Day 17 - Chamonix to Lac du Mirande

Wednesday 23 September 

After yesterdays excitement of the cable car up to Mont Blanc, it was a more leisurely day today.

We left just after breakfast and a very quiet night on the Carrefour carpark where I was joined by probably about 8 other motorhomes.

Next to me were a couple from Dublin and it was their second night staying here, they confirmed it was a good place to stay. 

We chatted for quite a while, they're alpine junkies and are heading over to Italy when they leave here and want to spend time in the Dolomites.

I headed south west and a road closure / diversion took me to a little alpine ski village called Crest Voland. It's a pretty little place but very quiet, I suspect they're waiting for the winter snows when the place will come alive.

Crest Voland village

The ski lift waiting for the winter snows

It was interesting to see this timber chalet being built, there's a lot of timber going into that

We had a walk around, took some photos and had some lunch there.

Next stop was just a roadside layby for a five minute stop to take some photos of the scenery.

River Isère

A memorial to local French resistance members who gave their lives for the liberty of the French nation

My parking place for tonight is a little village called Mirande just north of Allevard, and next a beautiful Lac de la Mirande.

A lovely lake with a fountain, a circular walk and great scenery.

Lac de la Mirande

It'll be a great place to spend the night. There's a little village so I'll see what that has to offer after tea.

The answer to that is, well, not a lot of interest in the village.

These odd coloured tomatoes are a common sight in French supermarkets, so I thought I'd try one, I'll let you know tomorrow.

This one is called Cotelle Noire

I think Louis's got his eye on it if I don't like it !

I had a (motor) home made beef stroganoff with wild rice for tea and it was delicious even if I say so myself, and in spite of forgetting to add the mustard and using chicken stock instead of beef stock

With a bonus of another portion in the freezer for the weekend.

Day 16 - Sixt Fer a Cheval to Chamonix

Tuesday 22nd September 

It was an interesting drive today from peace and tranquility of Sixt Fer a Cheval, through Cluses in the valley below, then the big climb up to Chamonix, in the French Alps, but bordering the Italian and Swiss Alps.

The road was a great experience but I had to keep telling myself not to take the slip road for the Mont Blanc road tunnel. For some reason I kept thinking I'd end up through the tunnel by accident finishing up in Italy and with a big bill for using the tunnel 😲

Anyway, I managed to control those negative thoughts and made it to the Carrefour supermarket in Chamonix village for some much needed supplies.

I can park and overnight here for free.

It's not especially scenic on the carpark, despite being directly beneath Mont Blanc, but it's only five minutes into the village centre, so it's an ideal place to spend the night.

Chamonix Village

After a walk around the village at lunchtime, I came to the conclusion I'm actually too close to Mont Blanc to actually see much of it.

But there is a cable car from the village centre that goes to l'Aiguille which is a peak next to Mont Blanc, just very slightly lower.

So after walking Louis we headed back to Ed to get a fleece jacket and headed back to the cable car.

What an experience, fast and efficient but ever so slightly frightening.

There's actually two cable cars, you change at a mid way point for the second one that goes as close to the summit as you can get. There are lots of options for walking around and taking in the dramatic scenery of such a brutal and unforgiving landscape.

Chamonix village dissapearing into the distance

Mont Blanc Europes highest peak at 4807m

French, Swiss and Italian Alps, what a fantastic view

I didn't get the elevator up there ! a step too far lol and I can't imagine the view was much different

Beautiful, but so brutal

There are also bars,  restaurants and souvenir shops of course.

I didn't bother wandering off too far, but went straight to the next cable car.

It's quite a complex up here and there is even an elevator that takes you up further to what looks like a mast on the top and a small viewing platform 😲

At this point a fear of heights was kicking in from somewhere, so I passed on the elevator.

It's surprising what the lack of oxygen does to you. I began to feel a little wobbly so I decided enough was enough and followed the return to Chamonix signs 😂

It was an unforgetable experience though and one I'm so glad I did.

I don't think I'd like to do it in winter with the wind blowing a gale though, it's about 27c in the village and 3c at the top.

What's amazing is how the engineers constructed all this infrastructure on the top of a mountain with sheer vertical rock faces, quite an achievement.

Here's a plan of what's up there

Anyway I was glad to be back in the village and Louis slept through the whole thing but was very pleased to see me.

I bought a bottle of the local brew for tonight, and tomorrow, it comes fitted with a bung to save drinking it all in one go, I suspect it's quite strong

Day 15 - Lac de Thuy to Sixt Fer a Chaval

Monday 21st September 

It was a great spot for the night on Lac de Thuy, very peaceful overnight but it took a long time for the sun to rise over the big lump of rock next to me and warm things up it was so huge.

But it did eventually and it turned out another warm sunny day, about 27c.

I set a scenic route over the Col du la Colombiere on the D4 road. 

Col du la Colombiere on the D4

There's always a bar at the top of the Col !

It's a very beautiful pass with a real Swiss feel to it, there are lots of timber Swiss chalets with all the red geraniums in the window boxes and fully stocked log stores in front of each chalet.

Plus of course the spectacular open views of the surrounding mountains.

My destination is Sixt Fer a Chaval, a pretty little village with the river Giuffre running through it.

The log stores are all full for winter

This is part of the Abbey dating back 1134

I bagged a parking space in the motorhome aire right next to the river so the gurgling river is my sound track for the night.

I might be getting up a lot in the night with all this running water nearby 😂