here is only a small part of the lakes.



This is an overview of the whole area

Diving, sailing, kayaking or water skiing? The Lakes of the Eau d'Heure can practice all water sports.

There is also a golf school with driving range and a 9-hole course.

A cycling center with a Bike Park and routes and trails for mountain biking, racing bike, BMX, Dirt, Fourth Cross and mountainbike.

But that's not all, the area of ​​Eau d'Heure lakes, it is also a protected natural park, the opportunity to make walks and ride.

Restaurants, snack bars, brasseries and cafes with terraces are not missing.

I think next year we will go there more often if the weather allows it. There are so many possibilities to spend a nice day, especially as we live only 70 km away.







9 comments:

mamasmercantile said...

What a great place to visit. All that natural beauty is a feast for the eyes and a lovely place to cool down in those hot summer months.

Little Wandering Wren said...

Hello, hello, sorry I've been absent without leave! It's been frantic here! How lovely to see these lakes, I thought you'd made the move to being a dog owner when I saw the dog. Looks a lovely place to escape the heat of summer!
Speak soon.
Wren x

Lady Fi said...

What a lovely day out!

Photo Cache said...

That is funny how we always put places nearby in the backburner. Glad that you finally got a chance to go there.

Worth a Thousand Words

carol l mckenna said...

What a gorgeous place and fun for all ~ even the dogs ~ love to see that!

Wonderful and colorful photography~

Wishing you a happy week ~ ^_^

Loree said...

A truly beautiful place and it is wonderful that there weren't any crowds.

Haddock said...

Belgium is a lovely place. Had been there once.
A not so crowded lake is a welcome change.

Aritha V. said...

I also am never been there. Thanks for this blog. It is 3 hours nu car drom us!

baili said...

Wow this place is piece of heaven as you captured it through your lenses so beautifully.
I loved the photos and writing as well

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I love writing, traveling and photography. . I am German, married to an Italian and we live in Waterloo (15 km from Brussels) / Belgium since many years. Waterloo is a famous place to many tourists, because Napoleon lost his battle here against Wellington and other European countries.

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