Porta Westfalica · DE

Camping and swimming lake Grosser Weserbogen

Grosser Weserbogen is a lakeside camping park and open-air swimming lake set in a string of gravel-pit lakes on the edge of Porta Westfalica, where the Weser makes its dramatic great bend between the Weser and Wiehengebirge hills. Part campsite, part family beach, part beer garden, it works equally well as a multi-night base or a sunny day-trip stop for swimmers, paddlers and Weser-cycle-path riders. The 304-pitch campground runs through the main season and stays open year-round for those who want the lakes in winter, while the Südlicher See beach swings into life from late spring as a supervised bathing area with sand, a sun lawn, pedal boats and a lifeguard on duty. A beach house with a bar and ice-cream parlour and a 300-square-metre beer-garden terrace looking out over the water anchor the social side of the place. Beyond the water, the setting is the draw: the Weser cycle path passes close by, sailing, fishing, hiking and bike tours are all on the doorstep, and the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal with its panoramic terrace crowns the ridge above the river gorge.