The fabulous weather has held, so in the last few days before Cate returned from her trip to London, I have been outdoors – another cycling trip (this time a tough uphill slog to the Cormet de Roselend (a total ascent of over 1500m) and a new walking route. I drove to the Ville des Glaciers in the Beaufortain, then walked up to the Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme. The views were spectacular, with very few people on the ascent. That all changed when I reached the refuge, which was teeming with people – it turns out that the refuge is a popular stop on the grand route that circles Mont Blanc.
On the 14th of July I drove to Lyon to pick up Cate and my Dad from the airport. Dad was staying for a few days, and we started his holiday on the drive home with a stop in Albertville to see the medieval city of Conflans and enjoy lunch in the town square. Back home, their arrival was a good excuse to open a bottle of champagne!
The next day, and with the sun still shining, we went up to the Sassière lakes for a gentle walk, taking a circular route for some lovely views across towards Tignes. Back at home in the evening we were privileged to get a visit from a hummingbird hawk moth who has decided to make our veranda flower boxes his feeding ground for the Summer.
On the Wednesday we went up to Tignes Les Brevières for a walk around the lake there. It was also an opportunity to check out the new, and huge, development that is underway just outside the village. It looks very much like it will be a Club Med style resort hotel, though there is still a lot of work to be done if it is to be ready for the coming ski season.
For Dad’s last full day we decided on a trip to Italy, across the Petit St Bernard mountain pass. Plan A was to walk around the lake near the pass, but when we got out of the car, a chilly wind soon had us changing our mind. We drove down into Italy, stopping at a spot on the roadside where there was a sign indicating a walking route. It proved to be a lucky choice: the temperature at the lower altitude was just right, and our walk took us into an area of the mountain pass that we had never visited before. After a short walk through woodland, the path opened up to give great views of the Italian side of this mountain range, complete with beautiful mountain flowers. We finished the walk just in time for lunch – a delicious Italian feast on the terrace of the Maison de Laurent in La Thuile.
Finally, on the Friday we drove Dad to Geneva for his flight home, stopping in Annecy for a wander around the old town and for lunch by the river.
In the last week, we have divided our time between jobs in the chalet (Cate has been particularly busy in the garden), and some more days out. We took a brief trip to Bourg St Maurice to cheer on the amateur cyclists competing in the Etape. This year the amateur stage of the Tour de France follows a route from Albertville to La Plagne, passing not just over the Cormet de Roselend, but also three other cols and a final climb to the finish line – all in all 130km of cycling with a staggering 4550m of ascent. Hmm, it puts our efforts into context!
A couple of days ago we tried another new walk. When we visited Tignes Les Brevières with Dad the week before we had noticed signs for a walk up to a refuge we had not been to before. So we returned to Les Brevières to do just that. The refuge is the Refuge de la Martin, and we reached it after an ascent from the valley of about 800m. The views down the valley back to Tignes and to the Lac du Chevril with the dam were superb. The lunch (and beer) in the refuge were most appreciated too, although it was a bit of a surprise to find that we were sharing the dining area with a herd of goats!
The forecast for the weather over the next week or two is not great. We managed a short cycle to Aime yesterday, and were lucky to see some of the competitors in the French kayaking championships on the white water course just outside Bourg St Maurice. By the time we were approaching home it was starting to rain, and I suspect we will be spending a bit of time indoors over the next few days.
I wonder if those goats scented your beer? Joke de vivre.
Should be “joie”: how embarrassing!