Day 8 – Route des Grandes Alpes – Guillaume to La Bolline Valdeblore.
Such an exhausting day! We finished the cycle so late, I’ve even had to write this blog a day late (that, and the chambre d’hôte had no wifi).
Our decision, the previous day, to stop in the valley, rather than tackle the Col de Valberg at the end of the day proved right. Not only did we tackle the climb to the Col in the cool of the morning, we also got the unexpected bonus of cycling through the amazing village of Péone in the morning light. Many years ago we went trekking in the Himalayas. Perched on the mountainside, this village reminded us of those times, with old buildings built against the mountains, and steep drops below.
Continuing up, we reached the Col de Valberg, the first of three cols to be climbed this day. It was a bit of an anti-climax, set within a ski resort that was more like a ghost town in the Summer, and it was hard to discern the actual col, as here was no obvious sign. Even more of a disappointment was the second col, the Col de St Anne, marked by a small chapel, but barely amounting to a hill at all.
All was forgotten, however, when we dropped down the valley to the village of Beuil. By now we were hungry, and stumbled upon a little restaurant in the centre of the small village. The gathering diners were a good sign, and we took a table on the terrace. The food proved to be magnificent: huge platters of charcuterie, home made terrines, cheeses, and more. In a surprise finish, the waiter brought three bottles of digestifs to our table to ensure the cycle to the next col was well lubricated!
Suitably refreshed we tackled the final Col de la Couillole. Again, not too difficult (or perhaps the alcohol helped), then descended to the valley floor, to Saint Sauveur sûr Tinée, enjoying beautiful scenery as we descended.
At the bottom, we realised our mistake: the chambre d’hôte we had booked was not in the valley, but in the village of La Bolline Valdeblore, halfway up the col that we were expecting to do the next day. Suddenly our day extended, and it was two more hours of climbing before we got to the hotel. By the time we arrived, we were exhausted: 61 km and 1860m of vertical ascent. Time only for a quick bite to eat before bed. This blog would have to wait till the next day…
