Lake Tikveš North Macedonia

Created in 1968 by damming the Crna River, Lake Tikveš is surrounded by scrubland and stark cliffs, dotted with medieval hermitage frescoes and circled by eagles and hawks. Being artificial, it has no endemic species, though it seems the monster catfish – weighing up to 200kg – have become pretty territorial since President Tito first dispatched them into the 100m depths. The 32km-long lake lies 11km southwest of Kavadarci; turn south at Vozarci to reach the small beach.