My first visit to Chamonix was in 1993 when I walked there from the shores of Lake Geneva doing a section of the GR5. Thirty years later I walked there again taking the long way round from Les Houches when hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc. Last summer I actually got to drive into town when Mish and I headed off on our summer road trip to the French Alps.
Continue reading “A walk along the Grand Balcon Sud, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc”
My hike along The Tour du Mont Blanc, one of Europe’s classic long distance trails. Click on the walk to read the post or use the interactive map to see the route.Â
It’s been a long two days in the driving seat, it turns out the Alps are a long way from ...
Day 1 Les Houches to Refuge du Fioux. The storm eventually passed over in the early hours leaving behind a ...
Day 2 Refuge du Fioux to Refuge de Nant Borrant. The Tour du Mont Blanc and the Alps in general ...
Day 3 Refuge de Nant Borrant to Les Chapeiux. If day one of the Tour du Mont Blanc was an ...
Day 4 Les Chapieux to Rifugio Elisabetta. The small village of Les Chapieux sits at the western most point of ...
Day 5 Rifugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur. Dawn brings with it another gloriously sunny day on the Tour du Mont Blanc ...
“The beauty of adventure is to dream of it, to give air to the imagination, then you also try to ...
Day 7 Rifugio Bonatti to La Fouly. Today we will enter the third country on our walk around Mont Blanc ...
Day 8 La Fouly to Champex. For the last week we’ve been in the heart of the mountains. Walking along ...
Day 9 Champex to Trient. When we step outside to boot up for day nine of our Tour du Mont ...
Day 10 Trient to Tre Le Champ. Today we have the third and final border crossing of our Tour du ...
Day 11 Tré Le Champ to Refuge la Flégère. Stepping onto the wooden balcony that adjoins our room at 6am ...
The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, For ...
It’s been a long two days in the driving seat, it turns out the Alps are a long way from the UK but at 5pm we roll into Bellevue Campsite in Les Houches. Dark, brooding, rain filled clouds are hanging low over the Chamonix valley cloaking the mountains. The atmosphere is still and electrified, awaiting the coming storm. The driving has stopped but walking the Tour du Mont Blanc is just about to begin. I’m tired but excited in equal measure and I can’t wait for the next twelve days.
Continue reading “The Tour du Mont Blanc – An Introduction”
