Borabay Lake

Borabay sits at around a thousand metres in the hills of Amasya province, formed when a landslide dammed a stream, and it is small - a few hundred metres across - and completely enclosed by forest of beech, oak, pine and hornbeam running down to the water on all sides. A wooden walkway and boardwalk circles most of it, taking half an hour to an hour at a stroll, with fishing platforms, a couple of small waterfalls feeding in, and rowing boats for hire. There are bungalows, a campsite and a restaurant, and that is the extent of the development. It is the sort of place that appears on Turkish domestic travel lists and essentially nowhere else, and outside summer weekends it is quiet enough to hear the water. Autumn is when it is worth a detour: the beech turns and the whole bowl goes gold and copper, reflected in still water. The road in from Taşova is narrow and winding.

What you actually see

• The lake circuit - the wooden walkway round the water.
• The beech forest - trees running down to the shore.
• The feeder falls - small cascades entering the lake.
• The autumn colour - the bowl turning gold in October.

When to go

May to June for green and birdsong; October and early November for the beech colour, which is the best reason to come. Winter closes much of it.

Honest expectations

It is small - the walk round takes under an hour. Facilities are bungalows, a campsite and one restaurant. The access road is narrow, and a car is effectively required.

Nearby

Amasya's rock tombs and Ottoman houses are 90 km west; Tokat is south.