CONTENTS
Map key
Location of Walks
Preface
Introduction
A short history of the Haute Savoie
Wildlife
Plants and flowers
Getting there
When to go
Accommodation
Savoyard food and drink
What to take
Waymarking
Maps
Safety
Using this guide
Vallée de l’Arve
Walk 1 Le Môle
Walk 2 Pointe de Marcelly
Walk 3 Tour de Chevran
Walk 4 Plateau d’Assy
Walk 5 Refuge de Moëde-Anterne
Vallée du Haut Giffre
Walk 6 Lac d’Anterne et le Dérochoir
Walk 7 Lac de Gers
Walk 8 Lac de la Vogealle
Walk 9 Tête de Bostan
Walk 10 Chalets de Criou
Chaîne des Aravis: Nord
Walk 11 Lac Bénit
Walk 12 Boucle des Confins
Walk 13 Trou de la Mouche
Walk 14 Circuit des Annes
Walk 15 Arête des Saix
Walk 16 Boucle du Lac de Lessy
Walk 17 Boucle de St-Jean-de-Sixt
Chaîne des Aravis: Sud
Walk 18 Pointe d’Orsière
Walk 19 Tour de La Tulle
Walk 20 Tour du Sulens
Walk 21 Tour de l’Aiguille de la Tournette
Walk 22 Boucle des Tervelles
Plateau de la Borne
Walk 23 Roche Parnal
Walk 24 Montagne de Sous-Dîne
Walk 25 Plateau des Glières
Walk 26 Le Parmelan
Lac d’Annecy
Walk 27 La Tournette
Walk 28 Cascades d’Angon
Walk 29 Crête du Taillefer
Walk 30 Montagne d’Entrevernes
Appendix A Route summary table
Appendix B Useful information
Appendix C Glossary of useful French words
Maps
Each walk in this guidebook is accompanied by a sketch map with coloured contours, showing key places and numbered waypoints that are highlighted in the route description. For additional features and detailed navigation, the relevant 1:25,000 IGN paper map is specified in the information box at the beginning of each walk. However, bear in mind that things are still changing in this region, and you may discover new ski lifts, roads or jeep tracks that are not yet on the maps.
A good map that gives an overall picture of the Haute Savoie walking areas is the IGN Top 100 Tourisme et Découverte No.144 Annecy/Thonon-les-Bains, 1:100,000. A complete list of IGN maps can be found in Appendix B, together with details of where to buy or order them in the UK. Otherwise, it is usually easy to buy them in the region and they are sometimes cheaper in local supermarkets.
For pre-walk planning and post-walk analysis, all the 1:25,000 and 1:100,000 IGN maps for the whole of France are available on the internet for a very small annual subscription from www.sitytrail.com. This is the best way to be sure you have the latest editions, and is accompanied by a powerful set of tools to choose the magnification, print selected areas, superimpose recorded GPS trails and record your favourite routes online. The sitytrail subscription includes access to the same maps with a tablet or smartphone App. For offline use, especially along walking trails, it is possible to download a set of map tiles for a local area. Note that sitytrail maps are also available for Switzerland with a separate subscription.
There are numerous Apps on the market which offer GPS tracking with open software maps. On the iPhone or iPad, MOTIONX-GPS is particularly convenient and flexible.
GPX files for all the routes described in the guide are available as free downloads to purchasers of the book at www.cicerone.co.uk/member.