Bather Bodden Pruchten / Schleswig-Holstein / Germany

Further along the Bodstedner Bodden Estuary lays Bather Bodden Pruchten. This is a lake spot that is very popular with kite and wind surfers of all abilities and levels. It is a relatively large lake with lots of space, so you can pretty much pick your spot, although it does get a little crowded during July and August. There is no particular season here, but the best months are spring and autumn.

There is a tiny sandy beach here, but this backs on to a large grassy meadow which has lots of space. You can also park here. How you get here is to take the B105 out of Rostock heading towards Straslund. Follow this road until you see signs for Pruchten and the lake, follow the road down and you are here.

The wind direction here is frontal and tends to come at you from a westerly position most of the year except for October, November, December and January, where it is more south, southwesterly. The best direction for surfing here is west to north east. The wind speed hovers at around 10 knots and is pretty consistent, although lighter winds occur in the summer. The lake itself is flat to choppy and the water temperature hovers around 22 degrees in the summertime but drops down to around 5 degrees in the wintertime.

There is nothing at the lakeside itself; however the village of Pruchten has a handful of shops, bars and easting establishments. If you want more nightlife then you would need to travel an hour or so towards Rostock.

There are no real safety issues here, except just to be mindful of crowds especially in the summer months of June, July and August