The calm surface of the lake conceals its depth of around 10 feet. Fed by fresh water from a spring just above the lake, the water stays as warm as a heated swimming pool.

You need to be able to swim to fully appreciate the lake, although we have a canoe and a boat which we use on it. The boat was something that we were able to buy locally.

In May 1998, we built a small jetty out of old railway sleepers. It looks as if it 's been there for ever. This makes it easier to get in and out of the water and into the boats, and children love to dive in off the end, straight into the deep water.