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Le Grand Bornand,
www.legrandbornand.com,
is a long established alpine village
which has preserved its character and traditions well.
It has a genuine year-round life based on dairy farming,
many of its ancient wooden chalets are still used as farms,
and there are no huge holiday developments in the resort.
Le Grand Bornand is close to La Clusaz, Chamonix, Megève,
Mont Blanc and Lake Annecy.
The village is divided into two distinct areas. The village
of Le Grand Bornand, which lies in the bottom of the valley
at 950m and Le Chinaillon, which lies on a higher plateau at
1300m.
Chalet Rosa is in the quiet hamlet of Le Chinaillon which is
on a high, sunny plateau. Here there is a small, well-stocked
supermarket and several shops. There are plenty of restaurants.
The Tourist Office has English-speaking assistants and is a
central point of information and organisation.
In winter there is a crèche which takes babies from 8 months to
5 years.
Outside the villages the small farms are scattered over the
mountainside, many of them selling dairy products at the door. As
you go up the mountains you will come across the herds of cattle
grazing on the high summer meadows, their bells ringing across the
valleys.
Grand Bornand has fabulous food, there is a weekly market on
Wednesday mornings where fresh fruit and vegetables are sold
alongside other local products. The area is famous for its
Reblochon, one of France's best known Appellation Contrôlée
cheeses. The region also produces large amounts of Tomme de Savoie
as well as sheep cheeses (Brebis) and goats cheese(Chèvre).
Pork is another important local product and you can buy a large
variety of dried hams, saucisson, pates, terrines and sausages.
There is honey from different parts of the mountains as well as
jams made from the local fruits.
Wines from the Savoie can also be bought from the market and in
some of the village shops. They are mostly light white wines
(Apremont, Chignin, Roussette) with a flowery nose and a fresh
lemony taste. The red wines are either Gamay, which is light and
fruity or Mondeuse which is fruity, peppery and tannic.
There are similar markets in La Clusaz on Mondays and Thônes on
Saturdays.
Grand Bornand is where most of the organised summer activities
take place, based around the area by the swimming pool complex.
The source of all information and booking of activities is the
Tourist Office where there are assistants who speak good English
to help you.
In August there is the annual International Children's festival,
Au Bonheur des Mômes; a week long festival of puppet shows, theatre,
circus acts, mime, juggling etc. There are also lots of workshops
and events that children of all ages can participate in. It finishes
with a huge firework display and street party on the last Friday
night.
There are village fêtes all through the summer in some of the smaller
hamlets, including Le Chinaillon's Fête d'Alpage, which celebrate
traditional mountain activities. There are sheep dog trials, cattle
competitions, wood sawing and chopping demonstrations and local food
and drink in abundance.
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