Homeward bound after an alpine lunch. Picture: Julie Cross
SCRAMBLING down a shale path through dense alpine forest on a 1-in-4 gradient as we make our way home — in slightly unprepared fashion — we are stunned to meet a jaunty chap coming in the other direction at quite a lick.
Bounding along in a cap, yellow jersey (of course, it’s France in July), long socks and with a pair of walking sticks, he offers a cheery “bonjour” before continuing his amazing ascent towards the beautiful village of Longefoy.
Our friend is training for the 6000D, a race through mountain villages, over multiple peaks to the glacier above La Plagne, the largest ski resort in France, and part of the Trois Vallees network.
The figure relates to altitude and 1500 competitors hike up 3000m and down 3000m. The arduous route can take some up to 10 hours to complete, the best do it in four-something and the locals stop everything to make a day of it, waving flags and cheering over frothing Kronenbourgs at roadside cafes.
Le Forperet restaurant at Montalbert offers astonishing views across the valley. Picture: Julie CrossSource:Supplied
Even in these spectacular surroundings of extremes, whether you are talking temperatures, heights or hairpin bends, the idea of running up a mountain still seems bonkers.
We are staying with family in Villaroland, a tiny village near Aime, which is a small, historic town at the foot of the mountain leading up to La Plagne in the heart of the Savoie region.
There are a few shops and bars, boulangeries, patisseries, a couple of supermarkets, a railway station and a 1000-year-old church, the Basilique Saint Martin. It’s an ideal base from which to explore a great winter destination in the summertime.
We had decided to yomp back from Montalbert to walk off a hearty lunch at Le Forperet and were taking an uncharted cross-country route down dry ski slopes, through empty resort complexes, little towns — stopping for refreshment — past tumble-down stone buildings, cute cemeteries and then through meadows, the steep, pine-smelling track, over an icy slate river — pausing to watch the white water rafters — and then up the other side of the valley, past waterfalls and farms to home. Phew!
A cemetery in the mountains at Longuefoy, discovered on our off-piste stroll home to Villaroland. Picture: Julie CrossSource:Supplied
Three and a half hours later, in the back garden with a bottle of red open and looking over at the forest slope through which we’d battled, my ski school director French brother-in-law and I retraced our steps and rubbed our aching joints.
It is not a route that has made it into the map books of the local tourism office just yet, but is one of thousands that make this such an amazing place at this time of year if you like fresh air and exercise.
You’d find Savoie and Haute-Savoie inside a triangle if you drew lines between Geneva, Turin and Grenoble. Other nearby ski resorts include Chambery, Tignes and Albertville, which hosted the 1992 Winter Olympics. Fondues, raclettes, tartiflettes are the local specialities, whether or not snow is on the ground.
Monal
This pretty little hamlet, once populated exclusively by monks, is a 40-minute winding drive from Aime in the direction of Val d’Isere, can’t be accessed in winter but is a magnet for walkers in the summer.
A church in the mountains at Granier. Picture: Julie CrossSource:Supplied
Simple splendour nside the church. Picture: Julie CrossSource:Supplied
The views en route are magnificent, with two glaciers, including Mont Pourri at 2380m, and a huge waterfall taking centre stage across the valley.
With Chapel St Clair, a fresh stream, lake, restaurant and cheese factory, it is a picture perfect spot, and what’s more each house has a grassed-over outdoor store, for milk and cheese, which resemble hobbit homes.
Refuge La Coire
Drive from Aime 20 minutes to Granier and take a rocky road lined with curious looking houses built into the mountainside with flat roofs to protect from avalanches.
Park at the whiffy Plan Pichu cheese factory and walk up, up and up for 90 minutes or so to the tricky pass at Col du Coin, crossing from the valley of Tarentaise into Beaufortain, famed for its tasty hard cheese, and track down a further half an hour through summertime snow to the turquoise waters of the Lac d’amour.
Cattle at ease near Refuge La Coire, in the French Alps. Picture: Julie CrossSource:Supplied
Standing proud here is the locally famous rock Pierra Menta, which later I would notice looking out from Le Forperet restaurant, joining a couple of small but important dots as I began to map this vast landscape in my mind.
Back at the refuge, which transforms into a restaurant when the snow melts, savoury crepes, a salad with hazelnuts and lashings of Piste Noire were the order of the day, and most visitors find time to stop at La Valle on the way home to take in another chapel and a splendid waterfall.
Our little posse travelled 700m up and 700m down, which quickly put into perspective what’s required for the 6000D.
Cooling off
The temperatures can hit 30C-plus in the summer, and an alternative to walking is a swim in one of the lakes dotted about the area.
Just 10 minutes from Aime is a man-made lake complete with sandy beach area, fountains and restaurant.
Hire a pedalo or an aquabulle, or lie back in the water and check the stunning backdrop. There is a cycle track which runs 15km to charming Bourg St Maurice, a riverside path for a stroll, and every so often a group of shrieking white water rafters will shoot by.
The beautiful river that runs through Aime, at the base of La Plagne, is a playground for kayakers and whitewater rafting. Picture: Julie CrossSource:Supplied
There are also outdoor pools at La Plagne Centre and Montchavin, but if you have more time and want something a little more spectacular Lac du Bourget, near Aix Les Bains, is an hour and a half west from Aime.
Here there are various spots to choose, some are free, while others cost a few euros to access, but generally include extra facilities.
We stopped at one which had a 3m diving board for the kids to fling themselves off at the end of a long jetty and a secure swimming area. Most families took picnics, although there was a licensed restaurant, which also sold the all-important ice creams.
Making shapes jumping off a diving board at Lac du Bourget. Picture: Julie CrossSource:Supplied
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