We had thought we might make it to Switzerland and get fairly high up a mountain but it wasn’t a clear plan (other than the only vignette pre-purchased was for the country we wouldn’t definitely pass through).
So as we headed to Turin we thought an obvious destination would be the Mont Blanc tunnel and drop into Chamonix. So did the MB trail a couple of years ago & really liked the place so we all fancied a look around.
As we’d managed (finally!) an early start we would get to Chamonix for about 10 and be fairly sure we’d get into the campsite we fancied which wasn’t far from the centre and would mean we could get set up & explore and decide how long we wanted to stay.
So glad we did. The place is incredible, so much to do and so much to see.
That’s the view from our pitch, the local transport is great, they clearly want to keep traffic out of the centre as much as possible so trains, buses & cycle trails made it very easy to park up and not worry about taking the van anywhere.
First trip into town that afternoon was on the bus, which took about 5 minutes but saved a bit of a walk. You just can’t stop looking up and staring at the mountains all around, it was baking hot but you can see snow?
After a couple of hours mooching around the shops and enjoying the cafes we headed back for any early night. Early start the next morning to get up Mont Blanc on the cable car. Slightly papping it when you watch them going & see the angle and the speed but it’s got to be done.
This has got to be the most memorable day of the entire trip. We headed off early, wrapped up ready for 0degrees up the mountain. I forgot the bag with gloves, so they are socks on tom’s arms in case you were wondering.
The cable car is exhilarating, terrifying, fabulous all in one. Just as you think you’re getting used to hanging from a thread hundreds of feet in the air you go through a junction point and there’s a steep drop so you feel a massive judder & you’re falling out of the sky. But just look at the view!
There’s a halfway point where you change cars to go up to the next stage and then after a slightly less terrifying ride you’re on top of the world.
It was a perfect day to see for miles & surprisingly hot as the sun flared down on us.
Simon then announces that he thinks it’s a good idea to do the extra little cable car that takes you on a round trip to see the peak of Mont Blanc and links up with the cable car that comes up from the Italian side. The border between the 2 countries runs through the summit so they can both claim ownership apparently.
If we thought the big cable car was a bit scary then this was something else. A tiny gondola made for 4 with every movement making it sway. Thankfully it was a completely still day, not sure I’d have coped with a breeze!
Again well worth it.
The station at the end of this line was the link to Italy with a perfect view of the summit, 4809 metres. Wow.
We had a bit of a walk down the mountaineers exit, the safety feature there is a fence that says once you climb over here you’re on your own so don’t do it unless you really know what you’re doing. It was still a metal walkway so we risked it and climbed over, but did decide we’d gone far enough when we reached the ladder down to the glacier.
Finally we headed back for the descent thrill ride, so glad we’d started early, they suggest about 2.5hrs for the experience, we managed about 5 hours up there (getting our moneys worth!) It was really busy by the time we were leaving. I think I preferred the busy cable car where you were tightly packed in!
An awesome day.
It gets dark pretty early under the mountains so we enjoyed a couple of movie nights all tucked up in the van and it’s pretty chilly at night but that’s been a welcome change after hot nights elsewhere. The big sleeping bags are out acclimatising is to the trip back home.
We decided Chamonix has so much to offer, even without skiing that we’d hang out here as long as we could, so next day was a cycle ride into town.
We stumbled across the end of the UTMB 106 mile trail run, so great atmosphere in town.
Si & Tom had a bit of a drama when a car suddenly decided to reverse up the narrow street they were in, Tom quickly dumped his bike and leapt out of the way but the car just didn’t see him and went over the bike. Tom was pretty shaken up and Si managed to keep his cool with the guy who eventually stopped and was horrified to see a kids bike under the wheel of his car. Amazingly the bike is fine and Tom got back on pretty quick, but a good lesson in cyclist beware, it’s the idiot drivers in a bad mood because they’ve gone the wrong way that cause the problems!
Our final day in Chamonix was a train in the other direction and a hike to a waterfall with a cafe. Brilliant fun.
Final night and a stunning thunder storm, so dramatic when the lightening is behind a mountain that towers over you.
Quickly packing stuff away so it didn’t get soaked made departure a bit easier the next day.
Our last couple of nights beckon, Chamonix has certainly topped all our other adventures. Loved it.
Our travels, mostly in the van 