Moirans-en-Montagne is a small town of about two thousand in the Jura, where the mountains of Franche-Comté are laid out in long, parallel ridges, and it has a surprise for the visitor: a museum of toys, one of the best in France, in an old convent, which celebrates the local tradition of toy-making in wood and plastic. The Jura has a history of small workshops using local timber, producing clocks, pipes, toys and spectacles, and that heritage is part of the area's character. Arinthod, a village of about thirteen hundred, is a handsome little market place with an arcaded square and a scattering of old houses.
The reason this point is tagged for swimming is the Lac de Vouglans, which lies just to the east. It is an artificial lake, formed by a dam on the river Ain in 1968, and about thirty-five kilometres long and winding like a fjord, it is one of the largest reservoirs in France. The water is clear and deep, and the beaches and bays attract swimmers, sailors and kayakers in summer, with several supervised swimming areas and lakeside cafés. The lake is surrounded by wooded cliffs and has a real mountain flavour.
For motorcyclists, the Jura is one of the best-kept secrets in France: roads that curve through forest, over passes and through the gorges of the Ain, the Valouse and the Bienne, with long, smooth bends and little traffic. The Cascades du Hérisson, a series of waterfalls in a wooded valley a short ride away, are a famous sight, with a path along the stream that takes an hour or two to walk. The Chartreuse, named in the ride, is far to the south-east, so this place is more of a northern neighbour.
For fuel and supplies, Moirans, Saint-Claude and Lons-le-Saunier are the places to head for, and the area's food is another reason to come: Comté cheese, aged for months in caves, smoked sausage from Morteau, and the yellow wine, vin jaune, which is made in a way found nowhere else. Winters are cold and snowy, and the higher roads may be closed. Summer is warm, though storms are common, and autumn light is golden. Watch for cattle on the road and for cyclists.