Our camping holiday in France’s Haute Savoie , July 2008
Date
Activity
Km
Mon July 7th
Drive to Montriond in the French Alps
Took the A89 east towards Clermont-Ferrand, Lyon and Annemasse. A full days drive, especially when towing a caravan. We got to our campsite at Camping Marmottes in the late afternoon. The owner seemed friendly enough but was a little odd. He told us “in case you’re wondering why there are no seats in the public toilets, it’s because people kept stealing them”.
It was a nice location with extensive views of the local mountains. Had dinner in the caravan.
520
Tue July 8th
Drive to Morzine, ski lift to Avoriaz
Drove into Morzine for lunch and beers, then into Les Prodains and took the ski lift up to the ski resort of Avoriaz. Bonnie wasn’t too impressed with the ski lift.
Avoriaz is nothing but a ski resort, so it was slightly surreal place in the summer… more like a high-rise ghost town. We had a wander round at the top, but apart from the views, there wasn’t much to see.
We came back down and drove to Lac de Montriond which was quite nice. We spent some time there wandering around before returning to the caravan.
24
Wed July 9th
Drive to Lac Leman, Evian-les-Bains, Meillerie, and back via Thonon-les-Bains
Took the D32 (scenic) route vie Vinzier to Evian-les-Bains on the shores of Lac Leman. Explored a little in Evian before having lunch near the lake.
We then drove to Meillerie for a photo stop, and then on to Saint-Gingolph on the Swiss border, before turning round and having a beer at Meillerie, and returning via Thonon-les-Bains. We stopped at the river Dranse de Morzine for photos of its blue waters.
112
Thu July 10th
Drive to Cascade du Rouget, Samoens valley, Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval, Cirque du Fer-a-Cheval
A full day this, so an early start. Drove to Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval via Les Gets and Taninges. Had a look around in Sixt, before heading to the ‘bifurcated’ waterfall, Cascade du Rouget. We sat at a table at the Auberge de la Cascade du Rouget and a had a beer with the falls only a hundred metres or so away.
Back into Sixt, we headed north-east towards the Cirque du Fer-a-Cheval and parked in the car park. It was a spectacular spot with towering walls with many cataracts. There was a lake nearby which we walked round with Bonnie.
We were then very grateful to find the Chalet Restaurant Bar du Fer À Cheval nearby, with stunning views. Had a beery lunch there, and did some more exploring, before deciding it was time to head back.
Except instead of returning by the same route, we decided drive up the north side of the valley, and take the alpine road via Les Allamands. We were rewarded with huge views across the Samoens Valley towards towards the Tete a l’Ane ridge, and the distant Mont Blanc.
97
Fri July 11th
Drive to L’Abbaye de Saint-Jean-d’Aulps, Gorges du Pont du Diable, La Forclaz, Lac de Vallon
We headed for the Gorges du Pont du Diable that I’d read about. We stopped off on the way to checkout the ruined L’Abbaye de Saint-Jean-d’Aulps.
The Gorges du Pont du Diable is a commercial venture, with steps and walkways everywhere. Bonnie took one look at the steel ‘see-through’ steps and refused to go any further. Fortunately, one of the staff saw this and offered to look after her until we got back. It was an interesting place… part cave, part slot canyon, and part river walk. All pretty dramatic. Of course Bonnie was pleased to see us when we finished, and she hadn’t bitten anyone.
We continued our drive and took photos of the dramatically situated village of La Forclaz, and then to Lac de Vallon where Bonnie enjoyed retrieving logs from the water’s edge.
We came back over the mountains and we were rewarded with roadside waterfalls, and finally a beer at the Crêperie l’Ancolie in the bleak village of Col de l’Ancrenaz.
104
Sat July 12th
Drive to CERN in Geneva.
The LHC at CERN was nearly complete, and was due to start trials soon and would be closed to the public. I had booked (free) tickets for the guided tour on one of the few remaining dates. We took the D902 and A40, and paid the exorbitant entry fee at the Swiss border. We got to the CERN area in good time, so we found a nice restaurant for an al fresco lunch. There was still plenty of time when we left and headed for CERN.
Except it turned out that some of the local roads were closed for road works. We tried to improvise but kept finding ourselves back at the same place, with no apparent way through. The booking had stipulated ‘late arrivals will not be admitted’, so I called and explained our situation. There were understanding and told us to get there when we could.
Of course we finally got there, and we were about 30 minutes late but all we’d missed was a presentation about the history of CERN and the financing of the LHC. We then all boarded a coach to take us to the LHC buildings several kilometres away.
The general tour was great, and we ended up with a detailed tour of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS). It was all very impressive, and I suspect that since the LHC was brought online, these areas are now out of bounds to the public tours.
171
Sun July 13th
Heavy rain, drive home
Heavy rain overnight and in the morning. Looking around, some people’s awnings were so full of water that they looked like they were ready to collapse. Not good timing for us as we were getting ready to leave and it meant putting a wet awning away.
A long day’s drive back to Correze.
520
