The 1,100-hectare Lac de Madine, in the southern Meuse near the village of Heudicourt, is the largest body of water in Lorraine. Created in 1971 as a reservoir, it is now a regional leisure park with two sandy beaches, sailing schools, bicycle paths around the entire perimeter, and a campsite favoured by French families.
The southern shore is a registered nature reserve and one of the better birdwatching sites in eastern France, with breeding black-necked grebes, marsh harriers and great reed warblers, and large flocks of migratory ducks and geese in autumn. The hides along the southern shore are free to use. A bicycle is the best way to cover the 22-kilometre lakeside loop.