HIGH-LEVEL TRAVERSE OF THE PYRENEES

HIGH-LEVEL TRAVERSE OF THE PYRENEES Longest day: 72km (Day 7 – Val d?Isere to Modane). Highest single climb: 1216m (Day 9 – Valloire to Col du Galibier). Most climbed in one day: 1277m (Day 5 – Beaufort to Cormet de Roselend). Number in party: 2 (1 male and 1 female). Planning Based on previous experience cycling in this type of terrain when camping and thus carrying extra weight the itinerary was planned around the height to be climbed per day not on distance to be travelled, setting a limit of around 1000- 1200m. This meant typically climbing one major col per day or perhaps two if not too much height was lost between them. This, as on similar trips, worked extremely well with most days requiring an ascent in the morning, packed lunch at or past the top of the col (whilst admiring the views) and then a long freewheel down reaching our planned overnight stop by early or mid-afternoon giving us Touring Department time to relax and recover. By staying in hotels and gites, and reducing the amount of weight carried, the duration of the tour could be shortened as the climbs would be ridden faster and La Route des Grandes Alpes more height and distance could be covered in a day. For example, a „classic? stage of the route (described in a guide that we read in France) is to cycle from Bourg St Maurice to Valloire in one day – whereas we took 3 days for this. Thonon les Bains to Menton La Route des Grandes Alpes starts on Lake Geneva at Thonon les Bains and Type of cycles used crosses the Alps to Menton on the Mediterranean coast. The stated length of the Mountain bikes with road tyres, one with 21 gears, one with 24. route is approximately 700km (430 miles). Brake blocks/cables and rims must be in good condition as the rides down from Time of Year the various cols are long, fast, winding (sometimes without barriers separating August 2000. you from a large drop) and can be very steep over short sections. Brake block and rim over-heating and consequent brake fade could be a problem and brief stops on the descents were regularly required to let the brakes and rims cool. Tour statistics 1Length of tour: 21 days. Weather Total days cycling: 16 days. 2:Total distance: 798km. Very little wind, days very hot and sunny (30-35C). It only rained once whilst Total height climbed: 15065m. cycling from Geneva to Thonon les Bains. Total height descended: 15439m. Road Conditions 1 Including travel to and from the Alps and rest days. 2We travelled mostly on minor roads, with some short sections on the main From Lyon to Frejus thus including cycling from and to the Bike Express drop-National routes. The minor roads were generally in very good condition and in off points, from Geneva railway station to Thonon les Bains, around towns and fact quite a few of the roads over the cols had been resurfaced in recent years villages on route and to and from campsites etc. C:\convert\temp\181390403.doc ~ Printed February 2003 ~ Page 1 (probably because the Tour de France visits this area each year) and gave very hot on the climbs yet it became quite cold on the long descents due to the „wind smooth rides. However, some of the roads could be quite uneven and cracked, chill? even when the sun was blazing and then we wore lightweight Pertex jackets. not a problem when climbing but requiring some concentration when riding the Good quality sunglasses and plenty of suntan cream are essential; it is very easy fast descents. Some of the main roads were quite busy. The worst traffic was to burn in the mountains even when overcast. around Briancon and in Menton. Maps Travel from London Michelin 244 and 245 1cm:2km. These are light, easy to read, show all the main We used European Bike Express, being dropped off at Lyon on the outward cols and the road colours indicate how busy they are likely to be. We highlighted journey and picked up at Frejus on the return. Travel to and from the start and the route with a marker pen and marked on all of the villages and towns with end of the route therefore required us to take local trains (TER, Grandes Lines campsites both on the route and in its vicinity in case we had to adjust our plans etc.) to connect with the Bike Express drop off and pickup points: i.e. from Lyon (which we did!). to Geneva (and then cycling to Thonon les Bains) at the start and from Menton to Frejus at the end. We read the Rough Guide to the France before we went, to find places of interest and general information and used the Camping France web site at www.campingfrance.com to find the campsites on the route. Accommodation and Food There are plenty of campsites at very reasonable prices (50-80FF per night for An IGN La Route des Grandes Alpes map is also available (although we only two people in one tent) and even though it was high season we never had any found this out once we had arrived in France). It is rather bulky but does give the difficulty in getting in and did not have to pre-book. For those choosing not to complete route in much more detail than the Michelin maps (particularly with camp the route passes through plenty of small villages and towns where it regards to contours), showing places of interest, accommodation etc. It should should be easy to find accommodation in hotels or gites. All places where we be available by order through specialist map shops such as Stanfords. A book in had overnight stops also had hotels or gites. En route each day we passed French describing the route is also available but we have not seen this. through numerous villages with cafes, restaurants and shops and importantly water fountains where we could refill our water bottles. We therefore found that a The Tour single 0.75 litre water bottle each proved sufficient (even in the very hot weather) as we kept them topped up from the fountains. For each day we give the total distance covered between the towns/villages where we started and stopped and the height climbed, along with the main For breakfast we had coffee and croissants at a convenient café (plenty around), villages and towns passed and cols crossed with their height above sea level. buying chocolate and bananas to eat during the day to top up our energy The distances given do not include the odd kilometre here and there cycling reserves. For lunch we bought bread, cheese and fruit (note that grocers and to/from campsites or around towns. bakers close at 12:30pm for a couple of hours so plan to buy any lunch provisions before then). We ate out each evening, usually sticking to the set We had one complete rest day during the ride, a further two half days for train menus with house wine (total cost in the range 100-120FF per person) and there transfers at the start and end and a spare day and a half at the end for was always plenty to eat. We also took a small stove to brew tea as and when sightseeing and relaxing on the beach. To avoid climbing during the hottest part we required it – this proved very useful for those first cups of tea when arriving of each day, we were usually „on the road? by 8am. at a campsite at the end of a day. Note that the route was initially worked out using the IGN 906 France VTT & Randonnees Cyclos map. However, this does not show the correct route at the Clothing etc. start or finish so on days 2 and 3 (Thonon les Bains to Megeve/Flumet) we We took sufficient clothes to cover all mountain weather eventualities from unknowingly deviated from the actual Route des Grandes Alpes. We did modify extreme heat/sun to cold and rain. By using the „layering? principle, we reduced the amount of clothing required to keep the weight and bulk down. We got very C:\convert\temp\181390403.doc ~ Printed February 2003 ~ Page 2 our planned route for the finishing stages once we ascertained the correct one. The correct route from Thonon les Bains to Flumet is: Day: 3 40km; 824m ， D902 to Taninges ， D902 to Cluses Route: Taninges, Chatillon, Araches, Sallanches, Megeve (1100m) ， D4 to la Clusaz over Col de la Colombiere Main cols: - ， D909 to Flumet over Col des Aravis. The day started with a short climb up to Chatillon sur Cluses. This village had a Day: 1 57km; 43m couple of cafes (which were closed) but also a bakers where we bought our breakfast. We turned left along the D6 and this climbed steadily through Route: Bike Express drop-off to Lyon Part Dieux railway station. farmland to St Sigismond where we stopped for coffee in the small café/general Geneva to Thonon Les Bains store on a road to the left up to the church (where there was also a fountain). Main cols: - The D6 then contoured around until Aranches where we turned right at the junction to Flaine (another café/shop here) and descended steeply down to the We were dropped off at about 5am and stayed nearby in a hotel booked for us N205. This road towards Sallanches was quite busy so at Oex we turned off onto by Bike Express. After breakfast at 9.30am we cycled into Lyon and caught the a small country road that ran parallel (and passed an extremely inviting lake with 12:42 TER train to Geneva arriving at 14:33. We cycled along roads near the swimming facilities) and after about 6km turned back over the A40 motorway southern shore of Lake Geneva via Hermance (the Swiss/French border point), and into Sallanches itself, a sizeable town. We stopped here for lunch before Messery (where we stopped for tea) and Yvoire (a picturesque but touristy continuing along the N212 (busy again) on a straightforward climb into Megeve. medieval village worth a brief visit) before rejoining the busy N5 for last stretch This is a sizeable ski resort with plenty of shops, hotels and restaurants and was into Thonon les Bains where we stayed at the campsite at Morcy. Thonon les very busy even in the summer. We passed campsites on the way into Megeve Bains is a sizeable resort with plenty of shops and hotels. but we chose to continue on a further 5km to Praz sur Arly where there was a campsite located at the small hamlet of Cassioz. We reached this via a minor Day: 2 55km; 1166m road from the Megeve tourist office, the road climbing (quite steeply at one point) before a fast descent into Cassioz. Praz sur Arly is another smaller ski resort with shops, hotels and restaurants and it was here that we ate in the evening, Route: Thonon Les Bains, Habere Poche, Mieussey, Taninges their being no restaurant in Cassioz. Main Col de Cou (1117m), Col de Terramon (1096m), Col de Jambez Day: 4 40km; 750m (1027m) cols: Route: Megeve, Flumet, Notre Dame de Bellecombe, les Saises, This first day enabled us to „bag? three cols, although after the initial climb along Beaufort the D12 through the pine woods to Col de Cou the remaining cols only required Main cols: Col des Saises (1650m) one short ascent and one descent. There was a café at the top of the Col de Cou but no facilities at the other cols. From the Col de Cou we descended to Habere From Praz sur Arly the N212 descended along an increasingly narrowing valley Poche, a small ski resort (the first of many on the route) where we turned left up for 6km into the village of Flumet where we stopped for breakfast and lunch the short climb to Col de Terramon. From there we followed the D32 down provisions. From here the D218B climbed quite steeply in parts to the Col des through farmland to the Col de Jambez and there was then a long descent Saises and passed through more yet more skiing villages. The col itself was through open meadows towards St Jeoire. Just after a small gorge we took the open and windswept with a number of ski-lifts scattered about and the ski resort D226 to Mieussy then joined the D907 for the final flat ride into Taninges. of la Saises at the top was crowded with tourists when we arrived. The ride down Taninges is a pleasant small town with a number of hotels/restaurants and shops was steep and twisting before the final gentle 3km climb along the D925 to located near the bridge over the river. The campsite is behind the football Beaufort. Beaufort is a picturesque town, closely surrounded by steep wood ground reached by turning right after the bridge. C:\convert\temp\181390403.doc ~ Printed February 2003 ~ Page 3 covered mountains and with plenty of shops, hotels and restaurants. We bought French ski resorts, it is not swamped by ugly blocks of apartments. It has our lunch from the market that was being held in the town „square? and stayed at numerous shops, hotels and restaurants. We stayed at the campsite at Le the Municipal campsite (on the left about 1km before entering Beaufort by the Laisinant on the edge of the town towards Le Fornet. D925). Day: 7 72km; 924m Day: 5 44km; 1277m Route: Val d?Isere, Bonneval sur Arc, Bessans, Lanslevillard, Route: Beaufort, Bourg St Maurice Lanslebourg, Modane Main cols: Col de l?Iseran (2764m) Main Col de le Meraillet (1650m), Cormet de Roselend (1967m) cols: The road out of Val d?Isere climbed gradually through Le Fornet towards the Pont St Charles (where presumably due to an optical illusion brought about due to the The road out of Beaufort climbed steadily through pine woods that gave us lie of the land, we were both convinced that the road descended rather than welcome shade from the sun, and after a couple of steep sections and a series ascended and wondered why it was such hard going or whether our brakes were of hairpin bends eventually reached the Col de le Meraillet, a very picturesque rubbing!). After crossing the bridge the road climbed, at times very steeply, spot overlooking a large deep blue lake. There was a café at the col where we through numerous hairpins towards the Col d?Iseran giving wonderful views over could have sat and admired the view, but we continued on. The road descended Val d?Isere and along the Iseran valley. Eventually at the look-out point at 2528m around the edge of the lake and then climbed again passing through a gap in the the road straightened out and the gradient slackened before the final few rocks before it reached a mountain refuge at Plan de la Lai. This was about the hairpins up to the col. Here there was a café where we stopped here for a drink halfway point in height from the lake to the next col and there was a convenient and a rest and to admire the views. From the col the road descended sharply fountain here where we refilled our water bottles. From the refuge the road down to the picturesque village of Bonneval sur Arc (worth visiting) and we twisted up to the Cormet de Roselend, the highest point that we had reached so stopped and bought our lunch provisions. The long descent continued along the far. There was no café at the top only a number of stalls selling local produce very scenic Arc valley interrupted only by a short climb over the Col de la and various types of rocks and crystals. The descent to Bourg St Maurice Madeleine just before Lanslevillard. The route then followed a spectacular gorge through open mountain pasture land with little shade was long (21km) but with enormous drops down to the river below and passed the impressive Fort straightforward. We stayed at the campsite just outside of the town on the road Victor Emmanuel, before finally descending into Modane. The Rough Guide to to Les Arcs. France correctly described this as a “dreary place”, the town seeming to be mostly boarded up! Even so we stayed here (at the Municipal campsite) as we Day: 6 31km; 1088m knew that there was no campsite further on down the road at St Michel. The main shops, hotels and restaurants were actually to be found near Fourneaux Route: Bourg St Maurice, Val d?Isere (1850m) around the Modane railway station. Main cols: - Day: 8 34km; 800m The road out of Bourg St Maurice climbed gently for about the first 10km before the ascent to Val d?Isere began in earnest, with the occasional quite steep Route: Modane, St Michel, Valloire sections through some of the villages. Although a main road, it was not Main cols: Col du Telegraphe (1566m) particularly busy. We stopped at Seez for breakfast and provisions and again at Saint Foy to refill our water bottles from the fountain by the church. We reached the Lac du Chevril (where the road up to Tignes branched off) by late morning The day started with a further long descent for 17km through the Arc valley and from there the road mainly descended to La Daille and then gently climbed along the very quiet N6 to St Michel were we stopped for breakfast. From here into Val d?Isere. We knew Val d?Isere quite well having skied there on a number the road to the Col du Telegraphe climbed steeply via numerous bends through of occasions (including just 3 months previously!) and unlike some of the large pine woods to the col. Here there was a café and we locked our up our bikes and C:\convert\temp\181390403.doc ~ Printed February 2003 ~ Page 4 walked up the short distance to the lookout point at Point du Telegraphe where walls that only took about 45 minutes to walk around. There are plenty of small the impressive view enabled the complete climb up t from St Michel to be seen shops to browse in and cafes and restaurants in which to sit and rest tired legs as well as the route along the N6 down the valley from Modane. From the col it and watch the world go by. Overlooking the town is an impressive fort that can was a short 5km descent to Valloire, yet another small but very pleasant ski be visited if your legs have enough energy for the climb up. resort. There was a cycling festival on in the town when we arrived and we spent a pleasant time watching the world champion trials rider demonstrating his Day: 11 55km; 1160m impressive ability to climb and jump between logs, cars, cable drums and other obstacles, including a telephone box! Route: Briancon, Guillestre Main cols: Col d?Izoard (2360m) Day: 9 54km; 1216m We found the ride up the the Col d?Izoard the hardest yet, even after (or perhaps Route: Valloire, le Monetier les Bains, Villeneuve, Chantemerle, due to?) a rest day. The road was unrelentingly steep and winding and with little Briancon shade the very hot temperatures did not help. There was a café/kiosk at the top Main cols: Col du Galibier (2646m), Col du Lautaret (2058m) and also a cycling museum but this was unfortunately closed when we were there. Over the col the scenery changed dramatically becoming barren and dusty, The climb up to the Col Du Galibier was the longest single ascent of the route, the road winding around the Casse Deserte, a huge scree bowl broken up by rising 1216m from Valloire. After the first couple of kilometres of climbing out of impressive vertical rock outcrops. Eventually the road descended back into Valloire the road reached a plateau at les Verneys which gave our legs some woodland and then entered the picturesque gorge of the Combe de Queyras and rest for a couple of kilometres, before resuming a steady climb towards to col. after we had passed through a series of short tunnels we found ourselves just The last few kilometres ascended quite steeply through a series of hairpins (and above the pretty mountain village of Guillestre. We stopped at the two star at one point very steeply where the road had been diverted due to work on the campsite near the roundabout where the road branched off left to the Col de Tunnel du Galibier). There was no café on the col itself but there were cafes just Vars (our next destination) and from that roundabout another road descended to below the col on each side. The climb was worth it, not only for the wonderful the right down to the village centre where the shops and restaurants are views but also for the marvellous descent down the other side. This was quite congregated around the village square and short mainstreet. steep and twisting down to the Col du Lautaret (shops, cafes and a fountain here) where we stopped for lunch. There then followed a fairly straight and fast 29km Day: 12 50km; 1109m descent (requiring very little pedalling) into Briancon along the N91, passing through the ski resort of Serre Chevalier (actually the three villages of le Route: Guillestre, Vars, Jausiers, Barcelonnette Monetier les Bains, Villeneuve and Chantemerle). The approach to and roads in Main cols: Col de Vars (2109m) Briancon were very busy and we fought our way through the traffic to the campsite at St Blaise, about 3km out of town along the N94 towards Gap. From the campsite at Guillestre, the climb up to the Col de Vars started almost immediately so we had very little time to get the legs warmed up. We soon Day: 10 0km; 0m reached St Marcellin de Vars, which with another two villages along the road, comprises the ski resort of Vars. After a stop for coffee, we descended down Route: Briancon (rest day) through pastures to the next village (Saint Marie de Vars) where the road then Main cols: - climbed steeply up to the final and largest of the trio of villages, les Claux. After a short break to refill our water bottles from the fountain by the tourist office, we To quote the Rough Guide to France, “Briancon is an imposing fortified town on completed the climb up to the col, passing one of the Refuges of Napolean to be a rocky height above the valleys of Durance and Guisane” and is the highest found in this part of the Alps. The descent passed the Colonnes Coiffees, huge town in Europe and definitely worth a visit. The old part is actually quite small, free standing towers of rock eroded from the mountain and went through couple ththe 18 Century interior full of steep narrow winding streets being enclosed by of tunnels one of which was pitch black because the road curved and we could C:\convert\temp\181390403.doc ~ Printed February 2003 ~ Page 5 not see the exit until we were well inside. Eventually the road joined the D900 towards the top. From the table d?orientation at the Col de Valberg, yesterdays where we turned right for the final gradual 16km descent into Barcelonnette. This Col de la Cayolle could be seen in the surprisingly far distance. The ski resort of is a charming small town with a long main street flanked by all manner of Valberg was a half a kilometre further on and it was here that we bought our different shops (including a good cycle shop). Most of the cafes and restaurants lunch provisions. There was then a short descent to the village of Beuil and are grouped around the square at the eastern end of the main street but others equally short climb up to the Col de la Couillole. The 1100m descent from there can also be found hidden away on the two roads each side of the main street. to St Sauveur was probably the most spectacular of the whole route, down a We stayed at the nearest campsite, 400m from the tourist office. narrow mountain valley with magnificent views on a winding narrow road with precipitous drops to one side and through a number of short tunnels carved through the mountain sides. St Sauveur is a small pleasant sleepy village folded Day: 13 63km; 1190m into a bend of the River Tinee and surrounded by steep tree covered slopes. It had a couple of cafes and restaurants, a bakery that doubled up as a general Route: Barcelonnette, St Martine d?Entraunes, Guillaumes store selling also fruit and other provisions, and some narrow streets to wander Main cols: Col de la Cayolle (2326m) around between the main street and the river. The climb from Barcelonnette to the 1190m Col de la Cayolle is long (30km) and Day: 15 29km; 1070m is thus quite gentle over most of the distance. From the town centre we followed the D902, stopping where it branched to either the Col de la Cayolle or the Col Route: St Sauveur, la Bolline, St Dalmas, St Martin-Vesubie d?Allos to ensure that we chose the correct one! The first part of the route passed Main cols: Col St Martin (1500m) along the narrow Gorges du Bachelard, criss-crossing the River Bachelard on narrow bridges, and then opened out into a very pleasant valley with sides covered by pine trees. We stopped at le Villard d?Abas for pain au chocolat and We had breakfast in one of the cafes in St Sauveur and then descended for 4km to refill our water bottles. At the bridge at Bayasse the road started to rise steeply down the D2205 and turned left up the D2565 towards the Col St Martin. This through a series of hairpins before it straightened out along a broad valley and winding road, initially hugging the mountain side, climbed steeply up to the then climbed through more hairpins and across a couple more bridges before it villages of la Bolline and la Roche, after which the gradient became kinder as it finally reached the col. The descent to St Martin d?Entraunes was along a steep, climbed through farmland and woods to the slightly larger village of St Dalmas narrow road with spectacular rocky sides but after that widened for a very and up to the col. At the col was yet another small ski resort (la Colmaine), this pleasant cruise down into Guillaumes, passing through a series of short tunnels being the most southerly in the Alps. From the col it was a short and swift just before the village. Guillaumes has a number of restaurants and cafes descent to St Martin-Vesubie. This is a lovely little town with steep cobbled located along the main street. We stopped at the only campsite, which was in a narrow streets, lots of character and plenty of places to eat and drink – rather splendid position about 3.5km further out of town, left by a bridge off the D2202 like Briancon but in miniature. We stayed at the Ferme St Joseph campsite just and along a narrow road running along the Gorges de Dalius. The campsite had below the town on the D2565. a convenient and cheap pizzaria that served the largest pizzas that we had ever seen (and eaten!) Day: 16 52km; 1101m Day: 14 45km; 1038m Route: St Martin-Vesubie, Sospel Main cols: Col de Turini (1604m) Route: Guillaumes, Valberg, Beuil, St Sauveur Main cols: Col de Valberg (1673m), Col de la Couillole (1678m) From St Martin-Vesubie we could have reached Menton in one day, but as we had plenty of time, our legs were feeling the strain of 14 days in the saddle From the campsite we cycled back into Guillaumes for breakfast and provisions climbing cols and we were therefore not sure we really wanted to finish the day and then embarked on the climb up to Valberg (left on the D28 just past the with a 396m climb over the Col de Castillon, we decided to break the route at bridge). This was steep for the first few kilometres but the gradient did ease off Sospel. The road from St Martin initially descended for 13km and on the way we C:\convert\temp\181390403.doc ~ Printed February 2003 ~ Page 6 stopped for breakfast at a conveniently located café near the road junction to Day: 18 9km; 0m Roquebilliere. The climb up to the Col de Turini was through the trees via what seemed to be an endless number of hairpin bends and was therefore not Route: Frejus (rest day) particularly steep. There were a number of restaurants at the col, it being a Main cols: - cross-country skiing centre. We were however disappointed that we could not catch our first glimpse of the Mediterranean from there. The route down to We cycled back into Frejus and locked our bikes up in the town centre and went Sospel was through vastly different scenery, mainly open and rocky with yet off for breakfast. Frejus is an old Roman town and worth exploring, although the more hairpin bends. Sospel, which was once on the old salt route to Nice, does main sites (amphitheatre, ramparts, theatre, roman house etc.) are rather not look much to start with. However it had a splendid plaza and cathedral scattered around and required some longish walks to get around them all. On hidden away from the main road and overlooked by the remains of an abbey and return to the campsite in the afternoon we treated ourselves to a well earned a medieval bridge spanning the river next to a row of colourful old ramshackled swim in the Mediterranean from a rather crowded beach. houses. It also had plenty of bars and restaurants! Day: 19 14km; 15m Day: 17 24km; 369m Route: Frejus, Bike Express pick-up point Route: Sospel, Castillon, Menton, Frejus (by train) Main cols: - Main cols: Col de Castillon (707m) After a final swim in the morning followed by a late breakfast at the campsite we After breakfast in a bar in Sospel where we were given free orange juice and packed up our tent and set off at noon to the Bike Express pick-up point which, informed by the proprietor that the weather was hot even by the normal from St Agyluf, was a mere flat 14km along the D7 via Roquebrune. The coach standards, we set off to Menton and the end our journey. The road up to the Col departed at 14:30 and we arrived back at Dover at 08:00 the next day. de Castillon is signposted as 6km but we measured it as 7.5km. This was a very easy climb, perhaps aided by the knowledge that it was the last of the tour and the lure of sea over the other side. On the way down we stopped at the the village of Castillon that prides itself as being a centre for artists. The village had been totally rebuilt since the war but in our view was rather too orderly and contrived. Infact, sitting in the small main plaza we got the impression that we could have been on a set for “The Prisoner”. The remaining descent to Menton was fast and uneventful and got busy once we reached the roundabout at the junction with the A8 Mediterranean coast motorway. From there the road continued straight on through the suburbs and town centre until it reached the sea where we stopped to take the obligatory photographs to show that we had actually made it. We caught a local train to Nice where, as we had to wait three hours for the next train to Frejus that would take bikes, we spent a pleasant couple of hours sitting by the sea eating our lunch and watching the world go by. The centre of Frejus is just to the north of its railway station but we cycled on a further 4.5km to St Aygulf (there is a cycle track next to the busy coastal road most of the way) where the campsites were situated. C:\convert\temp\181390403.doc ~ Printed February 2003 ~ Page 7