Roc de Chère since Talloires : On the traces of the past
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Roc de Chère since Talloires : On the traces of the past
Talloires-Montmin

Roc de Chère since Talloires : On the traces of the past

Pastoralism
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A magnificent walk retracing in a playful and educational way the history of the site.
Follow a historic route, built a long time ago by the monks of the Abbey of Talloires to fetch wood. This hike offers a nice contemplative break with several viewpoints on the lake of Annecy and the mountains.

7 points of interest

  • In the footsteps of the monks

    Founded in 1018, the priory became a royal abbey in 1674. The monks lived there until 1793. They owned a part of Roc de Chère for a long time and used it for different purposes: harvesting firewood, pastures for livestock, growing crops (wheat, rye, barley, vines), fish farming with the creation of a fish pond, extraction of materials. The monks' path was rehabilitated at the end of 2012. At the time, the forest was much less present!

  • What's the castle over there?

    On the other side of the shore is located the peninsula of Duingt, home to castle of Duingt since approximately 1000 years. The caste was formerly called ‘Châteauvieux’. This fortress of medieval origin, property of the lords of Duin, made it possible to control the route of salt trade between Moutiers in the Savoie region and Geneva. Châteauvieux has now become the property of the Certeau family.

  • What are these marks on the rock?

    Beyond this beautiful view, you have certainly noticed the circular traces of old millstone extractions in the sandstone slabs. An engraved cross represents the former limit between the territory of the County of Menthon and that of the monks of the abbey of Talloires. During the 17th century, some stones were removed, probably to be used as millstones for grapes, wheat or nuts, to produce wine, flour or oil.

  • The golf course: an historic partenership

    The golf course of the lake of Annecy was created in 1953 on the site of Roc de Chère. At that time, the national nature reserve did not yet exist, since it was created only in 1977. Today the golf course has 18 holes and part of it is located in the heart of the nature reserve. An environmental charter sets the goals for the preservation of ecosystems and as well as the good practices for a partnership in order to ensure biodiversity preservation.
  • Geology

    Searching for the hidden cave

    Roc de Chère, a karstic massif, is full of holes in the undergound due to the dissolution of the soluble rocks by running water. Because of this dissolution, it has lots of underground caves, most of which are connected to the lake.
    The largest one is Grand Pertuis (see photo), which means crack, narrow passage between rocks. This cave is only accessible by the lake.

    Respect the biodiversity of this fragile environment by staying on the tracks.

  • The castle of Menthon-Saint-Bernard

    The Château of Menthon-Saint-Bernard was used during the 12th century as a fortified castle in which the villagers could find refuge during troubled times. It was only after the Renaissance that the austere castle was transformed into a residence. Nowadays it is a rich seigneurial residence, which belongs to the same family since 23 generations.

  • The remains of a civilization

    Facing the Château de Duingt, you can observe the remains of a civilization dating back more than 3000 years before our era. Indeed, the lake of Annecy hides ancient pile-dwelling sites under its water. Wooden piles prove the existence of old dwellings on stilts, built on the current location of the lake of Annecy / built on the shores of the lake of Annecy which water level was then lower than it is today.

    Three areas of this type have been identified on the lake of Annecy (two at Sévrier and one at St Jorioz). They are part of the 111 pile-dwelling sites found throughout the Alpine arc and listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Description

From the car park, go to the Abbay of Talloires.
  1. Walk along the shore through the narrow passage by the lake. You will find an information panel of the nature reserve.
  2. Take the path on the right which goes up by wooden steps. The beginning is quite steep.
  3. At the sign “Sous le belvédère”, turn right towards “Belvédère du Roc de Chère”, the path is uphill, pay attention not to follow the path marked with a cross.
  4. After admiring the view overlooking the Bauges massif and the lake, turn left towards "la patte d'oie" and continue straight on to "Talloires par les Granges".
  5. Following the markings, walk along the golf course on your right, you will quickly reach the sign "Granges d'Echarvines".
  6. Take the path on your right which climbs slightly towards the “Belvédère de la Crête” During the climb, after about 10 min, do not miss a first beautiful clear view (beacon)on the right. It is the only place offering a view of the entire Roc de Chère massif. The panorama over the large lake of Annecy, Le Semnoz in front of you, Mont-Veyrier and Parmelan on the right will complete the panoramas you can enjoy from the other belvederes further on. Continue uphill and after a flatter area, you arrive at “Belvédère de la Crête”. A quick round trip (50 m) will offer a panorama of the small lake La Tournette on the left and the Bauges massif in front of you.
  7. Take the downhill path towards “Belvédère du Roc de Chère”.
  8. Go back down to the left to the sign "Under the belvedere".
  9. Turn left again to “Baie de Talloires” and follow a steep path down.
  • Departure : Public parking lot of Talloires
  • Arrival : Public parking Talloires
  • Towns crossed : Talloires-Montmin

Altimetric profile

Recommandations

Trails requiring good walking shoes.
The first slope, quite steep, can be difficult both ways for novice hikers.
Alternate itinerary from Echarvines: follow chemin de Comballe.

You are in a nature reserve, protect this fragile nature.

Always be careful and plan ahead when hiking. Asters, CEN 74 can not be held responsible for the occurrence of an accident or any inconvenience on this itinerary.

Transport

Bus No. 60 Transdev

On the cycling route Voie Verte for a loop around the lake by bike.

Access and parking

From Annecy by road D909a, cross the village of Talloires along the east shore of the lake. Park at the public parking (parking fee during the summer season) after the center of the village.

From Faverges: take road RD 1508 to the Doussard roundabout. At the roundabout, follow the direction of Talloires.

Parking :

Public parking Talloires

More information

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