Annecy - Sans Enfants (but with sparrows)

I have been looking back through photos and other sources to remind myself of when we had hired motorhomes or campervans and where we had been. I had forgotten just how bonkers we went in 2017 as far as holidays and weekends away were concerned. We did loads - Pembrokeshire, the Isle of Arran, Yorkshire, North Norfolk, Normandy and as a final fling we hired a motorhome again and headed across the channel. We used Amber Motorhomes again and would have chosen a similar van as the one we had used for our Outer Hebrides trip, but this time we really wanted to take our bikes. Their Trigano Tributes had "barn doors" at the rear and so weren't suitable for bike racks and all of their coachbuilt motorhomes with racks on the rear were unavailable. They had one option, which was a large van for the two of us, but it had a "garage" underneath the rear bed and in theory the bikes would stow in there.

The van was a Swift Escape 684 and at 7.4m long with a massive rear overhang, it was the antithesis of the type of van that we'd been thinking of buying - https://www.swiftgroup.co.uk/motorhomes/swift-escape. A quick look at the Swift Group promotional material shows that this is intended as a family motorhome, with a bed that electrically lowers from the roof for two of the occupants. We were unperturbed, as our loosely arranged itinerary involved the use of campsites for the whole trip, so we weren't looking for something that would quietly blend in to the countryside. And Amber, recognising that bike storage was the only reason we went for that size of van, offered a good price.

This trip's van at a moonlit Guignicourt

So we set off to catch our Eurotunnel Train and an early October holiday, not that it looks like we needed a holiday! We stopped at the campsite in Guignicourt that we had used before, just to the north of Reims - https://camping-aisne-picardie.fr/.  It is far enough just to give you a break and is a great little village site.  We stocked up at the local shops and had a wander around the quiet village before heading south to Annecy.

This was our second trip to Annecy and we decided to use the same campsite, Camping au coeur du Lac - https://www.campingaucoeurdulac.com/fr/m_1_au-coeur-du-lac-camping-3-etoile-annecy-haute-savoie.php. It seems to be the only one that potentially guarantees a view of the lake and mountains due to its stepped parking pitches  It is also clean and friendly and is right next to the superb Annecy to Albertville cycle path.  The drive there was easy and I was struck by the improvement in the quality of the van.  It was only four years ago that I had driven a similar size coachbuilt van to southern France and I remember the journey being noisy and bumpy.  It may be that this van had a bigger engine and it is also true that there were only two of us.  Fiat may have upgraded the Ducato chassis too.  Whatever the reason, this was a calmer experience despite the size of the van.

We cycled a fair bit at Annecy and discovered that the bikes were just as hard to get out of the "garage" as they were to get in.  The garage was really only big enough for children's bikes, one adult bike, or multiple adult bikes, but with saddles, handlebars and wheels off. - not ideal.  We rode up to the north of the lake and the town of Annecy itself and down to Duingt, halfway down on the western shore.  The bike track is flat, smooth and a pleasure to use despite the occasional speedster in lycra or roller-blader with their eyes fixed on their phone rather than the ahead.  The track runs along an old railway line and combined with other sections of cycle path, it enables and almost complete circuit of the lake.  There are a few gaps on the western side of the lake however, where you need to take to the road.

There are also plenty of ways to enjoy the lake itself, with large tour boats, pedal-powered boats and multiple options to hire small powered boats.  We hired one for a couple of hours and motored down to the southern end of the lake.  It turned out to be a beautiful warm day, despite being early October and the clarity of air and vibrancy of colour that autumn brings seemed magnified when on the water.

Wrapped up on Lake Annecy - I thought it was a warm day.

We ate well, both in the van, which was easy to cook in, and in one or two great restaurants around the lake.  We had the local Savoie favourite of tartiflette, which is fabulous in isolation, but tastes way better accompanied by a glass of chilled dry white wine.  There are plenty of options for eating out in Annecy, which is a 20 minute cycle from Camping au coeur du Lac and if you just want to walk, there is a bistro 10 minutes away, alongside the lake.  It is called Le Bistrot du Port - https://www.lebistrotduport-annecy.com/ and during daylight hours the view over the lake from the restaurant is wonderful.  The menu is typical french bistro style and has been excellent in the few times we have visited, as was the service.

We stayed at the campsite for quite a few days and with our visit being well out of season, we had few neighbours.  We did share the site with a wonderful flock of house sparrows.  It may not seem that exiting to many folk to see sparrows, but their rapid decline in numbers in the UK has meant that we haven't seen sparrows in our garden for many many years.  It is not for the want of trying.  We have had a sparrow nest box up on the house for a long time and we have seen them over on the other side of our village, but they haven't ventured in our direction.

A house sparrow at Annecy - a rarity in our garden

 

The "chirrup chirrup" from these busy little birds never fails to put a smile on my face and take me back to hearing them echo in the milking shed at my grandad's farm or at the stables where my sister used to go horse riding or just in our own back garden when I was younger.  They were almost the only bird species that we'd see, save for the occasional blackbird.  Mrs B had them just about feeding out of her hands at the campsite.  As my dad would say, they are bonny wee birds.

We love the campsite at Annecy and will certainly go back.  I think that whilst the principal of using a motorhome or campervan might be to visit new places, a little familiarity helps you enjoy the stay, so I make no apologies for multiple visits.  As for the van, it had been fine so far, but the big coachbuilts always seem a bit closed-in to me.  There is just the one narrow door to open up to the world and sitting on a bench seat peering through plexiglass is just not the same.  More thoughts on the van in upcoming posts.