Turquoise water
Brilliant colour.
dronepicr — CC BY 2.0 · Paolo Schubert — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rüdiger Stehn from Kiel, Deutschland — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Zairon — CC BY 4.0 · dronepicr — CC BY 2.0
Lac de Sainte-Croix is a reservoir in southern France, on the border between the Var and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence departments at the outlet of the Verdon Gorge, about 8 km from the centre of the Haute-Provence hub in a straight line. The lake was created by building a reinforced-concrete arch dam between 1971 and 1974. It is fed by the Verdon river and holds up to 761 million cubic metres of water. The dam is 94 metres high and produces 142 million kWh of electricity a year. The village of Les Salles-sur-Verdon was rebuilt on the shore after the old village was flooded, other villages around the lake include Bauduen and Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon, and the lake has a single island, Costebelle. Brilliant turquoise water spreads between green hills and limestone cliffs, and the Verdon enters through a deep, narrow gorge with towering rock walls, crossed by the Galetas bridge. Small beaches of pebbles and sand line the shores under the trees. Pedal boats, electric boats, sailing boats, canoes and kayaks can be hired around the lake, especially at Les Salles-sur-Verdon and the mouth of the gorge. Many people paddle from the lake into the gorge between the rock walls. It gets busy in summer, so arrive early.
Brilliant colour.
Galetas bridge.
On the shores.
Between Var and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France
Yes, paddling from the lake.
In summer.