Combloux and its lake

Combloux is ten minutes north of Megève on the same balcony of pasture and calls itself the pearl of Mont Blanc, which for once is a fair claim: the village faces the massif square on, with almost nothing in between.

Two subjects. The church, with a bell tower topped by an onion dome and a gilded cross, stands against the mountain from the road below and is the classic Savoyard frame. Above the village, the biotope swimming lake — filtered by plants rather than chemicals — becomes a mirror on a windless morning, with the massif upside down in the water.

Early morning is when the lake is still and the mountain is clearest, before the valley haze builds; late afternoon puts warm light on the church. The lake is a public bathing site with a season, opening hours and an entry fee in summer, so check the arrangements, and note that in winter the same basin is drained and framed by snow instead.