The Lakes at Banyoles

Location Costa Brava: A summer's day in August. Your mission is to venture into the hinterland to discover the Lakes at Banyoles.

Drive down the main road out of Girona, through the splendour of the dormant volcanoes of the Parc Natural de la Garrotxa and you will be forgiven for thinking that you have arrived at a very un-prepossessing town on your Costa Brava holiday.

The rather grey town of Banyoles does not encourage you to rest a while and discover its charms, but Banyoles secret lies not in the town itself, but to the west where the distinctive figure-of-eight lake, the Estany de Banyoles, occupies centre stage.

Surrounded by wooded hills, reflected in the still waters on a hot summer's day, the lake gives the feeling of a step back in time to a genteel Victorian age, redolent of elegantly dressed ladies with parasols and gentlemen with stripy jackets and boaters.

Rowing boats for hire and boat trips round the lake add to the mirage of a bygone era, with stylish stone built boat houses dotting the shoreline. Swimming is allowed in the lake at designated areas and you half expect everyone to be wearing the long, wool bathing costumes of our ancestors!

However, the Estany de Banyoles is firmly in the 21st century with cafes and restaurants surrounding the eastern side of the lake where the pleasure boats depart from. A delightfully restored boat house also provides an information bureau, where you can hire bicycles and discover walks around the lake, buy guide books and learn the history of the area.

Prepared routes for both cyclists and walkers encircle the 8km lake, along clearly marked paths. The leaflet, printed in a number of different languages, directs you to various points of interest along the way, such as the lovely twelfth-century Esglesia de Santa Maria, perched on a knoll above the lake on the south-western side.

The peace and feeling of space is remarkable, even in the height of the summer. Not crowded or hurried, this is a place to take your time, drink in the views and relax your mind. We think you will agree for this location Costa Brava has it exactly right. Your mission has been successful!

I invite you to use these tips to make the most of your holiday on the Costa Brava.