This morning started slowly as we set about doing some forward planning as our time remaining is getting low and there is so much more we would like to see. This turned into a session looking for ski-in/ski-out aires for the ski season in our next trip. That lead to yet more places we would like to see, so the session ended with no real conclusion on tomorrow’s destination but some great ski plans for the winter!
Today at least we had a plan though. Kevin had spotted some nice quiet places either by a lake or the river running to it on the edge of the next village. So we had literally a 10 minute drive along the road and then hairpins down into the bottom of the valley.
First stop was to stop by the lake for some photos and to suss out parking. There was already a small coach with some school children and a few cars and it was not the glorious isolation we were after. So we carried on past the village down a gravel track past some quarrying type works. We got to engage 4wd at long last and soon we’re pleased of it when we met a Unimog off-road truck coming the other way and we had to back up into a gap to let him by. There was a helicopter landed who then flew off carrying some sort of large metal box up and out the valley. Not sure if this was anything to do with the road works going on at the Col de Galibier.
Anyway, we drove to the end but we were right at the end of the valley and had lost our mountain views. So finally we took another track and are parked up by a lovely clear river. The dogs jumped straight in as we parked up.
The little carpark is used by climbers it seems from the information boards. Indeed the other van was ascending the rock face nearby after lunch. The one other van just got back from their walk and have headed off so we might be the only ones here tonight.
Despite the relative isolation, the small hamlet across the river is giving us full mobile signal. So I took the chance to catch up with family and French lessons. Hopefully later a nice walk with the dogs and cooking dinner by the river. 😁
In for a Penney 