Donger
Convoi Exceptionnel
- Location
- Quedgeley, Glos.
I've just had my second terrific holiday in the Savoy Alps near Annecy, and I really have to let people know about the place and its superb cycle path. I'll just stick a load of photos here, and let you make your own minds up about whether you are interested in reading on.
The "vieille ville" of Annecy itself is a beautiful old town full of canals and eateries, with lake cruisers that (I am informed by a local) will let you transport your bike from one end of the lake to the other. This would, in my opinion, be a bit of a shame, however, as they have one of the very best cycle paths (signposted as the "piste cyclable") that I have ever found.
It runs right from the old town area of Annecy, along the lake shore in places, and along the route of a former railway line in others. It covers the entire length of the lake, through the lakeside villages of Sevrier, St Jorioz, Duingt , Bredannaz, Bout du Lac and Doussard, sometimes slightly above the main lakeside road, and at other times alongside it or crossing beneath it.. All of it virtually pan flat and kept segregated from all forms of motorised traffic ... shared only by cyclists, runners and roller bladers. In Annecy itself there are parts that are also shared with pedestrians, and a bit of a pinch point by the zebra crossing opposite the famous view of the old town, but for the most part it is a truly great space to be enjoyed by cyclists of all levels.
I have now covered every inch of the path from Annecy to the end of the lake, and onwards up the middle of the valley through Faverges and on to Ugine. It forms a quick and easy, twenty or so mile long) spine route southwards from Annecy to Ugine. For family groups, it strikes me as an ideal safe route, though the roller bladers go quite quickly during the rush hour commute.. There are slow-you-down barriers at most (quiet) roads that cross the path, and village names appear on the surface of the track to help you to navigate. At several points you have access to the lakeshore, and there are plenty of facilities on the way. At Bredannaz, shortly after the old railway tunnel at Duingt, there is an old railway station (complete with steam locomotive) with toilets and inside seating where you can shelter if the weather takes a turn for the worse, and a number of picnic tables and chairs for when the sun is shining. Opposite this, there is a cyclists' cafe offering bike hire. There are also numerous camp sites along the way, each with their own cafes and bike hire.
The more adventurous and the very fittest cyclists can use this as a quick, traffic free super highway, connecting Annecy and the lakeside villages to the nearby mountain roads and passes (Cote de Puget and Col de Leschaux from St Jorioz; the road to Entrevernes from Duingt; the road up to the Combe d'Ire from Chevaline; the Col de la Forclaz from Vesonne; the Col de l'Epine from Marlens; the Col de Tamie and the Col du Marais both from Faverges; and some distance further ,on, a road from Ugine that connects up with Flumet, and the start of a grand tour taking in some of the loveliest climbs of the Col des Aravis, the Col de la Colombiere and the Co de la Croix Fry. The traditional cycle route also carries on around the East side of the lake, returning to Annecy via Talloires, but this I would not advise for inexperienced cyclists, as you do have to share quite a busy road for the first few miles, and there is a climb to be negotiated half way along the shore. For the more adventurous, the east side of the lake does allow plenty of opportunity for bathing in the lake, though
NB: I also found two bicycle repair shops, (though judging by the number of bike hire places around, I am sure that there will be more). One was a modern bike sales and repair shop called "Cycles Yannick Toinnot" diagonally opposite Lidl on the main road in Sevrier, and the other was a bike hire and repair garage directly opposite "Camping International du Bout du Lac" on the main road in Bout du Lac. I really couldn't think of anything more I could want for a cycling holiday base. I would have thought that a camp site at the southern end of the lake (Doussard or Bout du Lac) would be perfect.
If this inspires even one person to try out the place and enjoy it as much as I did, then it will have been worth the effort writing this. Go on, enjoy! Donger.
The "vieille ville" of Annecy itself is a beautiful old town full of canals and eateries, with lake cruisers that (I am informed by a local) will let you transport your bike from one end of the lake to the other. This would, in my opinion, be a bit of a shame, however, as they have one of the very best cycle paths (signposted as the "piste cyclable") that I have ever found.
It runs right from the old town area of Annecy, along the lake shore in places, and along the route of a former railway line in others. It covers the entire length of the lake, through the lakeside villages of Sevrier, St Jorioz, Duingt , Bredannaz, Bout du Lac and Doussard, sometimes slightly above the main lakeside road, and at other times alongside it or crossing beneath it.. All of it virtually pan flat and kept segregated from all forms of motorised traffic ... shared only by cyclists, runners and roller bladers. In Annecy itself there are parts that are also shared with pedestrians, and a bit of a pinch point by the zebra crossing opposite the famous view of the old town, but for the most part it is a truly great space to be enjoyed by cyclists of all levels.
I have now covered every inch of the path from Annecy to the end of the lake, and onwards up the middle of the valley through Faverges and on to Ugine. It forms a quick and easy, twenty or so mile long) spine route southwards from Annecy to Ugine. For family groups, it strikes me as an ideal safe route, though the roller bladers go quite quickly during the rush hour commute.. There are slow-you-down barriers at most (quiet) roads that cross the path, and village names appear on the surface of the track to help you to navigate. At several points you have access to the lakeshore, and there are plenty of facilities on the way. At Bredannaz, shortly after the old railway tunnel at Duingt, there is an old railway station (complete with steam locomotive) with toilets and inside seating where you can shelter if the weather takes a turn for the worse, and a number of picnic tables and chairs for when the sun is shining. Opposite this, there is a cyclists' cafe offering bike hire. There are also numerous camp sites along the way, each with their own cafes and bike hire.
The more adventurous and the very fittest cyclists can use this as a quick, traffic free super highway, connecting Annecy and the lakeside villages to the nearby mountain roads and passes (Cote de Puget and Col de Leschaux from St Jorioz; the road to Entrevernes from Duingt; the road up to the Combe d'Ire from Chevaline; the Col de la Forclaz from Vesonne; the Col de l'Epine from Marlens; the Col de Tamie and the Col du Marais both from Faverges; and some distance further ,on, a road from Ugine that connects up with Flumet, and the start of a grand tour taking in some of the loveliest climbs of the Col des Aravis, the Col de la Colombiere and the Co de la Croix Fry. The traditional cycle route also carries on around the East side of the lake, returning to Annecy via Talloires, but this I would not advise for inexperienced cyclists, as you do have to share quite a busy road for the first few miles, and there is a climb to be negotiated half way along the shore. For the more adventurous, the east side of the lake does allow plenty of opportunity for bathing in the lake, though
NB: I also found two bicycle repair shops, (though judging by the number of bike hire places around, I am sure that there will be more). One was a modern bike sales and repair shop called "Cycles Yannick Toinnot" diagonally opposite Lidl on the main road in Sevrier, and the other was a bike hire and repair garage directly opposite "Camping International du Bout du Lac" on the main road in Bout du Lac. I really couldn't think of anything more I could want for a cycling holiday base. I would have thought that a camp site at the southern end of the lake (Doussard or Bout du Lac) would be perfect.
If this inspires even one person to try out the place and enjoy it as much as I did, then it will have been worth the effort writing this. Go on, enjoy! Donger.
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