Relaxation on the lake shore a couple of tens of kilometres far from the town

When you are driving in the country, you often whisk off near smaller or bigger surfaces of water. Besides our natural water, we also have lots of artificial lakes – most of them are some kind of fishing lakes. The countryside around Buda is studded with attractive fishing lakes, one of which is the great favourite Arizona Carp Lake in Biatorbágy. The Biai-tó (Lake of Bia) is a beautiful scene, anyway, but only from the distant, because in the absence of an alley there’s no possibility for a romantic stroll on the shore. If we wouldn’t like to (only) fish, then we’d better visit the small lake lying some kilometres farther at the border of Etyek.

In Alcsútdoboz Göböljárás-puszta Diana és Zoltán horgásztó és pihenőpark (Diana and Zoltán fishing lake and leisure park) can be found, it is really an idyllic place – we shall arrive either in spring when colourful flowers blooms among the trees by the water or in winter when there is fresh snow. On the shore you can walk freely, have a picnic in summertime, and it takes only a couple of steps to get to the stable. The neighbourhood is also used as an event venue, anyway: in the nearby guesthouse an all-night wedding party may be held, moreover, some of the guests may stay here for the night if stargazing delays at the lake.

Besides man-made fishing lakes, there are some surfaces of water created by natural processes too – for a long time Lake Garancsi has also been considered so. By now it seems the local lake designated as a nature reserve used to be still made by man centuries before, the ground might have been dug out because of a road construction. But one thing is sure: its existence goes back so long that it was already recorded as a fishing lake in Ottoman times and it was an important place of the neighbourhood later as well: it was used as a rettery, an excavation site of ice cracker and clay. Since the 19th century the lake shore has become one of the hikers’ favourite leisure places because of the vicinity of the capital city, as on the Budapest-Esztergom railway line, which was built in 1895, the railway station of Piliscsaba has become available by walking for somewhat more than half an hour since then. The shooting of the Hungarian cult film, Üvegtigris (Glass Tiger) brought this lake a real fame in the 2000s. The iconic set of the legendary film, as the Üvegtigris buffet caravan has been standing here since shooting – for film lovers’ pleasure. Those who have a trip here can recall not just the funny scenes or take photos on the memorable venue, but they can also go along the educational path on the shore.

An other hiking spot, the „Bokodi floating village” has become popular in recent years, namely the row of cabins standing on stilts was built on the artificial lake of Bokod settlement near Oroszlány. This is stagnant water which was originally created as the cooling water of the Vértesi thermal power plant.  It was established by damming up the Által brook, – which also feeds the Old lake of Tata –, and it has ideal temperature for fishes due to its industrial function. So since the ‘60s more and more fanatic anglers have come here and they have occupied the shore slowly: they built their tiny houses at the end of long piers. The anglers’ settlements vary in colour and shape are known all around the world – Instagram is full of with the photos of the strikingly unique and    beautiful „village”. Once you must see it anyhow, but if you would like to spend time at the cosy place, preferably don’t go at the weekend when apart from you many curious photographers come here.

The small lake near Martonvásár invites us for other type of relaxation, where a special sport can be tried and practiced. The Rebel beach primarily welcomes lovers of wakeboard created from waterskiing and surfing. In the water there are ramps, and the person standing on the board is being pulled on a cableway to get the sufficient speed for the various jumps and slides. The cosy sport field is a pleasant resting-place for extreme sport spectators too: you can play table tennis, volleyball, or just watch tricks being performed on the field.