Hidden lakes around Sopron

Related to Sopron, I remember that in summer, the dwellers of our small town used to go either to the Lake Fertő or to the Lake Mill. You had to come home from Lake Fertő at 6 pm because it was a border zone, and until the Iron Curtain came down, you could only enter with a special permit, which had to be redeemed every year. When you hand in your ID card, you get a numbered copper coin with a hole in the middle, which burned into my brain. As was the fact, that bathing in the Lake Fertő was more like a mud bath than the crystal-clear waters of a mountain lake. So, I was glad that we started sailing here when I was a teenager, and then we rarely had to dip in the otherwise very beneficial water.

Before that, as very young children, we used to go with the family to the Lake Mill, where different companies had holiday resorts, and we were in one of them. I suppose it was easier to enjoy the full comfort of a well-equipped house with small children than to take an afternoon siesta on the beach, for example. The next time I visited the spa was forty years later, last year, with my girlfriend, who was returning from London. It was a pleasant surprise! The stone wall surrounding the old bathhouse has been preserved - the lake has been used for bathing since 1842, and there is a terraced green lawn next to it where you can cool off in the Mediterranean-scented shade of the pine trees, but the water is also very soft and cool. There is also a pier and a shallow play area for children. The lake is deep, and I remember that there used to be diving competitions here. But back to today: the buffet is also good, the langos, spritzer and pancakes are excellent, a real Hungarian beach atmosphere. You can also cycle from Sopron to the lake - but be careful: on the way back, unless you are using an e-bike, it is quite tiring to cycle uphill, but by car, it takes only 10 minutes to reach the lake, in the direction of Kőhida/Fertőrákos.

The lake is located in Austria, but it is very easy to reach by car from Sopron, along a forest road. (There is no border guard, but this road is also blocked during closures.) The special thing about the lake is that it is located in the continuation of the Lőverek, where it is always a few degrees colder than in the city, and the water is also cold. The lake is quite large, with swimming pools, a slide, a snack bar, and shady trees. What I like here is that the area around the lake is slightly increasing, so if you have older children, you can keep an eye on them not just from the lakeshore. You have to pay for everything in euros, of course, but you can also use a card. And we can be almost certain that the staff of the restaurants around the border are almost all Hungarians. One more word about the road through the forest: Go as far as Brennbergbánya and turn right before the church into the woods towards Hermes. If it's your first time here, take a GPS, because the signposting is quite random. If you don't want to take the secret road, you can also take the Harka/Neckenmarkt route, which is another wonderful, well-convertible route through beautiful vineyards.

This lake is also in Austria, just half an hour's drive from Sopron. In summer, the water also stays pleasantly cold, never warming above 24-25 degrees. You'll also find plenty of events here, from music festivals to marathons and advent fairs. There are also many small weekend cabins and campsites around the lake. The lake reaches depths of up to 35 metres in some places and the water is very clear, making it suitable for diving. In addition to the usual water sports facilities, there is also a skateboard and streetball court.