Every summer, it seems, those resourceful people in the French Alps come up with more adrenalin-boosting ways of having fun in the mountains. Until earlier this year, I would have joined them. But thanks to an out-of-control skier who ploughed into me in March, I’ve been hobbling around with a damaged knee. Still wanting to get a summertime mountain fix – all that lovely clean air, mind-blowing scenery and fabulous food – I decided to find ways to take things more slowly and see how people with limited mobility can get the most out of a summer Alpine holiday.
I was in the Annecy Mountains, where I could combine bijoux ski resorts with one of France’s most beautiful cities of the same name and the country’s third-largest lake. My first base was the small village of Talloires, which, along with more than a dozen spots along Lake Annecy, has its own beach. Swimming was just what the doctor ordered, and the wooden bathing deck in front of my hotel, Abbaye des Talloires, gave easy access to the water. What a joy it was to plunge into those incredibly clear waters and give my knee a very gentle workout.
