As we moved off from Lake Geneva and headed for the mountains, we knew that our adventures would take on a new form with new challenges. Our time at the lake was wonderful and just what we needed to unwind and relax after a hectic few weeks- with a very definite beach holiday vibe. As we moved off to the mountains we knew that we needed to be much more organised- making sure we kept a close eye on weather forecasts and making sure we were fully stocked up with food. At the end of the summer season, the mountain villages tend to close down and go into hibernation for a couple of months before the ski season begins. Consequently, we couldn’t be guaranteed of very much when up in the mountains- we needed to look after ourselves!
That responsibility started with a good old food shop at the Hypermarket. We love Hypermarkets as they are so different to what we are used to. As we become accustomed to early retirement we have however changed- in the past we would hit the food shopping hard, filling the trolly with gay abandon with anything and everything that took our fancy. Those times have long gone as we are now on a strict budget and also would not want to waste the amount of food we did in the past- so we had a list, a very concise and strict list, based around the 5 meals that we were planning for the next week, as well as lunches and breakfasts. Wow this was difficult and time consuming, checking every price for best value and Jackie keeping a running total in her head. The total came to €78, which was a big chunk of our spending to date, but we had everything we need for a week in the wilds, the water tank was full, and we were ready for off…but not before a classic vanlife experience.
We visited McDonalds for the sole purpose to try and upload our latest YouTube video. We bought vanlife coffees (the cheapest on the menu!), plugged in the laptop, hooked up to Wi-Fi and we were ready to press upload. What an anticlimax it was- public Wi-Fi is just s***, slower than seemingly dial-up ever was and it failed miserably- after 15 mins we were at 2% upload…no vanlife coffee was ever going to last that long! We quit whist we were ahead and got on the road.
We had decided early doors to spend about a week in the Chablais region, an area just south of lake Geneva and recognised as the significant start of the alps. The area is split into a couple of major valleys separated by huge peaks, but joined together within the Port-du-Solais ski area in winter. For our first part, we decided to head up the Abondance valley, an ancient route into Switzerland with a number of beautiful villages to use as a base.
The drive to Abondance was particularly stunning, up a winding mountain pass surrounded by imposing peaks and some fearsome drops to the side of the road. I love my alpine driving, and this was no exception. We had a quick lunch stop and beer in Abondance to check out some of the places we wanted to visit from our travel bible- The Wild French Alps, and realised that the walk to the beautiful lake of Lac D’Arvouin started from the next village up the valley, so we packed up and headed even higher, findinga great spot to camp for the night.
We set up camp, got our walking kit ready and went to find the tourist information office to get a map. The friendly assistant politely pointed out that the walk from the village could well be an 8 hour round trip- but we could drive up the mountain road to the head of the trail and it would only be a 2 hour hike from there. We were pretty frustrated at this news as driving felt a bit like cheating as well as us having just unpacked the van for the night, but we put our frustrations to one side, packed up the van again (!) and headed up the steep mountain side.
Things happen for a reason, and that tourist information assistant was clearly looking after us. He guided us not only to one of the most beautiful lakes we have visited, but he also unwittingly gave us the most amazing location to wild camp for the night in splendid isolation on the mountain side. The lake walk was brilliant, complete with alpine cows (with bells) for company, but the evening camp was probably more memorable. Looking out over the valley to the Swiss Alps as the sun set, having a BBQ with a beer and having the place to ourselves was just priceless. Listening to the marmots squeak, watching the birds of prey soar and having the alpine cows pass by the van will stay with us for years to come.
As we headed down from the mountain in the morning, we realised how high we had camped when their was a distinct smell of heated brake pads as we stopped in the village. We took the opportunity to top up with water from the spring in the centre of the village- like the cheapskate trampers that we have become.
We headed up the valley and into the very pretty village of Chatel- part of the Port-du-Solais ski domain, but as far away from a ski station feel than you could possibly get. Of course there were a number of very large ski lifts out of the village, but they did not detract from the natural beauty and historic feel of the village- it was very Swiss like in how it felt. We sat and had breakfast in the sun before heading off to the starting point for our hike for the day- the Col de Vernaz, an ancient trade route across the Swiss border.
By the time we had set off it was past 12 and was already steaming hot. The climb was incredibly steep through the forrest, then onto the high pastures, only levelling out when we finally got to the summit ridge. We suffered- a lot! I like to think that it was natures way of purging the alcohol from our systems and letting us know who is boss. I think that you can be UK hill fit, but nothing prepares you for the challenges of the alps. If this was a trade route in the past, I hope they were trading very light things!
We had a lovely mountain picnic just over the border into Switzerland, and then realised that the weather was pulling in sharply behind us. For about 30 minutes of the descent we got soaked- but it was really quite refreshing compared to the oppressive heat of earlier. On the way down we were lucky enough to come across a very angry and noisy Marmot who wanted to let us know we were on his mountain. We then had to tackles a herd of cows coming up the very thin path in the opposite direction to us. A Mexican standoff ensued, with the predictable outcome of us climbing around the stubborn beasts as they firmly stood their ground! By the time we got back to the van, we were pretty broken- I was completely cooked in the heat, and Jackie simply got the bed out and had a nap.
Once we had fully recovered, we decided to camp a bit lower down the valley as a storm warning had come through. We stayed at the simple aire outside Abondance- taking the opportunity to visit the historic Abbey before the rain came in. We did feel a little confined in the van, very much like winter camping, but we had a lovely cosy evening cooking paella, chatting and planning for the following day. The evening was made all the better by the discovery of the trip so far- Rose wine by the box (€8 for 3L)- if you get it cold enough- it is good enough!
Next up…we head further into the mountains- crossing the Col du Corbier to Morzine. Check out part 6 of our summer adventures here.
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