Lake Jeziorak

Jeziorak is a ribbon lake - long, narrow and shallow, formed in a channel melted under the ice sheet - running about twenty-seven kilometres north from Ilawa, which makes it the longest lake in Poland, though not by a wide margin the largest. It has around twenty islands, of which Wielka Zulawa is the biggest inhabited lake island in the country at about eighty-two hectares, with houses and a small permanent population on it. The lake is a sailing water: Ilawa has been a regatta town for a long time, the wind funnels along the length, and the shallow depth and few obstacles make it straightforward for cruising. It connects to the Elblag Canal system to the north, which means boats from here can travel the route where vessels are hauled overland on slipways. The shores are wooded and largely undeveloped away from Ilawa and Silwa.

What you actually see

• Poland's longest lake - about twenty-seven kilometres in a melted subglacial channel.
• Wielka Zulawa - the largest inhabited lake island in the country, at eighty-two hectares.
• A sailing water - wind funnelling along the length with few obstacles.
• A canal connection - linked north to the Elblag Canal and its overland slipways.

When to go

May to September. Two days.

Honest expectations

The lake is shallow and can get choppy quickly for small boats. Ilawa fills in the sailing season. Shore access away from the town is limited by woodland and private plots. Facilities on the islands are minimal.

Nearby

The Elblag Canal runs north; Ostroda is east.