Tag Archives: wild camping

Chasing views of Mont Blanc – plus hiking the Tour du Mount Blanc vicariously!

July 30, 2023 Lucy’s Logbook 5 Comments

European Roadtrip Part 3

Circumnavigating Mount Blanc, Western Europe’s highest mountain, the 170km trail or “Tour du Mont Blanc” (TMB) is considered to be one of the world’s classic treks. However, it takes a week and involves a serious amount of planning and ‘gear’, so is not our quest on this trip, especially as we are lucky enough to have our travelling home comforts in Skye! However, we were still keen to catch a glimpse of its famous snowy peaks, so set off for the iconic ski town of Chamonix which lies at the foot of the Alp’s highest peak. Notice I said set off……it took almost the entire day to get there, due to a detour to investigate the engine warning light which had come on in Skye that morning. Always a background worry when on a long roadtrip, mechanical failures can sometimes be quite hard to sort out (I should know – I’ve had a few!). Fortunately, a Fiat garage was located fairly nearby, the fault was found (a hole in the air inlet tubing) and was fixed with relative ease. So – why did it take all day? Well, there were a few things that came out of this detour, the main incredulous discovery is that the French stop for lunch between 12 and 2 – yes, for two whole hours it appears that the whole of France are on their lunch break! I was then informed by my France-expert and Partner-in-Skye that the French only work a 35 hour week. Seeing that my last few flights, both as a pilot and passenger, have been delayed by French Air Traffic control…..”c’est n’importe quoi”, it’s nonsense!! However, before I get in trouble with Mr Skye, I did spend some time looking into it and there are some interesting pros and cons for the French system (read this, for instance). Anyway, back to the problem in hand; we couldn’t have chosen a better place to kill two hours, as we were within walking distance of the lakeside town Annecy (I’m reliably informed that it is pronounced “On-see”) otherwise known as “The Venice of the Alps”. As if on cue, the torrential rain abated and we had a lovely explore around this ancient town, with its bridges, flower-box adorned buildings and cobbled streets.

Back at the garage, Skye was efficiently fixed within the hour (obviously not too much wine at lunch then?!) and we took the opportunity to replace the front tyres while there – in fact, we had been on our way to complete this mission when the engine light came on. If you are going to endure a mechanical problem whilst roadtripping, this one just couldn’t have worked out better: *Fiat garage ✔️, *Pretty town nearby ✔️, *Bad weather day ✔️, *Other mechanical job completed simultaneously ✔️…….it was a full house! Back on the road, we carried on towards Chamonix, but elected to stop just short in the village of Les Houches, the usual jumping off point for the Tour du Mont Blanc. My son and mates (or “The Waterboys” as two were called when they joined me for 6 weeks in Spain in 2020) had embarked on this trek a few days earlier……

Our trekkers starting off on the
epic Tour du Mont Blanc

Me and Sandie off on the trek……
not looking quite so professional!!

Again, the rain stopped for our stroll around, but once on the road it set in again in earnest and Chamonix just didn’t seem too appealing under those grey skies. The ski town’s position at the foot of Mont Blanc gives it its magic, but that comes with a rather brooding feel, as the near-vertical glacier hanging above the town looks poised to plunge down at any moment and the sun (what little there was) had already disappeared behind the granite. So, we drove on through, electing to spend the night way up high beside a reservoir (water again…..it’s a theme!) after a steep switchback ascent along a previous Tour de France mountain climb route. We’d been planning this visit anyway as we hoped that this would give us the best view of the Mount Blanc mountain range, so set off on a hike the following day to another, much higher, reservoir. The unexpected cosy refuge once there provided a very welcome cup of coffee and an especially welcome rest for our legs! The clouds were still with us but at least the rain had cleared, leaving peaks covered in the first snow of the summer….

Lac Emosson is Switzerland’s third highest dam and is a joint venture with the French as the power plant is on French soil. The dam wall is absolutely huge, due to the ravine carved out by the original river. The vertiginous height guarantees a great thrill – so when I saw that there was a zip line across it…….well, you can guess the rest!……

What a rush – Zipline over Emosson dam

Tonight’s nightstop was dictated by the TMB trekkers – it seemed too good an opportunity to catch up with them all and hear how they were coping with the huge ascents and the chilly rain. I could kid myself that they were keen to meet up with us too, but it’s more likely that the offer of a big hot bowl of chilli along with cold beer was the actual draw! Cooking for six in Skye is eminently possible, however, there was the inevitable “mum, can three more join us?!”, so now we were nine. Travelling with a man who eats like a horse, our food supplies were more than adequate, but our pan situation was definitely not – luckily my food-loving man has also got spades of initiative and came back from a local restaurant with two huge pans. Apparently, he left his credit card there as collateral……which is better than when he’d gone for a haircut while I was away and needed to find an ATM and he left Sandie as collateral!!!!!! So, the priority of food preparation was sorted, now it was up to me to find nine seats; with our regular chairs, beach chairs, camping chairs and cool box, we were up to seven. Where to seat the final two? On an inflatable sofa, of course! Bought in London on my previous trip and transported all the way to India and back, I hadn’t imagined that it would come in useful so soon!

*The Waterboys testing out the new purchase!*

The meal went down a storm and it was wonderful to experience a small part of this memorable feat they were undertaking and to absorb some of the youthful excitement and energy radiating from this intrepid pack. Hiking the TMB is no easy feat as it takes in 10 mountain passes, equivalent to climbing Everest, and is the reason why it is on every serious hiker’s bucket list – is that another one for our Maybe pile?! Maybe, but for now we were content to take in the morning by the glorious Champex-Lac and go for a swim in its icy waters; ‘bracing’ and ‘invigorating’ were words that could only be used once we warm and dry again!

*Champex-Lac, nicknamed “Switzerland’s*
*Little Canada” with vast forests, lake*
*and wooden chalets*

Our plan that afternoon, now that the sun was back and views of Mont Blanc were to be had, was to head to Chamonix to get lifted up to 3842m in the famous Aiguille du Midi, the highest cable car in France and the closest we’d ever get to the summit of Mount Blanc without actually climbing it. Just before setting off, my Skye Adventure man had a brainwave; let’s take it in turns to bike down the hairpin switchback road……great idea, any excuse to get back on the bike and pretend I’m on the Tour du France! Once at the bottom, we reunited in the car park of Gorges du Durnand, so decided to check them out (discovering random gems being a constant roadtrippers’ delight). Seemingly endless wooden steps took us up past 14 thundering waterfalls falling through a sharp ravine – absolutely spectacular, although totally lost on the terrified Sandie who had to be carried over the bridges (which were somewhat see-through….. I can see her point!).

*Preparing to cycle down the mountain in my Tour de France “merchant”!*

Our next detour was at a pretty Swiss village (aren’t they all?) with an unusual pink church, so we pulled in for a quick cuppa and walk. The local map showed the TMB trail passed nearby so, despite thinking our trekkers would be long past this point, we decided it would be fun to walk a portion of the trail. Imagine our Sa as sA\% then, when we encountered them setting up their tents; apparently the lure of the local bar had overcome their worry about tackling one of the hardest climbs of the week the following morning……we know, as we biked up a bit, before having to ditch the bikes and continue on foot! It was a wonderful, completely random meet-up, but we didn’t stay for too long as we had decided to tackle the switchback up to Lac d’Emosson again to get that long-awaited view of Mont Blanc. Finally! The photos don’t do it justice, but witnessing the 🏍️ setting sun casting its pink light on this breathtaking snow-clad majestic beauty was a real sight to behold.

*Detour to see the pink church in Trient resulted in a random meet-up with my son* 😁

Part 3 was nearly over and we still hadn’t visited Chamonix (having heard about it all from a dear Algarve friend, we just had to see it!). So, we made sure we left our mountain top with enough time to have an amble around this busy town, picking up on its cool vibe and enjoying a cup of coffee and croissant by the gushing river that runs through its centre. Next thing, unexpectedly, two rafting boats came along……can we put that on the list to do next time??!

*Our long-awaited view of Mont Blanc …..definitely worth the wait* 👌👌

Algarve to the Pyrenees via running bulls in Pamplona!

July 20, 2023 Lucy’s Logbook 8 Comments

Summer Roadtrip 2023 Part 1

Since deciding to spend the summer months in the Alps, there was just the small matter of getting there from our home in the Algarve. Knowing that we had to put some miles under our belts, we elected to make our first stop Merida, the old Roman capital of Hispania, in the middle of spain. This beautiful ancient city is a treasure-trove of incredibly well—preserved Roman buildings and rightly deserves its nickname of mini-Rome.

*Merida – the old Roman capital of Hispania*

Departing on our roadtrip in the midst of a publicised heatwave currently gripping Europe could prove challenging……especially for the newest addition to the Skye team. Meet our travelling four-legged adventurer, Sandie, a very adaptable, patient, loving little friend; adopted from a rescue centre in Loulé, she is rewarding us with love and laughs as she adapts to her new world. However, how were we to solve the problem of transporting her around in this ferocious heat? That was soon solved by ALPS man (see later), my ever-practical handyman and co-adventurer, who devised an ingenious “carriage” for the rear of his bike allowing Princess Sandie to travel around in stately luxury and not scald her paws on the roasting pavements. My contribution was to “pimp it up” with an addition of a Union Jack canopy……the whole contraption is proving to be a real hit for both her and everyone who sees her. In fact, she is becoming somewhat of a celebrity as she glides around Europe and is featuring in many holiday snaps!

Princess Sandie in her royal carriage
– with her own personal chauffeur!

Always happiest near water, we escaped to the cool of the nearby mountain range for a calm night beside a river before heading on to Salamanca. Another Spanish city steeped in history, it is known for its prestigious University (one of the oldest in Europe) and boasts a square, the Plaza Mayor, that is considered to be one of Spain’s most magnificent. With its impressive architecture and vibrant atmosphere, I only learnt later that it was built to host epic bullfights – what a spectacle that must have been, although I’m relieved that this is no longer practiced. Known as Spain’s “golden city” thanks to its honey-coloured sandstone, we really enjoyed our short time here.

The reason why our Salamanca stopover was cut short is we had discovered, to our incredible good fortune, that our next destination of Pamplona was in the midst of the world-famous “Running of the Bulls” festival. We couldn’t believe our luck and wanted to savour as much of this once-in-a-lifetime, “bucket list” experience as we possibly could. First stop upon arrival was to buy red neck scarves and sashes, so that we could blend in with the mass of humanity all wearing white and red.

Apparently, around 1 million tourists visit the Fiesta over the course of the week, expanding the city by over 5 times; walking through the crowded streets and seeing the overflowing bars, it felt like it. It’s hard to encapsulate the atmosphere on (e-!)paper as, at every turn, there were more crazy and unusual sights; an oom-pa-pa band marching, an entire square of dancers, gorillas and other fancy dress oddities, huge areas of street food with enormous bbq firepits and the biggest drinking fest ever seen, with throngs in the streets and revellers falling out of bars…..or just falling!! In fact, it is the sounds and the smells that are hard to sum up – suffice to say, there was a loud hum from the crowds, only drowned out by the odd tuba or drum. As for the bars, they were sticky underfoot with a distinct aroma of badly cleared-up vomit – sorry, just saying it as it was 😱 🤢 This video attempts to encapsulate it …….

Pamplona’s riotous Festival at night!

We stayed to watch the amazing fireworks, so after a short night’s sleep our 6am alarm call felt far too early – but there was no way we were going to miss the spectacle of the 8am bull run. And what was extraordinary was just how busy the streets of Pamplona were at daybreak (or was it that some revellers had never gone to bed?!) …….with everyone already jostling for the best position in which to watch the spectacle. A balcony would have been preferable, but €500 for the privilege of watching the runners and chasing bulls – likely to be all over in 20 seconds – seemed just a “tad” expensive!

The Pamplona San Fermin Festival takes place every July and for 9 days the town is descended upon by raucous revellers, drawn by the music and merrymaking. However, most of them are here to witness – or take part in – the Running of the Bulls. Each morning, the bulls are set loose to run through the winding, cobbled streets with fearless Mozos, dressed all in white save for red at their necks and waists, running with them. As the bulls thunder down the streets, the mozos start their run at their chosen spot and enjoy their 20 seconds of mad glory as they attempt to prove their bravery (or stupidity?!) as they dare to run in their path. Every year there are a few people who get trampled or even gored, but far more festival-goers get injured from the over-consumption of alcohol!

So we enjoyed observing the build-up, seeing the local band rallying the town and watching the medics get into position with their huge first aid kits and stretchers before heading to the Bullring. This was my first experience of being in a Bullring and I’m so glad to have witnessed the spectacle of it being full to capacity without having to see a bull being harmed in any way. That’s not to say that it isn’t cruel, as there is still a fair amount of taunting and baiting that goes on, but at least there is no physical cruelty. The atmosphere was electric – we were able to watch the bulls running through the town on the big screens, just before they entered the arena.

*Pamplona bullring – packed to capacity*

The bulls and runners enter the stadium

Once the bulls had run through they were then let out, one at a time, to go and inflict their worst on the participants. These people were keen to demonstrate their bravery by running up to the bull and touching it or even vaulting it, with the crowd egging them on and applauding any particularly brave moves. However, what really got the crowd going was when the bull managed to toss someone in the air or get its horns into someone – no wonder the medics were on standby!

Man v Bull!

After breakfast (yes, it was still that early!), we headed back to Skye to get our bikes and pick up Sandie. It was at this point that we realised that we create quite an eccentric and original sight, as we could hardly move for people wanting to take photos or stroke Sandie. Obviously, the Princess feels even more like royalty now with her serf, ALPS man, being the Royal carriage wallah……watch out, Sandie may even get her own social media following!

Princess Sandie does Pamplona!

Having felt like we had seen enough of the Fiesta, we headed towards the Pyrenees for a cool, calm (early!) night in the mountains with an inevitable hike up to a viewpoint the following day. It was just above an old railway station that had been turned into a hotel, so we paid it a visit afterwards – quite incredible feat of engineering that a railway was built here so long ago and wonderful that it has been transformed into such a sumptuous 5 star hotel.

*Canfranc Estaciòn Hotel – a 5* transformation of*
*the former extraordinary station building*

The general road through the Pyrenees is by way of a long tunnel, but we decided to take the mountain pass over the top and were rewarded by spectacular views. Luckily, this wasn’t a hair pin, “sweaty palm” type, so we could enjoy the vistas……although I suspect that there’ll be plenty of those in the next few weeks in the Alps 😬 Our next stop was Lourdes, as we needed to be near the airport the following morning. Why on earth would we need to be near an airport on a two month trip to the Alps??! Well, that is a very good question! The reason is that I am still working and needed to fly back to London so that I could operate the flight out to Delhi; it may sound a bit crazy, but having commuted for over 3 years now, it is just another, albeit slightly unusual, commute. And now is a good opportunity to explain how ALPS man got his name; whilst I am off working, he is in charge of Skye (and obviously Sandie!) and getting from one airport to the next……my very own Adventure and Logistics Partner-in-Skye!!! What a superstar (does that make him ALPSSS??!).

ALPS man and Sandie
(slight upgrade to Skye in the background …..to be explained in Roadtrip Part 2!)

Our camping spot near Lourdes was just beside the lake (it is inevitable, water calls us!) and, after a long cool swim in the lake, wondering if all our aches and pains had been healed by the water, seeing as it’s so close to the holy water of Lourdes. With the barbie lit and ribs marinating, we were just settling down with a bottle of champagne for a quiet, private celebration of my daughter’s Uni results (A First in a Masters of Aerospace Engineering, if you will allow me a proud mummy moment 😊). However, before we could even take our first sip, we were interrupted by another campervan …….muscling in on “our” view. Whilst we were trying to negotiate with him, another one arrived, along with a car – before long, the entire field was full of cars. Puzzled, we asked a local – turns out, it was Bastille Day and we had unintentionally bagged the best view for a drone display due to take place at 11pm. What another stroke of good luck!

Heading to the airport the next day, we left enough time to see …. Quite an unusual start to a day that is going to end up in Delhi, that’s for sure. Good luck with the big drive, ALPS man and Sandie – see you in Geneva!

Gloria goes on a pilgrimage: Spanish North Coast Roadtrip

August 10, 2021 Lucy’s Logbook 9 Comments

It’s not every day that you find yourself inadvertently ticking something off that’s been on your bucket list for decades, but that’s what happened when I decided to go for a long walk along the beautiful Spanish Northern coast. “Camino de Santiago” has always conjured up images of weary pilgrims in sturdy hiking boots with heavy backpacks, relying on dormitories in passing monasteries to rest their aching feet – somehow I could never bring myself to spend a holiday in this way. However, the intrigue of walking amid glorious scenery and joining others with a common goal of reaching Santiago de Compostela had always piqued my interest. Fortunately for me, when I decided to go for a proper hike along the North coast, I simply couldn’t believe my eyes when I came across a sign showing that I was actually walking it; my belief that the best way to roadtrip is to plan the big stuff, while allowing the rest of it to unfold and enjoy the experiences that come about as a result had just been well and truly reinforced.

This leg of the journey started with Gloria being picked up from her parking spot – it was so close to the Vigo runway that I could have practically walked off the plane and opened her door!

Despite having been all the way to Los Angeles, the new post-pandemic rosters mean that the trip is completed in only 3 days; totally exhausting, but I’m so grateful to still be employed and, since the US is still not open, I am able to make full use of the extra days off between trips to undertake this adventure. Feeling tired, I headed straight for the beach for an invigorating swim and then a wander around Illa da Toxa. The clam pickers were quite a sight, but the real sight was when they came in – I was stunned to see that every single one of them was a woman. Not sure how that became woman’s work?!

Santiago de Compostela, in the top north-west corner of the country, is the capital of Galicia and the climax of several pilgrimage routes or “caminos” from all over Europe. Entering the granite flagstoned old town full of quaint winding streets, little did I know that I was about to experience this extraordinary city during its annual festival or ‘Festas do Apóstolo‘. Luck was definitely on my side as, unbelievably, it was a Festival that takes place every 6 years because, if St James’ Day falls on a Sunday, it is known as a holy or xacabeo year.

In fact, my first view of the huge cathedral was whilst following the sound of live music (yes, I prefer ambling around new places exploring and sometimes getting delightfully lost rather than be a slave to a map!) and, on rounding a corner, coming across a square all set up for a concert later that evening. Being a huge fan of live music, I simply couldn’t believe my luck and got chatting to a French girl sitting on the steps who confirmed that the concert was open to all. After hearing her story, it became obvious why she was sitting down; it turned out that she had walked all the way from France. Yes, walked!! I had time to go and explore the unique aura of this city some more before the concert started and was really taken by the enormous Plaza, having the cathedral as a stunning backdrop. It was also a fascinating people-watching spot as there was such an array of different pilgrims, most sporting special neckscarfs, wooden walking sticks and identifiable by the large shell strung on their enormous backpacks.

After some tapas and a glass of red wine (an essential part of the experience, seeing as the city is also known for its culinary excellence), I headed back to the concert. The whole day had been full of beautiful surprises but nothing surprised me more than the music on offer……trendy Spanish rap artists, athletically prancing around the stage pushing out some hardcore, slightly ear-splitting hiphop-type ‘music’ (am I sounding like a real mum here??!).

Unexpected concert by the Cathedral walls

After waking up from an extremely long night’s sleep (see: LA in 3 days, by way of explanation😵), I walked back into the old town from Gloria’s resting space in the University quarter of the city. I couldn’t come all this way without seeing inside the famous cathedral, so lined up with a bunch of hobbling pilgrims and spent some quiet time inside this huge building, gazing at the ornate golden altar and lighting a candle for a precious loved one. Looking up, there was shiny orb called a botafumeiro (censer or thurible for those in the know) which weighs about 100kgs and takes eight men (tiraboleiros) to set in motion. Hanging from the central cupola of the Cathedral, it swings majestically through the nave, apparently reaching speeds of 42 mph through the transepts (felt like I was encountering a whole new language here). Dispensing incense, it’s purpose was not just a religious on , but also to drown out the smell of the pilgrims after their long journey on foot!

Inside the revered cathedral of
Santiago de Compostela

Much as I would like to have seen this in action, I couldn’t quite bring myself to sit through an entire mass in another language so continued on, but not before noticing that there were several priests available for Confession. The signs before them showed their different languages, really demonstrating how this is such a multi-national meeting place. Fascinated by how this cathedral became such a shrine, I spent some time investigating and discovered that Santiago is actually a derivation of St James (James can be Diego in Spanish); it is thought that the remains of St James, one of the 12 disciples, lies in the crypt at the centre. The fact that he was killed in Jerusalem, apparently making the solo journey there in a boat mysteriously made of stone, along with the bones being carbon-dated to a few hundred years after his death makes for a real leap of faith. Without wishing to offend, I think I’ll leave it there, but if you are interested in discovering more, then this article sums it up well. However, what I will say is that whatever the background behind the origin of this extraordinary place of worship, it really fulfils a need in humanity to have a place of beauty and calm – perhaps we all need to have our own pilgrimage destination?!

The remaining few days of my journey along the Northern coast were spent in gorgeous little villages with stunning beaches, all with the backdrop of sheer granite cliffs. The day generally started with a swim in the bay followed by an al fresco shower, a big long hike and seeking out a nice bar for a drink – mainly in that order, otherwise I’d never drive anywhere! The time on the road itself was a real pleasure, as it was breathtakingly sandwiched between huge mountains on the right and waves crashing onto cliffs on the left. Spain is incredibly well set-up for motorhomes, with most villages having an area dedicated for them and most large towns having places to empty the “potty” (not the most glamorous side of life on the road!) and fill up with water. So, yet another week had been spent wild camping all the way, my most spectacular spot being just below a lighthouse on a point. The UK could really learn from this approach!

Not being a great ‘tourist’, I did make one detour into the town of Oviedo, a walled medieval city and am so glad that I did, as I had a lovely stroll through its narrow renovated streets. I must have arrived at a popular eating time (3pm? 🤔), as all the outdoor tables at the numerous restaurants seemed to be overflowing with hungry locals and tourists consuming delicious-looking food and wine. Now this is definitely a town I’d like to come back and explore (mainly with my sense of taste!). It makes me realise that, up until now, I have been one of those 99% of English people who have only ever been to the Southern part of Spain – such a waste, as the North of Spain is simply unbeatable with fewer crowds, more atmosphere and incredible food (although, you’d have to add more rain to that list!).

As for walking the Camino de Santiago – is that still on my bucket list? (I can’t really claim to have completed the pilgrimage having just spent one day on it – but I must have walked a long way, considering that my taxi ride back to Gloria cost more than my ticket back to London!!). Well, in its favour, it’s stunningly beautiful and would make a fascinating quest……..

…….but the thought of walking for days on end with a heavy backpack and sleeping in a monastery???! No, I think that I’ll let Gloria’s rubber boots, comfortable top bunk and 2300 litres of beating heart transport me whilst I gaze at the views and pick my moments for a short stroll on the Camino……for now, that is 🤔

Thoughts so far:

Santiago de Compostela’s Cathedral is one of only three churches built over the burial chamber of an apostle of Jesus – the other two are in Chennai, India and the Vatican City

The botafumeiro is 1.5 meters in height which makes it one of the largest thuribles in the world!

There are 9 official Camino trails. The longest one starts in France, before traversing the Pyrenees and continuing through the La Rioja wine region. A mere 800kms!

I need a new bucket as my one obviously has a hole in it……every time I experience one item on its list, a few more creep onto it!