After a weekend on the Grossglockner, with its glaciers, hairpins and thin, cold air, there is something deeply satisfying about stopping in the soft green hills of the Chiemgau and lowering yourself into a lake. The point lies near Halfing, a village between Rosenheim and the Chiemsee, and within a few kilometres there are several lakes that make ideal swimming stops on the way back to Munich.
The closest is the Simssee, a long, narrow lake to the south-west, with reedy shores, meadows running down to the water and public bathing spots where families from Rosenheim come on summer weekends. A little further east lies the Eggstätt-Hemhof lake district, a cluster of small lakes in woods and moorland, left behind by the melting Inn glacier, protected as a nature reserve. Some of the lakes, such as the Langbürgner See and the Hartsee, are wonderfully clear, with a greenish tint and gently shelving shores. Swimming is allowed at designated spots, which are well signed.
Halfing itself is a typical Upper Bavarian village, with a church, a few inns and farmhouses with wooden balconies covered in geraniums. The countryside around is a gentle patchwork of meadows, woods and moors, with views south to the mountains of the Chiemgau Alps on clear days. The smell of cut grass, the clang of cowbells and the sound of church bells in the evening make it feel like the Bavaria of postcards.
The roads here are quiet and winding, with good surfaces, but they are narrow in places, and you will share them with tractors, cyclists and the occasional herd of cows. On summer weekends, the lakes are busy, and parking near the bathing spots can be tight, so arrive early or late. For fuel, Bad Endorf, about six kilometres away, and Rosenheim are the best options. After the swim, a beer garden lunch with a Brotzeit, a plate of cold meats, cheese and bread, completes the picture before the last stretch home on the A8.