Why This French Lake Turns Bright Pink Every Summer

A perfectly preserved medieval fortress, on the edge of a bright pink lake. It looks like a set from the Barbie film - and yet it's a real place, and it's in France. But what exactly makes a lake turn pink? And how long does it stay pink? I hopped on a TGV to go and have a closer look...
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IMAGE CREDITS
Lake Hiller by Aussie Oc - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Laguna Rosada by Chad Ajamian - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Dunaliella Salina by Mike Dyall-Smith - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Artemia Salina (brine shrimp) by Hans Hillewaert - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Flamingo by Elgollimoh - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Beta-Carotene powder by 102% Yield - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Carrots by domdomegg - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot#...

[@kapegede]

The saltiness is only topped out by Twitter. 🤣

[@tonyhussey3610]

This comment needs more recognition 😂

[@billabobyt]

Yes, he made that joke in the video lol

[@XEinstein]

​@@tonyhussey3610This comment needs some explaining for non native English speakers

[@kenibarwick]

@tim will need to change it to Threads soon enough

[@railworksamerica]

💀💀💀💀💀

[@albevanhanoy]

Tim, I must thank you. As a French person constantly surrounded by French-bashing on the Internet, seeing how you, a British man, can be so passionate and positive about France, it does give me hope. Thank you, you are amazing.

[@Petitmoi74]

I understand how you feel, but bear in mind that often people are just repeating "jokes" with no intention of doing any harm. It's tiring but don't let it affect you, or make you angry, otherwise you'll really become the stereotype they have of the French in their heads.

[@albevanhanoy]

​@@Petitmoi74 Don't worry, I can tell a joke from an insult! Heck, I am the first one happily making jokes about my own country :P . But it's still nice of you to say, thank you.

[@Slaaan]

Don't listen to the haters, you guys are awesome in your own way. Much love from Germany :)

[@RogersRamblings]

I do understand. My forebears came to England following the Bastard William's contretemps with King Harold. If William had stayed at home I'd have grown up in a very pleasant Normandy commune instead of surrounded by rosbifs. 😉🤣

[@TheTimTraveller]

Je t'en prie ! Any country where you can have somewhere as stunning as this and it barely makes it into your top 100 tourist attractions, must be doing something right ;)

[@Optidorf]

I didn't know Bonjourbacteria were responsible for the pink colour of salt lakes. That's why I love this channel: you're always learning something new, even when you don't expect it.

[@rjc0234]

The noise I made when he said that. I laughed out loud like an early 20th century car horn.

[@alexweech451]

Pedantry corner: at one point you showed a picture of the north arm of the Great Salt Lake as an example of a naturally occurring pink lake. The north arm is only pink because a railroad was built through the middle of the lake. The causeway cut-off the north arm from the major rivers, so it withered and became hypersaline. In recent years the state tried increasing the flow of water into the north arm, but then the salty water started flowing south and wrecking havoc on the ecosystem, so they hastily had to improve what they had just done to prevent that.

[@szurketaltos2693]

And now the Salt lake is disappearing... Hopefully the drought ends soon, but if not then farmers will either have to stop using so much water or face all that salt getting into the air and their land.

[@LoveStallion]

​@@szurketaltos2693And they farm alfalfa, of all things! Pick a better crop for the climate, Utah.

[@laurencefraser]

@@LoveStallion crops chosen for market value rather than suitablility to the growing environment is a problem in a lot of places, unfortunately.

[@Zraknul]

@@laurencefraser Like the Soviet cotton and the Aral sea.

[@57thorns]

@@Zraknul It is easy to point fingers as Sovie and Russia about these things, but they are happenings elsewhere as well. Greed is universal.

[@TDOBrandano]

The soundtrack selection on this one is absolutely on point. Excellent execution as well, as always.

[@keithphilbin3054]

Liked the Pink Floyd at the end 👍

[@RaiderRich2001]

P!nk, "Pink" by Aerosmith, and Pink Floyd at the end. Also other commenters are saying "La Vie in Rose" was in there also, which I completely missed

[@netmat04]

Also the QI theme for pedantry corner!

[@anderslarsen6009]

And Chicane - Saltwater.

[@TheOriginal_BigMac]

​@@anderslarsen6009thank you , that one was bugging me

[@POTThaesslich]

I laughed at the Twitter dig, but the "bonjour bacteria" joke made me spill my drink (Also, as always, well done on the music throughout for which I guess you reference the last word in "La vie en rose" as colour rather than plant)

[@pmusman]

'La vie en rose' was always about seeing life through rose-tinted glasses, otherwise it would be 'La vie en roses'. Or have I been wrong all my life?

[@paulclapham5791]

I remember stopping by a pink lake in South Australia a few years ago. You won't be surprised to hear that there was no medieval fortification there.

[@originaluddite]

Road tripping with some friends, years ago, from Victoria to South Australia and back, we completely by accident took in a pink lake, along with the famous Blue Lake, and a less well-known Green lake.

[@MatterusOD]

I grew up in Adelaide, South Australia and, as a boy, holidayed often at my uncles farm down south on the Coorong (near Salt Creek). Pink lakes galore but many would dry up completely by the height of summer 40+C.🦘🦘🦘

[@Wooargh]

australia would be better than here those signs are literally unreadable this place is obviously not AMERICAN friendly

[@WyvernYT]

It's not all that surprising. Australia has hardly ever been invaded by the Italians, right?

[@Elitist20]

@@Wooargh But you'd have to drive on the other side of the road.

[@jenniferalbert910]

Me over and over watching this: OMG they are taking the musical cues to the next level!

[@lorenzoblum868]

La Vie en Rose... Wish we were there...

[@lorenzoblum868]

To add my grain of salt, Mancini's Pink Panther would have been quite suitable to go along the shrimps and flamingos.

[@hawa7264]

I really love the little piano jokes in Tim's videos.

[@benjaminb5889]

hi Tim, thank you for the video. Pedantry corner: by the way, Aigues- mortes means "dead waters " in francoprovencal or occitan dialect (and you have the opposite sometimes in places like "Ayguesvives"). This city has a long and very interesting history.

[@andershansson2245]

I was just about to look that up... ;)

[@jaumesol3480]

Also in catalan lol

[@paupadros]

@@jaumesol3480 Catalan evolved from Occitan that's why :)

[@soly-dp-colo6388]

And the waters must be dead because they're too salty.

[@cameronwillis2567]

Tim.. the music in your videos is always on point but you really outdid yourself on this one! Pink, Chicane, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd.. brilliant!

[@gormster]

Chicane! Thank you, that one was bugging me.

[@nickvanruiven]

La vie en rose 😂

[@MartijnPet]

Came for this. Indeed what a great selection ;) even recognized them in 1,5x times speed

[@WildRover1964]

Have I got new for you

[@yanmorin5431]

also the QI theme song

[@SFXDreamer]

Two songs by Pink, Pink by Aerosmith, Pink Floyd and Saltwater by Chicane...nicely done Tim ;-)

[@katho8472]

You missed "La vie en rose" :) (twice!)

[@SFXDreamer]

@@katho8472 Darn, now I have to watch it again ;-) Thx!

[@robertwilloughby8050]

But no "Pink Thing" by XTC.....😢

[@larrydart7124]

@@katho8472 Spotted 'La Vie En Rose' straight away but you beat me to it!

[@katho8472]

@@larrydart7124 Both times? :)

[@thirtysixnanoseconds1086]

tim, I think your ability to speak French has greatly aided this channel - as you cover subjects other English speaking creators might not, on top of that, your one of the best at doing this kind of stuff around. cheers for the visa mate

[@atomdent]

"Salty Towers" it's masterful bon mots like this that put this channel on the map! Thanks Tim!

[@quillmaurer6563]

The Twitter joke at 3:41 was great - I always love these subtle bits of humor thrown into these.

[@Ration999]

Climbing a local small hill, very on brand 5/5☆

[@paulmaddison6193]

Chicane - Saltwater was a perfect yet unexpected choice.

[@Supermunch2000]

Hearing the QI theme was one of those warm-fuzzy-feeling moments that I love in your videos. It took me a little bit to realize it was the theme but I was already feeling cozy and with a need for a nice cuppa.

[@BeerMatt96]

Not just Pink Floyd, but Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" - musical shenangians beyond compare. So much pinkness! Chapeau, sir!

[@MrGreatplum]

Pink water - just in time for the barbie movie! Great video as ever, Tim. Especially loving the Pink Floyd at the end! As a connoisseur of unusual places, do you have anywhere in Luxembourg you could recommend? We are heading that way in August!

[@Gatherersmusic]

Not only that it was wish you were here in place of the usual "wish you were here" theme 😂 double punnage

[@Christo012345]

I actually paused Pink Floyd to watch this video :-D I was not disappointed.

[@carmengomez3748]

He also used "la vie en Rose" and "get the party started" by Pink as a background music 😂😂😂

[@johanneswerner1140]

Yeah, he's one of the musical kids, isn't he?

[@MrGreatplum]

@@johanneswerner1140 - very much so!

[@mm-qd1ho]

This is why I always wear a bike helmet when riding - you never know when you might have to move a caption with your face

[@OrlindeEarfalas]

I had a good chuckle at the "bonjourbacteria" and the saltiness scale, your videos are always so well made both in information and humor, its a delight to discover new things about my own country through your channel! Loved the La Vie en Rose cover at the beginning as well ;)

[@rhubarbjin]

I love how you slipped little riffs from "La Vie en Rose" throughout the video's background music.

[@thesteelrodent1796]

I remember back when the Rhine was pink, and it definitely wasn't for any good reason, so I thought it was the same case for this lake. Never knew naturally pink lakes existed

[@officialmcdeath]

Ah yes, the Schweizerhalle accident \m/

[@OndrooGaming]

Excellent music placement as always 👍

[@jasonbieber6431]

You missed your chance to play the Pink Panther theme!

[@R2k2]

My thoughts exactly!

[@albevanhanoy]

He played Pink Floyd instead, that works too!

[@thephaze3]

Is that Chicane - Saltwater or it’s melody playing in the background at about ~2 minutes? Nice touch or hilarious coincidence. Bravo to the editor.

[@thekingofming]

It is! As far as I know Tim plays all the music on his videos

[@keithkannenberg7414]

Flying into the San Francisco area in California one often passes over the salt ponds that abound in the southern end of the Bay. So I immediately knew that the pink was related to salt. I didn't realize that this could occur naturally, as opposed to industrial processes.

[@varana]

I like that they went all in with the pinkness for their signs and info boards.

[@mojeminifilmy1973]

Hey Tim, I just want to say that the bonjourbacteria joke really cracked me up! And beacuse this video has in my opinion a really clickabait-y title, I think/hope it will go viral and thereby distributing the joke to lots of other people :D Btw, been in France recently and it is a fabulous country! Tom

[@hanswoast7]

Tim, if you want to reduce reflections to improve your image, you could use a linear polarization filter. These can be found in fancy photography lenses ... or just in old 3D glasses :) Try rotating them on reflected light and you get the gist of it^^

[@mikeimho]

Or sunglasses, as demonstrated here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2XTeGRvr5mVhqs

[@thehaprust6312]

Depending on the type of camera used, a circular polarizing filter is better.

[@AttilaAsztalos]

@@thehaprust6312 ...which is exactly the only kind you'll ever find in movie theater 3D glasses. Hella confusing if you're unaware and expect them to be linear ones.

[@ztmsl]

Like he did @1:05

[@rschroev]

@@thehaprust6312 To be really precise, the thing that in photography is called a circular polarizing filter is actually a normal linearly polarizing filter plus a quarter-wave plate that turns the linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light. That circularizing quarter-wave plate is there because the phase detection autofocus systems used in reflex camera's doesn't work with polarized light. The linear filter, for reducing glare and reflections and for making the sky a deeper blue, is exactly the same as the one in, well, a linear polarizing filter. If you try to use one in reverse, you'll see it doesn't work, because then the light passes through the circularizer first so the linear polarizer has nothing to work with. Luckily the threading on the filter makes it very obvious which way to use it.

[@_rlb]

That Twitter pun though :)

[@SwinkMcloud]

TWITTER at the top of the salty chart is sublime. And the piano version of Pink's get this party started is a banger.

[@MikeFrankovich]

Pink Floyd was a nice touch.

[@martinc7873]

this video is how i learned flamingos are native to europe. or like, made me think "why is tim acting like flamingos are native to europe. are they actually--" and then i wikipedia'd it. Great jokes as always, and quite informative.

[@rin_etoware_2989]

you think the reason this medieval fortress town survived the many wars that come along is because the besiegers would see the waters turn pink and think, "god has cursed our expedition"

[@DingeZZ]

Besides the pink lakes and medieval castle, Aigues-Mortes has another unique feature: a railway crossing on a roundabout!

[@EmsiYTs]

And there's a town next to it basically all made up of triangular-shaped buildings

[@mrpetit2]

I found it on google maps! 👍

[@the_ratmeister]

Hey Tim, I've got a place suggestion for you. Should you ever find yourself in America, come to Boston and have a look at the Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line. It operates using PCC streetcars that have been in continuous service (and largely unmodified, unlike the SEPTA ones) since 1945-46, and uniquely is not considered a heritage line but rather an important service for the Mattapan neighborhood. As far as I can tell, this makes these streetcars some of the oldest, if not the oldest, passenger rolling stock in regular revenue service. If you want a narrative for a video, you can talk about how while they are quite charming, the reluctance of the MBTA to upgrade the line reflects under-investment in transit in the city's poorest neighborhood.

[@MattyMonk]

Spotted the QI theme, made me wonder. Can we start a petition to get Tim on QI? I mean, the BBC would have to listen to 300,000 emails!

[@NicolasDominique]

I really appreciate hearing Chicane's Saltwater when you talk about salt lake.

[@markiliff]

5:40 "bonjourbactéria" ↑ *this* is the content we all need

[@mistformsquirrel]

Okay... somehow I went all this time without knowing about pink lakes being a thing. That's... super awesome. I love our weird planet < ._.>

[@thornil2231]

You should mention that in old french, aigues-mortes means dead water. As in Dead Sea.

[@BodyMusicification]

Nice touch with the Pink Floyd piano music 👌

[@escwilde222]

No joke, I just literally came back from Aigues-Motres and when I was walking on the wall I wondered why the lake was pink. I'm from the Netherlands so it's not around the corner. Thanks for the fun explanation :)

[@allmetaliswelcome]

Wow, this is an interesting surprise! I used to go swimming in the Mediterranean very near to this place and have driven past the salt mining place many time

[@ek8710]

Appreciate the reedition of the Chicane dance track, oldie and a goldie

[@hazard7732]

I love how every video has music that fits the theme for reasons that aren't obvious at first

[@gafrers]

Great Love the QI inspired music during the explanation

[@meukbox]

It took me long enough to figure out what that familiar piano song was... .

[@michaeldodd280]

Loved the music joke at the end. From your usual "Wish you were here...?" to an altogether different "Wish you were here".

[@sarkybugger5009]

"Don't Google that." Almost had me spitting my tea. Also: "Wish you were here" outtro. Nice touch.

[@Tealice1]

Man, *I wish I was there*

[@MatthiasStevens]

Nice touch to play that elevator version of Chicane's Saltwater in the background! 😊

[@alejandrowirthphoto]

Thank you Tim, another way of making pink look pinkier is a polarizing filter!

[@Acceleronics]

Interesting and well put together as always! Love the QI reference! And I wish I was there, too.

[@williamhall667]

Went there as a child around 25 years ago. It's well worth a visit

[@ahh4542]

6:33 That homage to La vie en Rose is why I love this channel so much

[@hananc]

Those algae are also cultivated and sold to salmon farms at sea that add them to the food so the salmon's flesh will be bright pink as the customers expect. Without this supplememt, the salmon's flesh will not be so pink.

[@frittus]

Great video! always a good day when a tim traveller video comes out also, you should visit belval in the south of luxembourg, it's a city 40 min form the capital, where they tured an ironwork into a city, so, there are still two blast-furnaces incorporated into the city. Would love to see a video on that.

[@EliStettner]

This channel gives early Tom Scott (2012-2014) vibes. I’m all here for it. Keep up the great work @timtraveller. I’d love to buy some merchandise to support the channel, b/c I browse with adblocker.

[@AndrewTBP]

I believe Tim has a Patreon page too.

[@bernard832]

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area a few miles from some salt ponds. They were used by indigenous people for salt production for a long time until they were scaled up for industrial production during the California Gold Rush. The company that owned them sold the land back to the state in 2003 and there's a long term project to restore the natural wetlands in order to mitigate flood risk. They could be many different colors when viewed by air, but if you drive by them on the Dumbarton Bridge, they're usually just orange-brown.

[@delurkor]

Side note to the South Bay salt ponds; they used a narrow gauge railroad to harvest the salt ant move it to the processing area. The tracks where moved to the next position as the salt was collected

[@pierremainstone-mitchell8290]

As an Aussie Tim may I say thank you for mentioning our pink lakes!

[@christopherx7428]

I love the "Salty towers" reference!

[@ScottEvil]

Your background music in this one really spiced up the video. It had me laughing until I was pink in the face.

[@KeMeEscupaUnPollo]

That Pink Floyd outro.... you are the man!

[@dziltener]

I love your videos. Not only do I get to learn (usually useless, but nice) trivia, they're also so upbeat, humorous, and just neat.

[@rubenvanherwijnen3714]

Simply Amazing that you run Saltwater from Chicane in the Background. Simply Amazing Tim, sim-ply a-ma-zing.

[@JHaven-lg7lj]

That’s one heck of a fort, and the little toy-looking tram is one heck of a contrast

[@DanDennett89]

Found Tim about a year ago and eventually got through his back catalog a few weeks ago. Now, just like my favorite band, Tool, I have to just wait until something new comes out. Tool makes me wait over a decade, Tim on the other hand puts out videos more frequently, thankfully !!!

[@almostthere3733]

@6:20 ... and what a view! :)

[@erikfondelius]

That background music at 2:44.. Brilliant 🤣

[@PlanesTrainsEverything]

Wow, Two days ago I returned from a visit to Du Grau de Roi which featured on your map. I didn't see any pink lakes, but did see loads of evaporation ponds.

[@piccalillipit9211]

*WE HAVE PINK LAKES* here at Pomorie in Bulgaria - they let you swim in them 😀 Also I lived on a boat at this place in France for 3 years.

[@gerrib1633]

I work within 10 minutes walk of one of the smaller Australian ones. It only turns pink a couple of times throughout summer as the weather in Victoria is unpredictable.

[@klhaldane]

You're from Pink Lake?

[@floopyboo]

@@klhaldane which one. No joke, I've lived near 3 different places called that in south-eastern Australia. :)

[@klhaldane]

@@floopyboo My default is the one by Dimboola.

[@thegamingteen44mc5]

Ahh yes, driven past that one a few times, at least we are lucky to catch it as pink every time

[@gerrib1633]

@@floopyboo Port Melbourne. Half tucked under the Westgate bridge

[@thegiq]

That was a sneaky plug of Chicane's Saltwater tune. Nice job! EDIT: And even Aerosmith is there!

[@mikaschtroumpf]

A little extra trivia: Aigues Mortes litteraly translates to dead waters (for stagnant waters)

[@JordySchaap]

Salty Towers 😂 and i heard what you did with the QI music theme.

[@kaitlyn__L]

The process reminds me of the process to extract lithium from seawater. With all of these evaporative processes there’s always brine left with the unwanted elements; it would be nice if the different ones could somehow coordinate to get what they need from the others’ waste brine.

[@petertaylor4980]

I've been to the salt lakes of eastern Spain which were marked on your map, and can confirm that they are not next to mediaeval fortifications. I did see a spoonbill which had been ringed in the Camargue, though.

[@marsdeat]

Thanks, now I have 'le lac en rose' in my head

[@hainanbob6144]

A new video from Tim always makes me smile. Thank you Tim.

[@q13studio82]

Dude, your videos are simply delightful.

[@gallifrog6144]

That's fascinating, love these videos they always show me something amazing and brilliant!

[@jumpferjoy1st]

Thanks, brilliant again. Adding that to the list of places to visit.

[@jenniferalbert910]

Also I love love love this Aerosmith song 🥰

[@Frank-om4fc]

Fantastic...brilliant video..cheers.

[@gg_vard]

I'm always amazed by your content and the places you visit

[@teecefamilykent]

Brilliant video sir!

[@FARBerserker]

The Twitter Comparision is apt ^^

[@bc5872]

These random videos of you are the best! Keep it up ❤

[@nomike31]

The music is on point as always! I love it!🥰

[@FindecanorNotGmail]

Nice work on the soundtrack for this one!

[@rontanser9369]

Wow, thank you Tim Those lakes looked absolutely stunning It looked as though it was also a very hot day and you went

[@SvenAlbertPedersen]

There's so much going into these videos. All those tiny puns and stuff... And "La vie en rose". 🥰

[@jgodfrey546]

Fascinating! Think I'm gonna have a glass of pink lemonade & watch again...

[@wallyrailimages2544]

The timing of this video is scary. I just watched......whilst on a flight from Perth to Melbourne....flying over the pink salt lakes of Western Australia

[@automotivetales]

Love this video (as with all of your videos Tim!). This is a fascinating subject matter too! 👏👏👏

[@nelsondesilva3916]

Brilliant! Absolutely love your work. Got a laugh, learnt some history and science to boot!

[@IstasPumaNevada]

Excellent choices of songs on this video. :D

[@RonenFinegold]

Your soundtracks are a work of genius!