La Clusaz

View from the path

The Via Francigena is a route marked by the pilgrims from all over Europe in the heroic enterprise of reaching Rome all the way from Canterbury in England.
Once crossed into France, to overcome the Alps, the path forks. A variant reaches the current Piedmont, Val Susa precisely, the Montgenèvre pass beyond. The high road instead, via Switzerland, reaches the Valle d'Aosta crossing over the pass of the Great St. Bernard. From here, after declining further downstream, it climbs up back to run along the highway, heading to Aosta.
The Via Francigena can be reached by parking the car on the highway.

Mr.B e Maddie and me

We joined it on a path leading from the parking lot of the restaurant La Clusaz, in the homonymous village of Gignod. After a short climb we reach the Via. A stream runs alongside and refreshes the excursion. The walk is flat and without any difficulty, parallel to the highway. At a certain point you cross a paved road on a hairpin bend.

From here the excursion deviates slightly from the path of highway and goes into the countryside, in the forest and cultivated fields. We then reached a bridge over a stream next to a shrine. Getting closer back to the highway we met another paved road. Here we decided to turn back, also not to overstress Maddie, on her first excursion after the operation of the crossed ligament.

The path is really very easy and covering it gives a sense of peace, in lush woods beside the little brook.

Outward:

Time: 1:16

Distance: 7.63km [4.74mi]

Difference of level: 28m [92'] (335m [1099'] uphill e 307m [1007'] downhill)

Altitude: between 1184m [3885'] and 1301m [4268']

Backward (on the same path)

Time: 1:09

GPS track of the excursion.
A: start; B: bridge and shrine; Z: end

Cumulative statistics from the beginning of this year:

Total time: 18:56

Distance: 73.65km [45.76mi]

Difference of level: 4288m [14068']

Minimum altitude: 343m [1125']

Maximum altitude: 1550m [5085']