Schwarzsee

Schwarzsee sits at about a thousand and fifty metres in a basin under the Kaiseregg and the Schafberg, in the German-speaking Sense district of an otherwise largely French-speaking canton - the Rostigraben, the language boundary, runs close by and the valley is a place where it is audible. The lake is shallow and warms enough for swimming in summer, with a lido on the shore. Around the head of the valley lies protected moorland, part of the Gantrisch region's bog network, with boardwalk paths. A chairlift climbs to Riggisalp for walking above the treeline, and in winter the area works as a family ski resort. The Berra and Kaiseregg are the peaks that frame it.

What you actually see

• A shallow warm lake - swimmable in summer, with a lido on the shore.
• The language border nearby - German-speaking Sense inside a French canton.
• Protected moorland - boardwalk paths at the head of the valley.
• The Riggisalp chairlift - access to walking above the treeline.

When to go

May to October, or the winter season. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It is a family resort lake, busy on hot weekends, with parking that fills. The moorland is fragile - stay on the boardwalks. Facilities close between seasons. Mountains here are pre-Alpine, not high Alps.

Nearby

Gruyeres and Moleson are west; the Gantrisch park is east.