The Shelleys spent their evenings/days on the lake and enjoying sailing. While Lake Lucerne can be circumnavigated by land, its placement within a deep valley makes that difficult as much of its shoreline is steep.

Mary Shelley wrote, "A furious vent d'Italie (south wind) tore up the lake, making immense waves, and carrying the water in a whirlwind high in the air, when it fell like heavy rain into the lake. The waves broke with a tremendous noise on the rocky shores."

 - Jayde Hoppe