La Cure to Annemasse: 52.4km, 340m ascent, plus a ferry ride!
Having reached (almost!) the high point of our cycle across the Jura, today was almost all downhill, and a lot easier than the last few days. Although it was cloudy and misty when we set off, the sun soon broke through and we crossed the Col de la Givrine at 1228m elevation to descend all the way to the shore of Lac Léman at just 372m, getting our first sight of the lake on the decent, as in the picture above. The only downside to the cycle was that a lot of it was on the busy highway connecting France and Switzerland, and we were grateful when we finally turned onto quieter roads.
Our arrival point by the lake was Nyon, where we enjoyed a leisurely coffee whilst waiting for the ferry to Yvoire on the Southern shore. We had hoped for a cycle along the lake side, but the cycle route went a little way inland, so our actual route was beside vineyards and through the affluent suburbs outside Geneva.
We found a lovely lunch spot whilst still in Switzerland, at suitably Swiss prices (ouch!), and then finished the last few kilometers to end up at our hotel in Annemasse.
Here we have definitely landed with a bump! It is probably the most basic accomodation we have had to date – a little place on the outskirts of an industrial estate, with fine views across the car park to the McDonalds over the road! Still, it should be a good place to start tomorrow’s cycle to Annecy.
