I really enjoy just driving somewhere and exploring what I find without doing too much research before I go. Maybe it all started when my daughter was small and refused to take her naps at home but would happily sleep for an hour or two if placed in her car seat. At least that was how we came across Thoirette more than 20 years ago. For some reason, we remembered the name of this tiny community, maybe because it is similar to Thoiry. I remember it was a grey and rainy day, and apart from having lunch we were not really tempted to leave the car and go for a walk. Not that we would have known where to walk anyway. This was before we had a GPS at hand in our car, and long before we had access to tourist information and maps on our smartphones. What we did find was a restaurant serving up something we’d never seen before, new as we were to France and continental European cuisine. On the menu was something called “Fritures”, which turned out to be deep-fried tiny fish. The restaurant was packed with locals all enjoying this “Fritures” dish, and we asked in our (at the time) very broken French to have the same as everybody else. It was delicious, our little daughter also really enjoyed stuffing small fish into her mouth, and afterward, we talked about going back for years. Indeed, a lot of years passed, and only in the last couple of years did we find the time to go back and start to really explore the area. And, only last year did we find the time to test the restaurant again. In the meantime, the place had been sold, changed its name, and transformed into a cheap fast-food establishment which (luckily) went bankrupt, before being taken over by somebody treasuring local ingredients and proper cuisine. It has now re-adopted its original name and is focusing on local territory food and cuisine. “Fritures” is still on the menu and if you can I will strongly recommend that you to try this special dish.

You can check the menu and opening times for Le Pont in Thoirette here or visit them on Facebook. For weekends I strongly recommend that you reserve a table in advance. We were lucky to arrive early, and we only got a table in the bar area (which is still cool, because you get to see part of the “inner workings” of the place); those arriving just minutes after us were not that lucky.

The area around Thoirette offers plenty to see and do. Walking to the Grottes at Corveissiat is a nice little walk. This cave is most of the time closed to the public to protect the bats living there. Since caves are ideal places for bats to go to sleep during the day, it is also the perfect place for them to stay out of reach of their enemies. To save on energy, they also need a slightly colder, but frost-free environment with high humidity. Personally, I am terrified of bats and wouldn’t have entered the cave even if I was allowed, but I spoke to some locals who said the cave is open on Wednesday afternoons, however, I have not found any information that confirms this.

There is a prepared trail starting from the car park which will take you to the cave and further down to the river where you pass some old mills, an old washhouse, drinking water networks, and lots of trees with moss on their trunks due to the high humidity. It will take you around 15-20 minutes to walk all the way down, and 20-25 minutes to walk back up again. Even if you won’t be allowed to visit the bats this trail pretty much makes up for it and children will love all the discoveries along the path.

Another relatively short but pleasant walk can be found if you drive just a few hundred meters to Saint-Maurice-d’Échazeaux.

Outside this little hamlet of houses, you will find a newly restored chapel with an incredible panoramic view.

We parked our car at the entrance of this hamlet and enjoyed looking at the beautiful houses and gardens. You’ll easily find the Route de la Chapelle which will take you all the way to the chapel. If you don’t have time for a walk, I still recommend you take this detour (parking can be found next to the chapel). The chapel is built on top of a 250-meter-high cliff, and you will have an amazing view overlooking the river L`Ain, La Valouse, and the Lake of Conflans. For an even better view, it is advisable to follow the footpath on the right side when facing the cliff. This path will lead you to an even better viewpoint where you can admire the Conflans castle and the Bugey mountains. If you don’t want to take the same route back, there is a footpath through the local woods that will take you back to the village.

If you still have time and like to explore more, I think you should drive up to the Barrage de Vouglans. With the recent addition of a sand-blown fresco (!) on its front wall, it is truly a sight to behold.  When we visited, there was no water passing so I can only imagine how impressive it will be to visit on a day when they actually produce electricity. On-site you’ll find lots of information on the building of the dam (both in French and English). You can also read about the artist who did the mural sand-blasted painting. There is also a viewpoint on the other side of the river that you can access by car, or if you are sporty, walk up from the village below.

These are just my suggestions; there is much more to see and do, but I am sure these will keep you busy for a day.

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