Hungary's closest thing to an ocean is Lake Balaton. About 50 miles long and 3 wide on average it is the largest lake in central Europe. The Hungarians call it 'the Hungarian Sea'. It would be more accurate to refer to the surrounding region as the World's Largest Poolside Restaurant!

Sailing on Balaton, refreshment is always close at hand. On crude arithmetic, a boat coasting along the shore of Balaton is, on average, never more than five minutes from good coffee, stuffed pancakes, fried fish etc all done with a distinct Hungarian flourish. This basic fact does much to explain the cleverness of the deal offered by Andreas Novotny from whom we charted a Hungarian built Balaton 25 for a week.

At first sight the deal looked a little unlikely and we wondered how it would work out - the boat has no cooking facilities. To compensate the Balaton 25 is a pleasure to sail - light and fast but extremely well behaved. Its accommodation does not add up to much more than two settee berths and a pair of V-berths with an infill piece forward plus a sink, fresh water bottle and very adequate locker space. In essence it is a couple of quite decent 'camping' bedrooms that will go from A to B under sail quickly and pleasurably.

That is the nub and cleverality of Novotny's formula: when you stop sailing, all the other facilities you want are available ashore - basic facilities, superb food and wine at startlingly low prices, gypsy music ….. The boat is transport, fun and sleeping accommodation: that is all. If you were to charter one of the French concoctions so often used in the charter business you would be paying for three loos and god knows what else when in reality you were still actually using the facilities of a yacht-harbour, snack stall or restaurant. All said and done, EUR 560 for four people for a week is astoundingly cheap and on Balaton the whole thing works extremely well. What is more, the 'conventional' alternative would not be as good a pure sailing boat.

The 'pure sailing boat' aspect is important. Balaton is not a place for addicts of the iron topsail. This is tied to the low level of pollution.

The lake has to be the cleanest large body of water in Europe. It 'ages' a little over the season but in spring is drinkable without problem. Its reed-beds are home to colonies of freshwater sponges, which act as filters. Balaton is clean but not clear: most of the rivers that feed it come in from the north through soils that are partly chalky, partly volcanic resulting in turbulent pea-green water under many lights.

Apart from a high level of public awareness (in a week's sailing on the lake I saw NO man made pollution - not an oil-slick, not a beer can, not a polythene bag) one of the things that maintains the purity of the water is an almost blanket prohibition on the use of engines by pleasure craft ; in and within 300 metres of harbours, in an emergency and to avoid a storm warning you may use your engine - otherwise you sail. This explains why the B25 has an outboard rather than an inboard engine - you can get the prop out of the water and sail faster towards the cup of coffee when the wind is light.

Given that Andreas Novotny provides hardware for the young at heart (or perhaps quasi-senile admirers of Swallows & Amazons such as myself), what is a day on Balaton like? Take the day of our long sail from Tirhany to Kesthely (about 35 miles, times distinctly approximate).

07:30 Early risers rise. Shower in marina showers.
07:50 Rest rise. Swift dip in lake
08:00 Breakfast for four (filled omelettes, grilled sausages, good coffee, sticky things) from stall comes to about £7. Flavoursome and friendly.
08:45 Set sail. Close fetch in 15-20 knots. Initially under main alone, then main and genoa. Boat bowling along.
12:30 Ábrahamhegy. Lunch. Local wines, fried fish (local and very fresh), salad, sweet pancakes. About the same prices as breakfast.
13:10 Set sail again
15:30 At last headland in lake. Decide not to go for coffee and buns at Balatongyörök. Last five miles beat in 8-10 knots, direction varying.
17:00 Tied up alongside MAHAV pier in Kesthely
17:30 Showered, shaved and shampooed in bar of hotel at root of pier. Swedish member of party leaves on very efficient public transport to Budapest.
21:30 Hic!
21:35 Zzzzzz!

The seas were a little short but the boat went through them well. Anything thrown back to the cockpit was warm (fish-tank temperature) and I don't think anyone put on any more sophisticated waterproofs than a light walking jacket (this is normal - average water temperature in mid-September is about 70 F). The sky was initially a series of waves of cumulus followed by a very thin overcast that sometimes generated some quite spectacular lighting effects. The little Balaton 25 went like a rocket but did not need the talents of a team of hot-shots to drive it. Lovely boat - I want one.

And for off-boat entertainment? Plenty and well presented. Even apart from its Ferencsay Palace, Kesthely at the head of lake is an elegant town with a population of, say, 10,000. Europe's last large herd of bison lives on a reserve some 20 km away (Public transport is brilliant and dirt cheap. Bicycles can be hired). The table mountain of Badacsony is clustered with vineyards (so is almost any hill around Balaton for that matter). In general the southern shore is more built up with flashier resorts - but don't let this put you off: the shore is still heavily wooded and beautiful and the Hungarian idea of a flash resort with nightlife is much less overwhelming than ours: if you want a strip joint in Siófuk you can find one but it is hardly thrust in your face.

Anywhere but in Hungary, Tihany where the Novotny operation is based would be a disaster - as a very picturesque village (Grassmere-upon-Balaton) it would either be selling total tat or charging stupid prices. In reality it is full of quite genuine craft shops selling genuine (and tasteful) ceramics, fabrics etc made on the spot or at any rate locally that put no pressure whatsoever on the wallet. They are true bargains.

Besides its shops, Tihany has the Benedictine monastery established by King Andrew I of Hungary in around 1050. Said to be the most photographed church in Hungary it crowns the Tihany peninsula. In its current form its interior is a delight of warm and simple rococo architecture - truly lovely ceiling paintings but without the over-ornateness of many equivalents in Germany, Austria or Italy.

Go to Balaton, and go there now: the EU will inevitably drive prices up. Right now it offers outstanding value for money in terms of a sailing experience, gastronomy and culture. Roll on next summer, see you there.