Live by Europe's cleanest lake: holiday homes in Lake Annecy, France, with skiing, boating and rock climbing on the doorstep for active families whatever the season

Europe has many fine freshwater lakes but the cleanest of them all, and certainly one of the most beautiful, is Lake Annecy in the Haute-Savoie, south-east France.

The lake is nine miles long by two miles at its widest, circled by high Alpine mountain peaks with small villages, turreted castles and upmarket restaurants clustered along its banks.

Annecy residents tend to be as clean-living as their sparkling lake, with world-class opportunities for paragliding, rock climbing and boating. The green and largely undeveloped 25-mile shoreline teems with joggers, cyclists and walkers, from serious athletes through to young families, spilling out in the warm summers to enjoy an outdoor lifestyle on and off the water.

Winter activity focuses on snow sports. The ski resorts of La Clusaz and Le Grand-Bornand are a 20-minute drive with Chamonix and Les Gets both just over an hour away. Annecy Town, a lovely mix of medieval streets and canals, is at the northern end of the lake about 30 minutes from Geneva.

Many Annecy residents cross the border daily for work. Pierre-Jean Sanchez of Cluttons says: “That pushes up the price of houses in the villages close to Annecy such as Annecy-le-Vieux, Veyrier and Menthon with swift road access to Geneva.”

Property prices are highest on the east bank of the lake from Annecy to Talloires where villages are smaller, roads are quieter and the architecture is more characterful. The western side has more apartments and smaller holiday homes and prices are on average 30 per cent lower.

“British buyers particularly like the eastern side close to the golf course at Talloires,” says Laurence Viscepan of agency Jardin Privé. “Lake Annecy has a significant and sociable British community that includes retired couples and families who use Annecy’s International School.”

HOUSES FOR SALE

Expect to pay from £158,000 for a tiny studio or £351,000 for a one-bedroom home, up to £3 million for a waterfront four-bedroom house. Close to Annecy town Christie’s is selling a six-bedroom modern house with large garden for £956,000.

A 1,130sq ft refurbished townhouse over four floors in the centre of Veyrier and two minutes’ walk from the lake is £548,000 with Cluttons. The house has three bedrooms and two kitchens and could easily be divided into two flats. The smaller one would rent for £745 a month long term or up to £220 a night on Airbnb.

On the western side of the lake in Duingt, a British couple are selling a five-bedroom village house for £780,000 through Cluttons. There’s no garden but it’s a good holiday home, with Annecy just a 15-minute lake-front bike ride away.

APARTMENT LIVING

In Annecy itself, five minutes' walk from the town centre and 150 feet from the lake, Cluttons has a two-bedroom 785sq ft flat built in 2011 with generous terrace for £513,000. Monthly service charge, including hot water and heating, is £200.

In the exclusive, leafy suburb of Annecy-le-Vieux, in local developer Priams’ low-level Quintessence scheme, the final three-bedroom flat of 1,033sq ft with private garden and terrace is £561,500.

‘IT’S SO OUTDOORSY, IT’S KNOWN AS FRENCH CALIFORNIA’

English mother Simi Johnson-Curt has lived in Annecy for eight years with husband Lionel and they have daughters Lauren, eight, Ava, five, and Violette, two.

They live by the port in Annecy-le-Vieux, five minutes’ walk from Mont Veyrier and the lake, 10 minutes’ cycle from Annecy and 30 minutes’ drive from ski resorts.

“Adventure is literally on our doorstep,” says Simi. “The quality of life in Annecy for a young family is unbeatable. Where else can you ski every weekend in winter and swim in the lake all summer?”

Lionel 44, commutes regularly to Paris for work while Simi, 41 is a digital consultant and lecturer at the local university. Her Mummy In The Mountains blog — outlines the family lifestyle and many activities on offer locally.

“Annecy has a healthy vibe and children are brought up with sport and nature as an integral part of their lives,” she adds. “Annecy is known as the French California - everywhere you look people are doing sport. It combines everything we love — beauty, fabulous restaurants and fresh produce in markets. It’s cosmopolitan and simply paradise for outdoors lovers.”