Mountains offer great landscapes, hiking and places to stay, as these ideas from a new Wild Guide to the French Alps show
While the pristine turquoise waters of Lac d’Annecy are renowned, the remote massif of Les Bauges, which rises to its west and south, is one of the least-visited areas of the French Alps. Fringed on almost all sides by great forested limestone ridges and escarpments, the interior of the Bauges feels a place apart in time as well as in geography. As it’s a protected parc naturel regional, ski development here is limited mostly to the cross-country variety. In summer this verdant oasis of green, cut by deep gorges and ravines, is a nature lover’s dream.
The Chéran, one of the few truly wild rivers in the Alps, runs right through Les Bauges: its flow is unrestricted by hydro works
Take a detour to the village of Péone to the east, a tottering jumble of alleyways built at the foot of a series of rock pinnacles
A steep zigzag path from here leads to the battery on the summit of La Tête de Viraysse, at 2,772 metres with unforgettable views
Le Bout du Monde – the end of the world – is as evocative as its name suggests
Cycling the twisting balcony and gorge roads is an unmissable part of the Vercors experience
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