Uncle Ed's Alpine Ramblings - beware, image intensive

Friday

Our last full day, and we had a sort of day off in readiness for the long hike back through France tomorrow. David and Carole had always wanted to visit a ski resort called Tignes, it’s above Val d’Isere, so we all decided it was a good idea to go with. Anyway, all the others got lost, David and I found the place easy enough though, but the bit we were aiming for – the funicular railway – was a bit harder to find. If you go, find the lake, go round it as far as you can, to the far end of the car park, and then across a short paved area – the railway is underground.

Around Lac Chervil on the Isere road again, this time we went over the barrage. What fantastic views.




It’s a long way down!!!!



Finally at Tignes, there were armies of skiers, but I couldn’t see no snow



They had gone up the tops early morning, and were coming down for an early lunch. The other still hadn’t turned up so we had a coffee in the square



and finally they all started to roll in. We took the underground funicular railway



to the panoramic resto up the mountain called La Grande Motte at 3000m. It was €28 to include a 3 course lunch, and it really was well worth it.



Awesome






Told you it was worth it!



Me at 3032m



Dave



Col



The top of La Grande Motte at 3650m



The ticket also included a trip in the cable car (NB it closes for lunch – well it is France – from about 12.45 – 2.30)



The cable car goes up to 3500m/11500feet. This is the highest I’ve ever been (apart from in an airplane). The air was noticeably thin.



You’re looking at Tignes (itself about 2000m above sea level) and Val d’Isere below it:



Just to prove I was there!



Bill



The Essex boys



Paul



Nathan and Tracey



Very happy to see this still there where I left it - oops wrong pic, I meant to put in one of my bike but I can't be arsed to find it now.



And back to Bourg, it wasn’t very far. What an experience – 3500m/11500feet is just spectacular.

The evening? Well, can’t you guess????

Saturday

The day nobody wanted to come.

Packing up



We set off back the way we came – I really didn’t want to come back to England, it had been such a brilliant week. Onto the autoroute, but my tailpack kept sliding forward so I had to stop to adjust it. So I lost sight of all the others, and turned off the autoroute at Chambery – nope, noplace in sight. Got hopelessly lost in Chambery, finally found the road for Aix-les-Bains, remembered to turn off for le tunnel du chat, set off a speed camera in the tunnel (still nothing received) and on to Pont d’Ain, where I caught them up.


We didn’t go immediately onto the autoroute,, for reasons which I still don’t understand we went through the town of Bourg-en-Bresse, - it was baking hot, 38C, and with lunchtime traffic – slow – my leg was on fire again. Eventually onto the autoroute, hammered north, off at Dijon, and onto the fabulous country road up to Troyes – so pretty through the Seine valley. But Bill wasn’t hanging around and I was getting fed up with riding at 85 – 90. Fuel light on – oh ****. No fuel station. I slowed down and let the others disappear, I knew where I was going. I eventually caught up with Tony, he was with Marv and Col – his KTM doesn’t have a good range and he was out of juice. I had only a few drops – he siphoned a bit out and we spluttered to the fuel station a few miles up the road. The bike then cut out on the forecourt.

Overnight stop in a posh hotel at Sezanne where they didn’t really want 15 tired hot and sweaty bikers After dinner:



No more pix – my camera battery died

A few of us went in search of a beer or three as the hotel bar had closed, there was an open air concert in the beautiful town square, next to a huge Norman church. Glug glug…

Sunday

Hot again. Up the straight road through Epernay to Reims, onto the autoroute, We had left it too late to leave, we hammered up the autoroute, but the boys and I still missed the sodding ferry. An hour and a half on the baking concrete at the ferry port later…


It was a fantastic holiday. Nobody came off (although of course I dropped it), nobody got hurt, nobody got nicked. Bill changes his plans a bit, and a few of us found that irritating, and there was perhaps a bit too much hanging around. Would I do it again?

Put it this way,it was so good that I have a provisional booking for next year. With an orger, in fact. My liver got a hammering this time, I really fear for it next time. Can you guess who it is???

It would be great for a tribe of us to go! It cost £658 to include the ferry, hotels, and sharing the cabin with one other, and all Bill’s expert guidance. Bargain.



If anyone would like Google Maps of the routes we did, I'll post em up.



Roll on June 2011

Ed

[fizzwheel]

Quality write up really enjoyed reading that.

[Geodude]

Took me 45 minutes to get through that lot and it was well worth it. Thanks for sharing that Ed, and your write up made me feel like i was there. Cheers

[Luckypants]

Great post Ed. Sounds like a most excellent adventure.

Nice photos there. Looks like a good trip.

Brilliant Ed- I love reading these write ups- when the time is taken (like you have done ), its almost if the reader is there and sharing a wee bit of your journey.
cheers mate
husky

Fantastic write up Ed. It looks like a fantastic time was had.

I'm so jealous!

not started reading it yet Ed .. gonna get a kit kat and a brew and have a brill time taking my time.. I LOVE reading stuff like this that's why I do a lot of them too.. so thanks for taking the time.. I am gonna feel like I am goin on a ten minute holiday .. thanks for doing it.

off to make a brew and find that kit kat