Coming up ·
Crayfish hike at a lake near Toulouse - 1 November
- When
- Sunday 1 November 2026, from 14:00; dinner at the villa in the evening
- Where
- A lake near Toulouse (location sent in the chat when you sign up)
- Cost
- No set price: a shared table, everyone chips in and brings some food
Sign up in the community chat, so we know how many people and cars there are and can send you the meeting point.
On Sunday 1 November, from 14:00, the community walks round a lake near Toulouse catching crayfish: there are plenty, and they're easy to catch. Then we take the catch to a villa and cook a classic crayfish dinner, shared table, everyone chipping in. You learn where the lake is in the chat when you sign up.
How the day goes
Day three of the Slavic Weekend is the slowest of the lot. Friday is the banya, Saturday the big Anti-Halloween night, and on Sunday we start at 14:00 by a lake near Toulouse.
From there it’s a half-day walk round the water, catching crayfish as we go and pooling what we land. The lake is full of them and they’re easy to catch, so even first-timers will struggle to come back empty-handed. That was the line in the announcement that got the chat working out who still knows how to handle a crayfish trap.
Then the catch goes with us to the villa, where we cook a classic crayfish dinner around one big shared table. Later that evening, in the same place, Mafia with Katerina gets going, so you can stay on for the game.
Who it’s for
This one is for our own crowd: whoever is curious and wants to come, comes. We don’t know in advance how many people will turn up, and that’s fine, because unlike the banya there are no places to reserve. Signing up in the chat is how we send you the meeting point and sort out the cars.
The announcement didn’t mention children. If you’d like to come as a family, ask in the chat: the organisers will give you a better answer than we can.
What it costs
No set price. The table is shared, everyone chips in by bringing some food, and the crayfish dinner is cooked together. The community is non-profit, and nobody makes money on its hikes.
The rules on catching crayfish
Crayfish catching is regulated in France. On many lakes and rivers you need a fishing card (carte de pêche), and invasive crayfish, such as the Louisiana crayfish (écrevisse de Louisiane), may not be transported alive: that is set out in a nationwide 2018 order on invasive species. Before the hike, the organisers will explain in the chat how to do everything by the book at this particular lake.
The community’s hikes
This is the community’s second hike. The first was on 29 March 2026, when around forty people climbed to the ruins of Montferrand castle by Pic Saint-Loup and then picnicked by Lac de Cécélès. That walk went up to a castle on a hill and this one goes round the water, but the idea is the same: we walk together and finish at a shared table.
All four meet-ups of the weekend
- Friday 30 October - a Russian banya with a pool near Toulouse, 20 places.
- Saturday 31 October - Anti-Halloween with Slavic fairy tales at Bistrô XIII.
- Sunday 1 November, afternoon - the crayfish hike at the lake, which is this page.
- Sunday 1 November, evening - Mafia at the villa with Katerina.
For guests from Montpellier and other cities, the organisers rent shared lodging for the whole weekend. Details and sign-up are in the community chat.