Cycling route Balcons de Belledonne
Pontcharra - Allevard - St Martin d'Uriage
Loop: experienced level
All along this route you can discover cultural sites:
In the municipality of Saint-Maximin:
The Avalon Tower - 33 metres high, with an inner diameter of about 8 metres and walls 2 metres thick on the first floor.
The Avalon Tower bears witness to the history of a family of lords present in the upper Grésivaudan from the year 1000: the Wallon and Romestang d'Avalon.
In the present restored building you can still make out part of the walls from the early 14th century, remains of the Dauphin's tower built at that time, when the château became a stronghold with its surrounding ramparts.
In the municipality of Lancey:
The Musée de La Combe de Lancey - Housed since 1988 in the outbuildings of the château, the rural museum of the Combe de Lancey presents a rich collection of objects and tools illustrating life in days gone by in the hamlets of the Belledonne balconies.
More than 1300 objects illustrate five themes: vanished trades (glove-making, clog-making, blacksmithing, hemp working...), daily life and housing, mountain farming, the history of the village (from 14/18 to Monseigneur Dupanloup) and nature (geology and wildlife).
In the municipality of Villard-Bonnot:
Maison Bergès - Musée de la Houille blanche (Hydropower Museum) - This museum is housed in the beautiful and unusual home of the innovative engineer Aristide Bergès (1833-1904). The exhibition focuses on the man himself, his technical challenges, hydroelectricity and the development of his paper mill.
The Lancey site is an exceptional place of remembrance, recalling the birth of hydroelectricity and paying tribute to the people who took part in this adventure, the very source of local, regional and national economic development.
Leisure:
In the municipality of Domène:
The Bois Français leisure centre is the largest peri-urban natural site in the region. Depending on the season, the site offers a multitude of activities (water sports, swimming, walking...).
View over the foothills of the Chartreuse and the Belledonne massif.
