Andorra
Llac d'Engolasters is a long, dark glacial lake sitting at 1,616 meters in the parish of Encamp, only about 10 km from Andorra la Vella, which makes it one of the easiest mountain lakes in the country to reach. Pine forest runs right down to the water on every side, so the lake feels enclosed and quiet, mirror-still on a calm morning with the wooded slopes and peaks reflected in it. It looks natural, and it partly is, but a rock-fill dam built in the early 1930s raised it into a hydroelectric reservoir that still helps power the country, and that is the reason for most of the rules around it. Just above the shore stands the Romanesque hermitage of Sant Miquel d'Engolasters with its tall 12th-century bell tower, and the place carries its share of old Pyrenean legends about witches dancing at the water's edge and a village swallowed by the lake. It is a popular, family-friendly spot rather than a wild one, but genuinely lovely, especially early or late in the day.
The main thing to do here is simply walk it: a flat, easy lap of the shore takes well under an hour and suits any age or fitness, and if you want more, trails climb up from Encamp such as the Camí de les Pardines, or you can link onto the level Rec del Solà canal path toward Escaldes. At 1,616 meters the weather shifts quickly and shade thins out at the open dam end, so bring a layer and water even for a short visit, and don't expect facilities right at the lake. The one rule nobody should ignore: because this is a drinking-water and power reservoir, swimming is strictly forbidden, however inviting it looks on a hot day.
