Lac de la Cavayère is an

artificial lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

in the Occitanie ''

région France is divided into eighteen administrative regions (, singular ), of which thirteen are located in metropolitan France (in Europe), while the other five are overseas regions (not to be confused with the overseas collectivities, which have ...

'' of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, close to the medieval town of

Carcassonne Carcassonne is a French defensive wall, fortified city in the Departments of France, department of Aude, Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the department. ...

. The lake, also known as ''Carcassonne Plage'' (in English, ''Carcassonne Beach''), was created by the building of a 23 metre high

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

in 1988 after severe

forest fires A forest fire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire ( in Au ...

affected the area in 1985. The surface area of the lake, which is fed by the creeks of Montirat, Bazalac and Mitgé, is 180,000 m² and it is 1.5 million cubic metres in volume. It is a short distance from the town of Carcassonne and has been made into a popular recreation area. Ducks and wildfowl are common and the 400,000 m² surrounding area is notable for a diversity of habitats, flora and fauna. The beaches slope gently and there are supervised bathing areas. Boats are available for rent and there are

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...

areas and a

crazy golf Miniature golf (also known as minigolf, putt-putt, crazy golf, and by several other names) is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of poi ...

course as well as a nearby chateau. During 2005 the lake was closed to bathing due to strong

algal blooms Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular microalgae, suc ...

External links

Carcasonne tourist information about Lac de la Cavayère
Cavayere Cavayere {{Aude-geo-stub