Family Water Sports at Lac Saint Cassien

I am not sure I should even be writing this blog….. it’s my husband’s favourite place and family day out in the French Riviera so he’d much rather I didn’t share it with you all, but anyway….!

Away from the hustle and bustle of the coast is a beautiful man-made lake which is home to lots of wildlife as well as enough activities on land and on water to keep the family entertained for hours.

Pedaloes & Kayaks on Lac St Cassien

In 1966 a dam was constructed on the Biançon river to play many important roles - producing electricity, providing water and also managing flood control, with a great bi-product being this lovely spot for family leisure activities including:

·         Water Sports, Pedalos, Inflatable Water Park, Stand up Paddle

·         Fishing

·         Rowing

·         Hiking

·         Eating

·         Nature Reserve

With it’s 420 hectares though it’s hard to know where to go. Here is a list of all the establishments offering food and services around the lake and then my own thoughts on how to plan a day out.

Le Rocher de L’Americain -  Chemin du Gabinet, 83440 Montauroux, 04 94 85 79 13

Le Pre Claou -  Pont du Pré Claou, 83440, Montauroux, (left side coming from A8), 06 10 82 03 63

OKWide - Pont du Pré Claou, 83440, Montauroux, (right side coming from A8), 04 94 76 40 63 OKWide website

Restaurant du Lac  - Lac de St Cassien, 83440 Tanneron (just before the bridge coming from A8), 04 93 60 67 38, Restaurant Le Lac

Chez Pierre - D 37 Lac de St Cassien, 83440 Tanneron, (you will see it on the left coming from the A8), 06 12 91 25 51  

Les Arbousiers -  D 37 Lac de St Cassien, 83440 Tanneron, (you will see it on the left coming from the A8 before Chez Pierre) 06 85 08 57 97, Les Arbousiers Restaurant

Water sports and activities:

There is plenty to explore and no one spot is better or worse than the others but with a young and energetic family our preference is usually to aim for one of the two big encampments just after the huge bridge over the lake (as you arrive from the A8). You will find parking on either side of the road which is free but also on a first-come-first-served basis. We tend to arrive before 10am and have little trouble finding a spot, but if you leave it too much later you will probably struggle and have to park further away and walk or wait for someone to leave.

On the left you will find Pre de Claou – it has a ‘beach’ area, pedaloes (check Groupon for offers!), kayaks, a restaurant (with a full menu) and sunloungers. There are also plenty of shady spots / coves on the rocky outcrops where you can set up camp.

The pedaloes with slides are always a huge hit

On the right you have La Plage Americain  / OKWide which has the same on offer plus stand-up-paddle, a cool snack bar seating area, toilets, electric mountain bikes, buggy safaris and an ‘inflatable assault course’ (think Total Wipeout). There is often music playing and it’s a fun place to spend an afternoon.

You can easily park in one and cross the road to the other – we usually start the day on the Pre De Claou side and then hit the inflatables and snack bar (very reasonable – eg ham/cheese baguette for €4) at OKWide a little later in the day.

Lounge area at OKWide

Here is an idea of the pricing of some of the activities:

·         At Pre de Clao: a pedaloe with slide costs €22 for 1h30

·         At OKWide:

•     30 minutes in the inflatable park costs €5 per person (age 6 upwards with an adult)
•     1h stand-up-paddle (age 10 upwards) costs €12
•     2h in a twin seater kayak (age 8 upwards with an adult) costs €20
•     More pricing and information can be found here:  OKWide Pricing

Inflatable Water Park at OKWide

Most of the other establishments including Les Arbousiers and Restaurant Le Lac also have pedaloes, kayaks and the like on offer so there are plenty of places to choose from. New for 2018 - Les Arbousiers also have a 'water park' - but we're yet to try it. Alternatively you can avoid the crowds and just park up along the shoreline to discover a quiet spot all to yourselves!

Hiking & Nature Reserve:

If you’d prefer something a little slower paced there are some lovely hikes around the lake  - one of which is here:

Lac Saint Cassien Walk

There is also a nature reserve on the eastern edges of the lake which is home to a wide variety of birds (182 different species observed) as well as pond terrapins, red-rumped swallows, forged cork oaks and turkey oaks. There is a family-friendly nature walk which takes about half an hour and also an observatory.

Rowing:
Base D'Aviron de Saint Cassien - 04 94 76 53 26, Rowing club website

Fishing:
La Fario - 04 94 39 10 67
La Belle Mouchetee - 04 94 84 74 56

Access

By motorway A8 (from Aix or Nice) : Exit 39 « Fayence/Les Adrets » then take the direction of Montauroux. The beaches on the St. Cassien lake are visible all along the road.
> From Draguignan/Pays de Fayence : Take the Draguignan road (D562) in direction of Montauroux.
> From Grasse : : Take the Grasse road (D2552) in the direction of Montauroux.

Map showing Lac St Cassien and the location of Pre de Claou and OKWide

Accommodation:

Visiting the French Riviera and haven't booked your accommodation yet? Why not check out our wonderful centrally-located, self catering, townhouses and apartments sleeping from 2 - 11 people. All our properties are air-conditioned and are located on pedestrian streets within 5 minutes walk of the beach. We are a small family-run company so we are on hand for anything you may need before, during or after your stay!

Chic Gites - Accommodation Cannes