Why this ride
170 km from Saint-Jorioz to Saint-Jorioz, about 3 h 15 of riding. It goes by way of Baie de Châtillon, Lac d’Aiguebelette and back through Baie de Châtillon. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Le Crêt de Chatillon and Lac d’Aiguebelette
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 170 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 15
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Baie de Châtillon → Lac d’Aiguebelette
Slow enough to look. The surface follows the shoreline, so the corners arrive where the water decided, not where an engineer did. Water arrives beside the road and stays for 38 km. The line follows the shore because there is nowhere else for it to go.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 43 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Le Crêt de Chatillon
The Crêt de Châtillon is the summit of the Semnoz, the long wooded mountain that rises above the western shore of Lake Annecy, and from the top, at around 1,700 metres, the view on a clear day is one of the finest in the French Alps: the whole lake below, the Bauges and the Aravis around, and, to the east, Mont Blanc in all its glory. Sites with names like Châtillon and Les Mongets along this shore preserve the remains of villages built on the edge of the lake thousands of years ago.
Read the complete Le Crêt de Chatillon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Le Crêt de Chatillon is where the day begins. Next is Baie de Châtillon.
2. Baie de Châtillon
At the northern tip of the Lac du Bourget, the largest natural lake entirely in France, the shore curves into a shallow bay below the village of Châtillon and its castle. In the shallows, divers and archaeologists have found the remains of prehistoric lake villages, and the Baie de Châtillon is one of the French sites included in the UNESCO listing of prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps. The castle, perched on a rocky hill above the bay, was the seat of local lords in the Middle Ages and has a commanding view over the lake.
Read the complete Baie de Châtillon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Baie de Châtillon comes up about 41 km into the recorded legs. Next is Lac d’Aiguebelette.
3. Lac d’Aiguebelette
Motorboats are banned on the Lac d'Aiguebelette, and on a calm summer morning you notice the difference straight away: rowers sliding across water so still it mirrors the wooded slopes above, swimmers heading out from small beaches, and no engine noise beyond the occasional car on the shore road. The lake, in Savoie just west of Chambéry, is one of the largest natural lakes in France, and its clean water is among the warmest of the alpine lakes in summer. It hosted the World Rowing Championships in 2015.
Read the complete Lac d’Aiguebelette write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 84 km into the recorded legs you reach Lac d’Aiguebelette. Next is back through Baie de Châtillon.
4. back through Baie de Châtillon
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Baie de Châtillon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Baie de Châtillon, late in the day. Next is Le Crêt de Chatillon.
5. Le Crêt de Chatillon
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Le Crêt de Chatillon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Le Crêt de Chatillon. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Le Crêt de Chatillon to Baie de Châtillon
Le Crêt de Chatillon → Baie de Châtillon is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Baie de Châtillon to Lac d’Aiguebelette
Baie de Châtillon → Lac d’Aiguebelette is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Lac d’Aiguebelette to back through Baie de Châtillon
Lac d’Aiguebelette → back through Baie de Châtillon is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Baie de Châtillon to Le Crêt de Chatillon
back through Baie de Châtillon → Le Crêt de Chatillon is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.