that the days are drawing in so there is less walking time, and that rocks can be slippery in the morning if the sun has only just reached them. There is something particularly magical about walking in late autumn for, with the cloud inversion over Lake Geneva, you can drive up out of the gloom into brilliant sunshine and be looking down on to a mass of ‘cotton wool’ covering the valley below. Other peaks stick up like islands, and the permanently snow-covered higher ranges such as Mont Blanc look even more impressive with their lower slopes cloaked in fog. If you are walking at this time, be careful to find out where the cloud level is as sometimes it can be quite high and you can be walking all day with the sunshine just a few metres above, if you but knew it.
Accommodation
There is plenty of accommodation all over the Haute Savoie, ranging from four-star hotels to campsites and mountain refuges. July and August are high season, so if you plan to walk then it is advisable to book in advance. The local tourist offices will often provide a list of available accommodation and help you to book. See Appendix B for a list of websites.
Hotels
The larger towns such as Geneva or Annecy have numerous hotels of all categories to choose from, whereas the smaller villages will have just a few. In addition, ski resorts have begun to keep their hotels open in the summer months as well, widening the choice of where to stay. A reliable chain of hotels offering comfortable accommodation at reasonable prices is Logis de France, which has about 200 hotels in the Haute Savoie (www.logishotels.com).
Gîtes and chambres d’hôtes
There is also plenty of self-catering accommodation to rent in gîtes (www.gites-de-france-haute-savoie.com), and the same website gives information on chambres d’hôtes, the French equivalent of bed and breakfast. Gîtes d’étape offer basic lodging, often in dormitory accommodation, and provide meals (www.gites-refuges.com).
Camping
Campsites are graded from one to five stars and range from those offering shop, hot showers and swimming pool to sites with basic washing facilities. A list is available at www.campingsavoie.com/liste/haute-savoie.htm.
Refuges (mountain huts)
Details of the refuges on specific walks are given in the route descriptions. Some are run by the French Alpine Club, but many are privately owned. These refuges are often above 2000m and are mainly used by serious walkers and climbers as a base for tackling higher peaks. Most have only communal dormitories, but some provide rooms for two or four. There are always toilets and running water, and some even provide hot showers.
Most huts are open from mid-June to mid-September when there will be a guardian in residence who provides an evening meal and breakfast for a reasonable price. The days when climbers carried up their own food to cook are long gone! If you intend to spend an overnight in a hut, it is essential to make a booking in advance as there is limited space.
Mountain café at the Col de Bassachaux (Walk 28)
Savoyard food and drink
The food of the Haute Savoie is centred round its local products, the most important of these being cheese. The lush grass of the alpine pastures provides excellent grazing for dairy cattle, the best known being the brown and white Abondance cows. Now found throughout the Haute Savoie, they originated in the valley of the same name, and their cheese has been made since the 14th century. Taking three months to ripen, it is a fairly hard, golden coloured cheese, with a nutty flavour.
Tomme de Savoie is a popular cheese made everywhere in Savoie. It is mild and semi-firm, with a low fat content, made from skimmed milk.
Chevrotin is a soft cheese made from goat’s milk and has been produced in the Aravis area for generations. It is formed in small rounds, and is ripe and ready to eat after only three weeks of maturing in a cellar.
Reblochon cheese is a speciality of the Aravis region around Thônes and le Grand Bornand, and was first mentioned in the 16th century when it was much appreciated by the court of Piedmont-Sardinia, as it could travel all the way to Turin without getting spoilt. The name comes from the French word la rôblosse, meaning second milking, and dates back to the time when all the land and cattle belonged to the church, and the peasants were taxed on the amount of milk they produced. They used to trick the monks by pretending they had finished milking the cows and then, as soon as the monks were out of sight, they would do a second milking, which was the richest and creamiest, producing a smooth, mild cheese.
Cheese can also be melted to make fondue or raclette, frequently served on ski holidays in the French Alps, but a less well-known dish is tartiflette. Made from Reblochon cheese, it consists of layers of cooked potatoes garnished with onion and slivers of bacon and then covered with a whole cheese, the rind uppermost. It is then put under the grill until the cheese is crusty and bubbling – worth trying. Cheese platters are often accompanied by dried or smoked meats, and by nuts or locally grown fruit such as apples, pears and figs.
There are several varieties of freshwater fish to be found, such as trout, pike, crayfish, perch and the omble chevalier, a species of arctic char found mainly in deep mountain waters such as Lac d’Annecy, but now also artificially farmed near Thonon.
In autumn you will often see locals collecting mushrooms and picking berries, and tarte aux myrtilles, a delicious bilberry tart, is sometimes on offer in a mountain refuge. Another local speciality is matafan, a thick pancake which can be eaten with salt or sugar.
The white wines of Savoie are an excellent accompaniment to cheese or fish dishes, with Chasselas, Crépy, Ripaille and Roussette to choose from, the latter from a type of vine originating in Cyprus and brought to the Frangy-Seyssel region at the time of the Crusades. After a meal it is worth trying a locally made digestif such as génépi, a herbal liqueur made from the dried leaves of the wormwood plant, or eau de vie de gentiane, made from the roots of the yellow gentian flower. And last but not least are the renowned mineral waters from the towns of Thonon and Evian-les-Bains.
Roussette de Frangy wine (Walk 6)
You will find regional produce in local markets, which are great fun to wander round even if you have no intention of buying, and local cheeses can often be bought directly from the farms you pass on the walks. See Appendix B for market days.
What to take
As with all mountainous regions, the weather in the Haute Savoie can change rapidly without warning, and a careful choice of clothing and equipment is essential for your safety and security. The best solution is to dress in layers and to carry a light fleece and a waterproof anorak, even if the forecast is good. Lightweight, quick-drying trousers are the most comfortable for walking – those that zip down into shorts are very practical, as even on hot days you may need long trousers to avoid getting scratched by undergrowth. Protection against the sun is important, especially at higher altitudes where ultraviolet rays are more intense.
Cornettes de Bise from the Col de Vernaz (Walk 22)
The most important piece of equipment for mountain walking is a pair of comfortable boots, with ankle support and Vibram-type soles with a good tread. Proper walking socks can also make an enormous difference to foot comfort.
For day walks, a light 20–30-litre rucksack is sufficient, with a padded back and waist strap, and with side and top pockets for small items. Some of the larger trekking rucksacks have a big top pocket, which can be detached and used as a day pack. Many rucksacks now come with a waterproof cover, or these can be bought separately.
Trekking