What To Do On A Sunny, Winter Morning….
What to do on a sunny yet freshhhhh morning? We’re trying to make the most of our very few remaining days of nice weather here in SW France. We grabbed the opportunity to get wrapped up and head off to Bassin de Lac St Ferreol, which is around a 30-minute drive for us.
Being local, this is a lovely time of the year for us. People flock to this place during summer months. It’s bustling with activity. December is very quiet, easy to park and great to have a winter stroll.
A Bit Of History….
Built by Pierre-Paul Riquet in 1667, the Bassin de Lac St Ferreol is a 67 hectare lake and is also a reservoir that supplies the Canal du Midi.
Three departments – Tarn (81), Haute-Garonne (31), and Aude (11) – share the dam. For over 200 years, it was the largest dam in Europe.
Lac St Ferreol was created as a result of a large earth dam at the foot of the Montagne Noir and close to the medieval market town of Revel. It was an integral part of the Canal du Midi.
Monsieur Riquet needed to provide a sufficient water reservoir to allow all of the locks to function all year round. It was the first dam to specifically supply water to a navigable canal.
It is one of the greatest feats of civil engineering during the construction of the Canal du Midi.
What To Do?
The lake is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has a circular trail of 4.5km. It is popular for bird watching, running and walking and is open all year round, although there are very limited bars and restaurants open on either side of the summer season.
Check before you go as their opening hours on the internet may be very different on the day! During the summer, there are pedalos and supervised swimming. There are plenty of places to stop for a picnic and dogs are welcome, just keep them on a lead.
The lake was lacking in water. Maybe because of the very hot and dry summer we’ve had in the region this year and people were swimming… yes you heard me…swimming! There are various places to stay including a couple of campsites in the area and the Montagne Noir is definitely worth a visit too.
