Lac de Sainte-Hélène

The Lac de Sainte-Hélène, fed by the Coisin stream, is a natural lake of the Combe de Savoie whose banks 'remain wild'. 'Swimming is forbidden there' — the sentence is the tourist office's, and it defines the place: here you fish, walk and watch. The large wetland around it shelters nesting herons, European bee-eaters, tree frogs and beavers, and serves as a stopover for migrating birds.

Fishing is the main activity: category-2 waters, a reciprocal venue run by the Sainte-Hélène-du-Lac anglers' association — perch, coarse fish, pike, carp, catfish and black bass. The federation states the rules as they stand: 'fishing from a boat is possible with oars only after purchase of the boat option', and 'carp fishing is no-kill with a single barbless hook'. Neither the surface area nor the altitude is published by the sources consulted — we do not invent them.

The site is freely accessible all year. 'A laid-out path accessible to people with reduced mobility allows you to walk round the lake away from the banks'; the Rando'Croquis themed trail (1.2 km, about 3 h with sketching stops, easy, animals accepted) teaches nature drawing from the D20, south-east of the village.