Villas in Edersee

Frankenau suits walkers in the Kellerwald, the lake's west end suits quiet swims, and Edertal suits the dam and wildlife park. Almost all our Edersee homes are in Frankenau, a small town on the southern edge of the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park, around 20 minutes from the water. Expect holiday houses rather than villas, and lower water in dry late summers.

Where

Villas: 47
From, per week: £285
Cheapest month: October
Nearest airports: Frankfurt has the most UK flights and is about an hour and three quarters from Frankenau. Paderborn/Lippstadt is around an hour and a quarter away but has few flights. Flights from London to Frankfurt take around an hour and a half.

Where to stay in Edersee

Frankenau and its villages (Altenlotheim, Ellershausen, Dainrode)

Frankenau has nearly all our homes in this area. It calls itself a national park town, and trails lead straight from its edge into the Kellerwald's old beech woods, part of a UNESCO-listed group of European beech forests. Altenlotheim lies below in the Lorfe valley, close to where it joins the Eder. Shops and restaurants are limited, so stock up in Frankenberg. Frankfurt airport is about an hour and three quarters away, and Paderborn around an hour and a quarter.

Best for: Walkers and families who want the national park on the doorstep

Not for you if: You want to walk to the lake: Frankenau is up in the hills, and the shore is a drive away.

The western Edersee (Herzhausen and Asel, from Frankenau)

The west end of the lake, around 20 minutes from Frankenau, is narrower and quieter than the dam end. The national park's visitor centre at Herzhausen explains the beech forest and its wildlife, with indoor exhibits that work on a wet day. When the water drops, the old bridge at Asel and the foundations of villages flooded in 1914 reappear, and people walk out to them. Bathing spots and campsites line this shore in summer.

Best for: Quieter swimming spots and the national park centre

Not for you if: You are coming in late summer for the water: this shallow end is the first to dry out.

Edertal and the dam (Hemfurth, Affoldern)

Edertal lies at the eastern end, below the dam that holds back the lake. The dam was finished in 1914 and breached in the Dambusters raid of May 1943, and you can walk along its crest. The Wildtierpark Edersee at Hemfurth keeps wolves, bison and birds of prey. Below the dam, the smaller Affolderner See has a lakeside path, and passenger boats leave from near the dam for trips along the lake. Kassel is about 45 minutes away.

Best for: Boat trips, the dam and the wildlife park

Not for you if: You want somewhere peaceful on summer weekends: the dam area draws day visitors.

Frankenberg and the upper Eder (day trips from Frankenau)

Frankenberg, about 15 minutes north-west of Frankenau, is the nearest proper town, with supermarkets, a railway station and a half-timbered town hall topped by ten small towers. The Eder cycle path runs through it, following the river downstream to the Edersee and on towards Fritzlar. It is a flat, easy ride along the valley floor, and you can return by train on parts of the route.

Best for: A half-timbered town, shopping and cycling along the river

Not for you if: You want lake views: this is the valley upstream, with farmland and woods rather than water.

When to go to Edersee

May to September is the season for swimming, sailing and boat trips, with July and August busiest during Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia school holidays. The lake is fullest in spring and early summer. In a dry year the level falls sharply from midsummer, which can strand jetties and halt boat services, but it also uncovers the drowned villages. October brings autumn colour in the beech woods and few visitors. Winters are cold and quiet, and most boats and lakeside cafés close.