Part 1: rest day, waterfall cycle, forest/alpine meadow/hut walk
Patisserie inspection / dissection Our favourite shady spot by the poolAcorn collection We cycled up to Cascade du RougetExploring below the waterfall Cycling a little further up… … To find a gorge (canyoners for scale) Plopping (universal toddler fun) Natural limestone paddling poolsShade AND a view Cuddles by the cascadeSummer evening light at the campsite lakeStill (and) warmAnother day, another forest trackOut of the treesView back towards Samoëns Nearly at the hutRefuge du BostanArty grass and cliffsTraverse to hut number twoLovely paths and fantastic views Heading down again Forest wanderers
Part 2: cragging, ridge walk/scramble
Arty beech leavesClimbing! In the shade! Jess preferred scrambling around the bottom of the cragShe did try a route though First climbing for Mummy in over four years (and first leading since I can’t remember when) Sitting on a ledge Claire desperate to climb tooCrag life Watching… Back to Col du Joux Plane for a walk the other wayJess was fascinated by the chairlift – we ate lunch at the lift station as it was the only shade and got a bit of a shock when the chairs unexpectedly started movingFinally a snowy view – the Mont Blanc massifScrambly step (cabled, but a rope for Jess) On up the ridgeThe top! (High point of the holiday, 2090m)Geological viewRidgyExploring some skiing infrastructure Toddling with a backdropCan’t keep up with JessMont Blanc through the grassCafe direct (about to join up with our previous route)
Part 3: rest day, cycle up (and down) the Col and journey home
Playground On our final day we cycled up the Col du Joux Plane, as featured in the Tour de France (not this year) – about 1000m ascent. This needed our earliest start yet (8.30)First stop – for suncreamAbout 400m upPause after a steep bitLong stop about 700m up, for doughnuts /first lunchWhat else are picnic benches for? Ice cream at the topNearly back in Samoëns Unscheduled stop at the ruins of the Glacerie de Sylans due to accident/tunnel closure at Nantua. Ice was shipped from here to Paris in pre-freezer daysThrowing demonstrationHaving timed our arrival at Calais just as the border queues were rapidly building, we had the strange experience of being on a mostly empty ferry and thus having our breakfast freshly cooked to order
Yellow Van Mountaineering 