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.