There’s no end of walking routes suitable for hardened hikers to perspiring plodders here. You’ll find official maps of the top 25 routes in newsagents and bookshops.

Camping in the French Alps puts you close to a large number of equestrian centres, so enjoy horse and pony riding through forest trails, lovely meadows and spectacular mountain scenery.

Mountain biking, or VTT as they call it in France, is very popular here. You will find bikes for hire and VTT courses all over the Alps. Keen cyclists can try the 21-hairpin climb to Alp d’Huez, and get a free certificate if they are successful.

Every spring, the thawing snow turns many rivers in the alps into fast-moving white water courses. Those dare-devils amongst you will find plenty of rafting and canoeing thrills at a number of locations, including Morzine and Morillon.

This jewel of the Savoyard foothills covers almost 1400 acres, with two small islands and is more than 200-feet deep in parts. Popular with walkers, climbers, cyclists (but only round the edge), swimmers, fishermen and canoeists.