The Boathouse

Dropped no 3 son to tennis at the club next to the lake in Banyoles this morning.

Crisp bright and cold but it didn't deter the rowers, nor the ducks nor the solitary swan who followed me in the (vain) hope of a crust.

It did serve though to highlight the elegance of the boathouse, one of fifteen or twenty on the fringes of the lake, all in varying styles and various states of repair.

Banyoles in the 1930's was a wealthy town, it served as a weekend retreat for the bourgeoisie of Barcelona and Girona, many of whom built houses adjoining the lake and these little lakeside cabins. Very seldom do they seem to be used these days, occasionally you may see a family sitting on the roof terrace and there are very few (maybe no?) private boats on the lake.

One might think it is a waste of a fantastic resource, but then the example of Windemere or Loch Lomond shows how the over exploitation of a body of water can occur. So perhaps the local council is wise to restrict the use to rowers, kayakers and bank fishermen.

Certainly there are fewer more pleasant pastimes than a stroll round the lake, about 4.5 miles, in the early morning in spring or late on a summer evening when the air is soft and the water is still and even the ducks have ceased their noisy squabbles.