UKC

apologies for the slightly off-topic question but does anybody know of a lake in the cham area (ie within an hours drive or so) which is good for summer swimming? I know the lake at Passy is popular but I am after something a bit more remote, ie a mountain lake at the end of a decent walk. Anybody got any ideas? Thanks.

In reply to stuartby:

Lac de pormenaz

In reply to JohnV:

Thanks John but I tried that one the other day and it takes a harder man than me to get in that thing - it was freezing. I guess might warm up over the summer, especially if the weather stays like this.

In reply to stuartby:

I've had a dip in lac blanc before.

In reply to stuartby:
Stroll from Montenvers along to Plan de l'Aiguille, finishing with a dip in Lac Bleu.

In reply to Roberttaylor:

Snap.

In reply to Calvi:
The warmest lakes within walking distance from town are the Chesery lakes, above the ladders through the slabs and underneath Lac Blanc, but "warmest" is used here as a relative term and not as an indication of temperature.

With a short lift ride or a slightly-longer walk it is possible to find a rather dull but perfectly functional lake behind the Tete de Balme, up in Le Tour. It performs well if all you are after is a few lengths, but there are no rocks for jumping, no shops for ice cream, no bikinis for ogling... The few times I've gone for a dip here, my dog and I have been the only ones around.
EDIT - handy hint: this is the lake just to the north of the Tete de Balme, west of the Arolette, and NOT the lake to the east of the Le Tour lifts, which is a marsh at best. Great for spotting newts, though.

For more of a beers-and-boom-box swim, if lengths aren't your thing, apparently there are swimming holes dotted along one of the streams coming down by Barberine, over towards Switzerland, but I've never been so I don't know if it's the stream coming out of the Emosson Dam, or the stream further up the valley by Villards. I believe there are good diving rocks to be found.

In reply to stuartby:

You need to ask Francoise Call, a Chamonix resident, a climber and a keen outdoors swimmer.

In reply to Al Evans:

Welcome back Al...!

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

I've been lurking, just not posting

In reply to stuartby:

Many thanks all, I will follow up on those. any other ideas much appreciated.

In reply to stuartby:

Bit of a drive away but we used to love driving to Lac Annecy for a rest day dip, some culture and a kebab...

In reply to Stu McInnes:

In Annecy, it is the fashion to have a tiny scoop of a third flavour of ice cream on top of the two flavours that you pay for. Reason enough for going in itself, I think!

In reply to Pete Houghton:

Big swimming lake down near Sallange... Will be going there tonight probably.. Nice and warm and no one about later in the day.. Let me know of you want a lift.

In reply to peterpk42:

Lake Passy is chilly in May, perfect in June, slightly-yellow come July, a sure-ticket for strep throat in August, and positively toxic by September.

In reply to Pete Houghton:

Top tip Pete! Checked it out today, really great spot. Thanks very much. Now I know about it lets not tell anybody else.

In reply to stuartby:

Nice little pond, isn't it. There might not be a jetty or an ice cream shop, but it does the trick nicely.

I went and had a look at all 5 or 6 of the Chesery Lakes yesterday, trying to find the best one for diving rocks - turns out it's the one right by the path. Some of the others have much better sunbathing rocks, though.