Annecy

February 11^th-13^th, 2026

My drive to Annecy was long (5 hours) but nice.  I crossed over the Rhône and also passed by a nuclear power plant as France 19 of them.  It was a bit of a different sight to all of the wind turbines, solar panels and the solar generating power plant (in Morocco) that I have seen on this trip.

 

Woke up in a bit of fog.

Crossing a nice bridge...but a little one compared to the Viaduc de Millau!

Cruas Nuclear Power Plant

A cool bridge near a quaint town with the mountains in the background...it's unfortunate that a bunch of trees were in the way (I had a good view from 500 meters back on the road, but nowhere to stop).

Lac du Bourget, near the city of Chambery.

Arriving at Lake Annecy.

It's a beautiful spot.

Arriving in Annecy, I’d picked a municipal camp spot which was just a small parking lot with a grey water waste drain, but unfortunately all 10 spots were already occupied.  I drove 10 minutes on the road beside the lake to a campground, but it was closed for the winter.  Actually, all official campgrounds were closed for the off-season. 

I found a few parking spots on my app that stated it was okay to stay overnight, and I headed off to check them out.  They were located on a switchback road up a hill near the city and the lake.  One of them turned out to be non-existent anymore with some previous logging activity leaving a mess at the entrance, plus it was a muddy looking road and I didn’t fancy getting stuck.  The other one had a picnic table, located just off the paved road.  It seemed a bit exposed, yet remote.  I pulled in and took another look on my app as I hummed and hawed as something just didn’t feel right.  Some of the reviews on the app mentioned being approached by “libertines” who pulled up in their vehicle, boxing their campervan in.  If you’re unfamiliar with that term, here’s one definition: “Who seeks, with a certain refinement, carnal pleasures.”  Umm…okay, no thanks.

 

I drove back down the hill and recalled that I had seen a few converted vans in a larger parking lot, just a stone’s throw from the one that was full.  There was a height limit barrier at the entrance, but someone had posted on the app that they had just used the exit to get in.  Sure enough, that worked and there were 3-4 vehicles who looked to be spending the night there.  It was just starting to get dark, and I was glad to have found a spot as it had been a long driving day. 

Octi's parking spot for the next few nights (she's just to the left of centre).  Turned out to be an alright place to camp, and right across the road was the lake.

The next morning, I drove to Supair’s office.  It was nice to meet some of the people with whom I’ve been dealing with for years, purchasing paragliding gear from them and sorting through post-sale support issues.  Three years ago, I met some of the other paragliding companies I represent in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic and I definitely noticed an improvement with how we communicate and work with each other.  It was a relatively short visit but I’m happy I made the effort to come to Annecy.  

Supair's office.

It was raining and the forecast was rain for the rest of the day and evening.  I decided to return to the same parking lot and hole up in Octi for another night.  The forecast for the next day looked promising and I hoped to wander around the historic part of Annecy as I recalled it being quite lovely when I visited Annecy back in 2010.

The following morning was brisk, but sunny, much nicer weather to go for a walk along the lake to the historic centre of Annecy.

Looking towards the city.  There's a park on the other side of the Thiou River that outflows from Annecy Lake.

Looking back towards the lake.

Now towards the city.

I like this building that bisects the river.

This seemed a bit out of place, and a bit heavy.  It was a painting on a window cover and the bottom says "AI will destroy democracy then humanity".

Back to nice things...

The lake level is high, thanks in part to yesterday's heavy rains, so the river was also high and flowing rapidly.  All of the weirs were fully open.

Note the snowcapped mountains in the background.

A few streets were lined with vendors, mostly food related stalls.

What a beautiful morning!  Even nicer when you contrast it to the grey, wet day of yesterday.

Even a swan was enjoying the morning.

After an hour of walking around the city centre, I decided to relocate about an hour south for one more night in the region before I start my progression across France to catch a ferry in Cherbourg in five days time.  

Damn pole got in the way...

I saw a few paragliders hanging out in the sky across the lake, about halfway down the mountain.

I like how this photo focussed (I took it as I was driving).  Double click it to see a bigger version.  It makes it look like a miniature world.

This is my view from my new camp spot.

And I had the place to myself.  It was a parking lot at the edge of a small town called Bourgneuf.

The only drawback was the nearby church, with a bell that chimed every hour and a single ring for the half hour.  It stopped at 9 or 10 pm but I was worried about the 7 am ring.  Surprisingly, I woke up just before 7 am, heard it, then went back to sleep.

The first Pastel de Nata I've seen since Portugal...and it was a pretty good one!