Lake Velence water levels.

@Marilyn Tassy

I doubt they will top it up, lakes in Austria aren't topped up. Its normally because of the hot weather.

There are some streams (the Sio of Siofik fame) going into Balaton but also possibly an underground river. 

Velence might also be fed by something similar.

They do take water out of Balaton for irrigation.  There have been years when they've taken too much.  The over development by certain politic types down there is chronic.  The lake environment could be ruined.

Also the lower the water level, it will look more dirty.

    Also the lower the water level, it will look more dirty.
   

    -@SimCityAT

For sure! Velence doesn't really attract me at all.

At least in Balaton you can see the bottom most of the time.

I seriously worry the lake is being systematically ruined by building work.

Rumours are that most of it is carried out friends of you know who.

Less water then the silt wont have less chance to dilute. That's the simple way of saying it. I'm sure there is a scientific word for it. 😜

@Marilyn Tass

I like going there because it has the feel of an old English seaside like Skegness but  getting in the lake is awkward and I loath muddy bottomed lakes....just the feel of it around my ankles ...yuck.

@Marilyn Tassy

I like going there because it is fairly close to Budapest. It also feels a bit like an old fashioned English seaside, like Skegness.

However, it's awkward to get into the lake and I hate the feel of the muddy bottomed lakes and getting mud on my ankles.

    Less water then the silt wont have less chance to dilute. That's the simple way of saying it. I'm sure there is a scientific word for it. 😜
   

    -@SimCityAT

The silt settles to the bottom.  People going in Velence lake stir it all up so it's like muddy water.  In Balaton it's more like sand so settles back down faster once all the people have left the water. 

I don't like walking in mud, especially where there are plants creeping around your legs.  So I wear water shoes when I'm in the lake. I got them in Decathlon.   

    @Marilyn Tassy
I like going there because it is fairly close to Budapest. It also feels a bit like an old fashioned English seaside, like Skegness.
However, it's awkward to get into the lake and I hate the feel of the muddy bottomed lakes and getting mud on my ankles.
   

    -@anns

My husband has decided he does not like Velence any longer.

Last time we tried to swim there was 3 or 4 years back.

They started to overbuild and  there was hardly anywhere to find a spot near the waterline.

We went over to the pay side and it was even worst then the free area. Had to walk out so far through the muck and reeds to find enough water to try and swim in. Must of walked in for 5 mins or longer.

I think some businesses or farms took allot of the water at that time and their may of been a drought too?

Sad really, we once rented a nice house in that area for a season back in 2000. Would just pop over in the afternoons for a swim everyday then take a trip around the towns in the area.

They are ruining what was there and at Balaton too. Overbuilding and overcharging.

I was just interested  to know if they have somehow refilled the lake by now so that one could swim if they wanted to without getting a mud bath at the same time.

Yes, one has to rinse off well after taking a dip in that lake, our bath tub usually has a nice ring after we get home and bathe after a day at that lake.

        @Marilyn TassyI like going there because it is fairly close to Budapest. It also feels a bit like an old fashioned English seaside, like Skegness.However, it's awkward to get into the lake and I hate the feel of the muddy bottomed lakes and getting mud on my ankles.        -@anns

My husband has decided he does not like Velence any longer.
Last time we tried to swim there was 3 or 4 years back.
They started to overbuild and  there was hardly anywhere to find a spot near the waterline.
We went over to the pay side and it was even worst then the free area. Had to walk out so far through the muck and reeds to find enough water to try and swim in. Must of walked in for 5 mins or longer.
I think some businesses or farms took allot of the water at that time and their may of been a drought too?

Sad really, we once rented a nice house in that area for a season back in 2000. Would just pop over in the afternoons for a swim everyday then take a trip around the towns in the area.
They are ruining what was there and at Balaton too. Overbuilding and overcharging.
I was just interested  to know if they have somehow refilled the lake by now so that one could swim if they wanted to without getting a mud bath at the same time.
Yes, one has to rinse off well after taking a dip in that lake, our bath tub usually has a nice ring after we get home and bathe after a day at that lake.
   
    -@Marilyn Tassy

I'm OK with Balaton so long as there is sufficient water.   There are free beaches of course at Balaton.  Where we go, we used to be able to go for free but they've introduced fees now and wrist bands.  We tend to go to the alternative free beach now as it's pricey.  We go there by bike as it's further away. 

At the free beach, there are almost the same facilities - toilets, cafe, canoes for hire and steps into the water.    OK, it's not as fancy, but well, what can you do?

We can also launch our canoe and paddle board directly in front of the Mrs Fluffy's family "holiday house" and paddle to the paid beach.  So long as we don't land, we can be anywhere on the lake without paying.

Anyway, this coming week will be hot-hot-hot, up into the 30s again.   Could be the right time to be there on a weekday - avoid the crush.

We take the train to Balaton if we go there.

Living in the heart of Budapest is a pain with trying to get to the highway from where we live. Takes sometimes 30 plus mins just to get on .

Makes Balaton a long 90 mins drive away which is a drag for a day trip.

Take subway to the train station and the ride is less time and we just take a short walk from the Balaton station to a free beach.

Well, it used to be free, have not gone to Balaton for a couple of summers so things may of changed.

The last 2 summers we stayed in the city and just went to a spa or Lupa lake.ke Pupa lake, they have a cheaper pay side and a very pricey side on the lake.\You can guess where we go..

I have no interest in dinning in a restaurant or needing fancy swings etc. We go budget since the water is the same and that is all I am interested in.

They have covered shade areas and a couple of snack bars, toilets and showers and a grassy area or a sandy area  in the cheap side.

That's all we need, parking has a fee but it is not bad.

Nice to know next week will be baking. I had wanted to swim all this week at the spa but this wind is too much. No fun to get wet and sit out in the wind.

I have only once or twice felt the muddy bottom of lake Velence, usually the water levels were high enough to just swim off the ladders and never touch bottom.

The last time we were there, the water was so low I had to walk out and it was horrible. Mushy and slimy I was not into it at all. I bought some water shoes but not sure how fun they are to use when swimming.

One thing though about lake Lupa, the water is super deep and you should be a strong swimmer to cross the lake. They have a lifeguard but who knows if they are on their cell phone or not or actually looking at the swimmers? Lst summer we noticed the reeds were growing a bit tall and here and there you could feel them brushing your body while swimming. Not a good feeling to get the sensation that something is grabbing you from below. If we find they have not cleared the lake this summer it will be our last time over there.

Sick of everyone wanting to make a profit and not giving good service.

I li

Shoot, my edit is still not working, did not mean to write, Pupa lake, at least I hope it is not full of it!!

Reminds me of Belize Ciry in the mid 90s. The ocean had , pupa floating all over, no way was anyone taking a dip in that!

    We take the train to Balaton if we go there.Living in the heart of Budapest is a pain with trying to get to the highway from where we live. Takes sometimes 30 plus mins just to get on .Makes Balaton a long 90 mins drive away which is a drag for a day trip.Take subway to the train station and the ride is less time and we just take a short walk from the Balaton station to a free beach.Well, it used to be free, have not gone to Balaton for a couple of summers so things may of changed......        -@Marilyn Tassy

Yes, getting in and out of town by car is a real problem.  Even here, Budakeszi, is a one road town.  There are multiple hospitals, an Army place, tourist places and the main street which has no parking on it and multiple traffic lights which are always out of sync.  It's fairly typical Hungarian village in having a Fo Utca and everything stretched out along it.

Few years ago, we had a massive frost/snowfall and the main road to Budapest was blocked by fallen trees.  It took them a couple of days to clear it up on the main road and a week on the forest paths.   They recently started resurfacing work - it's all blocked up.  There's absolutely no other route to get in/out of here from/to Budapest.  The only way is to go back to Moscow Square and then back up the highway to take a turn off and come across country from the other direction.   It really needs a bypass road. 

There's another village near here called Nagykovacsi.  That's really one road in and one road out.  However, if you have a 4WD, there's actually a forest road you can take to reach another road and bypass any blockages  Hardly anyone knows about it.  There are no signs to say driving is forbidden and there are no barriers.  It leads to a "hunting" lodge (people can rent it I believe). 

The water level is good at Velence.

We were heading to Balaton but my husband decided he wanted to, prep his skin more before going there?

IDK, sun is the same at both places.

It was fairly peaceful and not crowded at all, we expected a crowd on a Friday.

The water was red colored. Perhaps it was full of iron?

They must of gotten water from another source because I never noticed it so red in the past.

I think people are not going there because of how bad it was a couple years ago, the news is not out about them refilling the lake.

They have built it up allot with many new business on the lakefront.

    The water level is good at Velence.
We were heading to Balaton but my husband decided he wanted to, prep his skin more before going there?
IDK, sun is the same at both places.
It was fairly peaceful and not crowded at all, we expected a crowd on a Friday.
The water was red colored. Perhaps it was full of iron?
They must of gotten water from another source because I never noticed it so red in the past.
I think people are not going there because of how bad it was a couple years ago, the news is not out about them refilling the lake.
They have built it up allot with many new business on the lakefront.

    -@Marilyn Tassy

I wonder why it was red coloured?    Pollution?   Algal bloom?

There's too much over development going on at the lakes.   I was over by the Tisza a while back and it certainly wasn't so developed as Balaton.   I didn't like Velence last time so won't be going again anytime soon.  Looked massively over used.  I read recently it's lost 1/2 the water in 2 years with many species leaving the area.

I'm told there's a ban on open fires at Balaton. Put my  plans for Gyulasleves over an open fire in doubt.

The rust colored water at Velence did not smell, feel sticky or anything, just was darker then I remember it being.

Washed our swimsuits out at home and the water was clear, strange, I expected some muck in the rinse water.

We did not see any Swans though, my husband had a habit of handfeeding them some grasses in the past.

They were not afraid if him, guess his laid back vibes were felt by them?

I know most wild birds avoid humans because I am sure in the past a few of them found themselves on a dinner plate.

No open fires at Balaton, hmm, maybe it is too dry and a fire hazzard?

I saw some campers at Velence with a open fire going with their gyulas going full blast. Smelled good.

Think next trip we will head to Balaton.

    The rust colored water at Velence did not smell, feel sticky or anything, just was darker then I remember it being.
Washed our swimsuits out at home and the water was clear, strange, I expected some muck in the rinse water.
We did not see any Swans though, my husband had a habit of handfeeding them some grasses in the past.
They were not afraid if him, guess his laid back vibes were felt by them?
I know most wild birds avoid humans because I am sure in the past a few of them found themselves on a dinner plate.
No open fires at Balaton, hmm, maybe it is too dry and a fire hazzard?
I saw some campers at Velence with a open fire going with their gyulas going full blast. Smelled good.
Think next trip we will head to Balaton.
   

    -@Marilyn Tassy

Yes, Mrs F said it's a fire hazard down there at Balaton.  But we've had that kind of thing before.   

It's not like we're making Gyulas in the middle of the forest.  We're doing it in a garden 50m from the water. 

Balaton is a better bet than Velence.   Weather is picking up again from today.  We'll be back in the 30s before we know it.

Spent hours traveling past Velence and going to Balaton yesterday.

Waste of time, the wind was way too much.

Tried swimming but it was so chopping I wound up just treading water for 30 mins.

Got out, hubby took a dip and I suggested we leave.

I can not take the wind on my wet hair, always get ill if exposed to the harsh wind.

Sort of felt sorry for the families there who seemed like they were on their summer vacations.

They had no choice but to try and enjoy the lake.

Had a nice semi np on the train, not so exciting as we hoped for.

Nap that is , not to be confused with taking a nip!

    Spent hours traveling past Velence and going to Balaton yesterday.
Waste of time, the wind was way too much.
Tried swimming but it was so chopping I wound up just treading water for 30 mins.
Got out, hubby took a dip and I suggested we leave.
I can not take the wind on my wet hair, always get ill if exposed to the harsh wind.
Sort of felt sorry for the families there who seemed like they were on their summer vacations.
They had no choice but to try and enjoy the lake.
Had a nice semi nap on the train, not so exciting as we hoped for.
   

    -@Marilyn Tassy

Oh dear,  shame about Balaton.

The wind (or breeze?) might have helped keep it a bit cooler.  It's pretty warm out there still but down a few degrees on the past days.  Weather station is showing 27C.

I wear a thin "shorty" wet suit when I'm in the lake.  I also wear a hat. I'm not up for being blasted by UV and getting skin cancer.  I can stay in the water a lot longer than other people due to that suit.

I don't really care to swim that much.  Just went off it some years ago.  I used to love it, now I'm not bothered at all.  I went snorkelling in the sea out in Asia earlier this year.  It was OK but nothing to write home about.

We've got two weeks at Balaton starting next Monday.  I'm planning to be "part time" down there as we're expecting visitors from the UK and Mrs F will commute some days to work from there.

Yes, I noticed this summer at the spa, I did my laps but was not into it as much as I thought I would be.

Lanes were open too.

After the long winter, it takes a few visits before I can get all my laps in.

I used to make myself do a min. of 20 back and forth but now half that amount seems fine with me.

I like swimming in open water, the lake, a river or the ocean.

l was a bit old when I learned to swim, 18 and at 19 my husband helped me refine my strokes a bit.

My mom was terrified of water and would not allow us in deep water.

All my siblings finally got swimming lessons , all except me.

Seems being the middle child has its down side.

So many nice condos at Balaton. Not sure how great it would be to stay there year around.

I bet most owners have more money then they know what to do with and leave there condos empty most of the year.

    Yes, I noticed this summer at the spa, I did my laps but was not into it as much as I thought I would be.
Lanes were open too.
After the long winter, it takes a few visits before I can get all my laps in.
I used to make myself do a min. of 20 back and forth but now half that amount seems fine with me.
I like swimming in open water, the lake, a river or the ocean.
l was a bit old when I learned to swim, 18 and at 19 my husband helped me refine my strokes a bit.
My mom was terrified of water and would not allow us in deep water.
All my siblings finally got swimming lessons , all except me.
Seems being the middle child has its down side.
So many nice condos at Balaton. Not sure how great it would be to stay there year around.
I bet most owners have more money then they know what to do with and leave there condos empty most of the year.
   

    -@Marilyn Tassy

I think the only people down at Balaton during the winter are people who live there full time.   No point in going for condo owners.  We've sometimes gone to Balaton in winter but usually for a specific thing like maintenance or gardening.  But essentially the place is closed up September to May.  It's a long time for such valuable an asset to be idle and not generating its keep.

I've heard about people not being able to swim until later life.  It's not uncommon. In Africa, lots of people have a fear of the water for some reason and this seems to be a kind of community hysteria/fear.   Lots of people die there because they cannot swim.   Education and public pools are less than accessible some places obviously. 

My Dad used to take us swimming when we were kids.  We loved it.  I think he did it to get us out of our Mum's hair and give her a break.   These were the days of proper public pools and not aqua parks with slides etc.  These days I much prefer the aqua parks as I'm bored daft just going up and down.  I have to have some other activity, like paddle boarding, kayaking or windsurfing or diving or snorkelling.  The HU kids here had swimming lessons in school, which is great.  They are fish now down in Balaton.   Our older one probably won't want to come soon as she'll have other plans as she gets older.

I know, our son was a fish starting at 3 months old.

Because it took so long for me to learn to swim, and since he was born on Maui, I thought his entire life would be all about water, surfing, swimming, boating etc.

I being a new mom thought I could teach him myself. This was long before they had water baby classes as they do now.

I picked up a book on babies learning to swim and followed their instructions. Blowing air in the face and dipping them into the water, of course I went in with him and watched him underwater to make sure he was holding his breath.

He loved water, had no fear of it and by age 2 and a half was swimming the full length of a pool by himself.

We took him to the sports pool on Margret Island in 1978 and everyone was amazed by the swimming baby.

Put him in a swim team when he was 9. The instructors were young college guys and they had the team play allot of water polo.

He hated it.My husband went to pick him up, he went every school day for 3 hours. A bit much I see now for a 9 year old after a long day at school.

Well, husband was driving there and saw our son walking by himself on the sidewalk, he was heading home, had enough of swimming. We allowed him to quit the team but always felt he could of been a really good pro swimmer. Has the body for it, long tall and lean.

Can not force anyone to live your dreams though.

My mother had a fear of water and gave it to us. My father was a good swimmer but just like his ice skating skills, he kept them to himself.

Heard a story that his sister was pregnant and everyone was at a pool ,his many sisters and brothers and their spouses. My show off dad climbed a tree and jumped in a dive into the pool. Scared his sister so much that she lost her baby. IDK if that was true but that is the story.

I have never had the nerve to dive, we had a diving board with our pool but I never used it.

Speaking of being a good swimmer and not teaching anyone, our HU friend was on the HU water polo team when he was a teenager. A bit of a short guy and not super strong, not sure he would of gone the whole way and won any international games .

He never taught his wife to swim. She would just wade in the shallow part of our pool and once when we all went to the Danube to take a dip she was just on the shoreline and holding her husband for dear life. Spent a few days with them at Balaton years ago, rented a place there, she only went in the water with her husband holding on to her and they came out of the water within mins.

He hated swimming and they almost never went tot he water unless we invited them.

He also never taught his wife to drive, he was a lousy driver but still.

My sister and I rode in the back seat of his little Mazda when a large group of us were all going somewhere. I should of rode with my husband but he just bought a fast car and wanted to drive some of the guys and show off.

Man alive, my sister spent most of the ride telling that HU guy to stay in his own lane and to slow down on bumps. He had a hatchback style window in the back and we both being tall gals, kept hitting our heads on the roof of his car. I know we did not drive back with him, we would of rather walked. My husband told us later he is blind in one eye, great, would of been nice to know that first and how the heck was he driving with one eye?