A few days after arriving in Gibraltar Jonathan left Merryn in Queensway Quay Marina where she is having an electrical refit. He flew from there to Geneva where we met at the main station after a month apart – very romantic. It was scorching in the city and we celebrated with cold beers before taking the train to Ste Foy where we’ve spent the last few weeks enjoying land based pursuits.
It has been, on the whole, fabulous weather with temperatures in the mountains in the high 20s, much cooler than at sea level. It does mean that we’ve had a few spectacular thunder storms – most notably on the night when we had a barbecue. Forked lightning and massive hailstones did not deter the intrepid chef!
We’ve been revisiting our favourite spots. The first hike was up to Refuge de la Martin above Tignes Les Brévières, with a spectacular view towards Val d’Isere and Lac du Chevril. The refuges are now open so we had delicious savoury galettes to build our strength for the long descent.
It’s also wildflower season with hundreds of different species filling the high meadows and clinging to inhospitable rocky outcrops. The air is full of many assorted butterflies, marmots scurry across the mountain side and birds of prey circle above – we’ve spotted a lammergeier, several golden eagles and some black kites.
For a few summer seasons we have been hoping for a weather window that would allow us to retrace part of our Aosta Valley ski tour but this time in walking boots. This time was perfect. We hiked from La Savonne via Refuge d’Archeboc and up to the Col du Mont where we crossed the border from France into Italy. It’s still early in the hiking season and we were completely alone. There was a huge drift of snow blocking the start of the descent but we managed to pick our way around it, heading down the mountain and enjoying wonderful views towards Valgrisenche. After over seven hours of walking we made our way into the tiny hamlet of Usillieres where we enjoyed cold beers, delicious Italian food and a very comfy bed at the lovely pension Giasson where we stayed on our ski tour in 2023. It is all documented in this video Jono made of the trip…
After another very long day returning from Usillieres to St Foy we had a day of rest before getting out the bikes and cycling up to La Rosiere for a hearty lunch. Our last few days of walking have included a trek to Refuge de Fond des Fours where marmots abound and a return to the Cinq Lacs high in the Beaufortain where we bought aged Fortain cheese – made and sold by a farmer on the high plateau – very salty and delicious.
