Club de voile des Vieilles Forges

In the heart of the Ardennes massif, very well located 20 km northwest of Charleville-Mézières and a few steps from the Meuse Valley, the Vieilles Forges lake is yours to discover. This 150-hectare body of water, resembling a Canadian lake with the magnificent forest that surrounds it, offers a multitude of leisure opportunities. With a length of 3,5 km and a width of 400 meters, its depth varies from 4 to 6 meters. Magnificent but fragile, we develop awareness-raising actions for our members to discover the environment and respect the environment.

The Vieilles Forges lake site is managed by the Ardennes Departmental Council.

For those who want to stretch their legs even more, forest walks are possible of course (the tour of the lake is about 12 km), mountain bike rides... And for those who are a little hungry, find something to eat on the Vieilles-Forges site thanks to the 2 snack bars and 3 ice cream parlors on the site. For a successful time with family or friends, the Vieilles-Forges lake is really ideal.

The Lac des Vieilles Forges is a reservoir created from a dam built in 1949. It is mainly used to supply water to the Whitaker basin, the lower basin of the Revin-Saint-Nicolas hydroelectric power plant, and the Marquisades basin, the upper basin of the same power plant, in the commune of Rocroi. This Revin power plant fills these two reservoir lakes when the demand for electricity is low, by pumping, and empties them to produce electricity when the demand is high.

The body of water belongs to EDF. Motorized water sports are prohibited there. The use of motor boats is exclusively reserved for supervising water sports and securing events on the water.

Swimming is prohibited outside the bathing area. Lifeguards supervise the area during the summer season (find out about the dates and times of supervision).

A fishing reserve is located on the south-eastern part, and is delimited by the road. Fishing by boat is authorized, but without the use of a thermal engine.

The holding of sporting events, particularly sailing or open water swimming, may lead to temporary prefectural navigation bans (find out more).

On the water a line of buoys prohibits access to the dam within 100 meters of it.