Walking in the Mercantour - Sainte Etienne de Tinee and beyond.....

Chemin d'Energie - Mercantour - Saint Dalmas le Selvage

Walking in the Mercantour??  I should say
so............
your intrepid explorers at spacebetween, have
been suffering again for the sake of their "art" -
and a reccie further north in the Mercantour to
a stunning area, which (rather shamefully) we'd
never got to before!!
After thee weeks of blazing sunshine, the expedition loomed large, and larger than most it seemed, with
 a rare wind from Lombardy (thanks Italy!), whistling down from the North East with enough gusto to destroy Denis Longfellow's sturdy barnum tent in Le Boreon at 1700m.


As we headed up the Tinee Valley we seemed to be taking the direction of the only cloud cover in the Alpes-Maritimes.....hey ho....going back to bed was not an option.....!!

The D64 leads, rather enticingly, to the Col de la Bonette, so at this time of year is awash with leather clad bikers, but we shall leave them to their fumes and head uphill.  The first parking lot in the Vens area is often full and quite remote, should you be worried about leaving your prize possession un-manned for a couple of days.  While there is also another area just up the track, the route up from here is a bit of a slog, straight up!!

Better to travel on an extra couple of kilometres to La Pra, where there's a resto (Le Pratois!, serving standard looking mountain fare), and a few humans to boot.  The pathway zig zags up before arriving at the gorgeous Plateau de Morgon, and then rises again to the Maison Forestiere de Tortisse.  From there we'd planned to tackle the Col de Fer, but given the "wet day out in the Lake District" weather we decided to head on down the the Vens Refuge and then take a wander out later in the afternoon.  Suitably "tea'd up" we headed up to the Col de Fer in the late afternoon, stunning landscape, and were rewarded with a load of furries in Marmot Alley, then the magnificent sight of some 50 of so mouflons just to the west of the col, running back and forth along the ridge like startled wildebeest.  The location of the refuge is quite stunning, and you can enjoy your evening meal having raised a glass to the donkey power which has provided you with your tasty repast!!!

We'd been keen to do the tantalisingly sounding "Chemin d'Energie".  Alas this is not a Chariot of the Gods moment, but rather, early efforts by EDF to exploit further the area's hydro electric power.   You may only want to do it once; its a flat, rather monotonous walk at 2300m, with incredible views of course, over the Auron and the surrounding mountains into Italy.

We'd missed a wetting on the first day but  there was no escaping the hail and stair rods just twenty minutes before we got to the Rabouns refuge (like the Facebook page!), where we were delighted to re-meet Hugo - the delectable guardian there.  Hugo has worked in various refuges in the Mercantour before being lucky enough to be granted his "own" summer gaff.  Madame Jones was very pleased with her vegetarian meal, and the genepy soaked, post dinner, sugar lumps....yum......

......could have done with a few more to cut out the sound of the (inevitable) snoring but such is refuge life.  There has to be some downside to the joys of being out in the great outdoors!!

The following morning, which loomed blue and clear, we wimped out of Mont Tenibre (3031m), thanks to bllstered feet (I should know better!), but headed happily downhill to the first car park and a welcome Leffe in Sainte Etienne de Tinee.

This week - Mounier!!!


TOP TIPS

Wild camp if you wish (bivvying is possible between 7 pm and 9 am) - but beware of the mozzies at lake side.

Don't light a camp fire - illegal anyway - but this year there are lots of park rangers about and they are within their rights to fine you up to €1500!!!

Take a spare bag and pick up any odds and sods that other scumbags have chosen to leave behind.

The Lacs de Morgon - as photographed by Bruno Hajjar - look wonderful - off piste so no-one much around.

If you are coming in from the Vens Refuge and planning to tackle Tenibre via the Breche, make sure you have an up to date map.  The earlier edition has paths which no longer exist.  Nice pic by Jean-Marie Bree.

Don't forget the earplugs!!

Enjoy!!




Map IGN Haute Tinee - Auron 3639

Come on in - the water's lovely - wild swimming in the Alpes-Maritimes

Papillon at Lac Scluos - Mercantour

Good morning - it seems that water is on the brain at the moment...inspired by the four mermaids in a tank, from Britain's Got Talent? - perhaps not!!!  However Daniel Start has recently published a  Wild Swimming in France book which was featured in the Guardian recently.  Of course there are several recommended "swims" in the Alpes-Maritimes and just over the border into Italy - but rest assured there are many more secret and not so secret places where you can take a dip if you are hardy.....don't forget that the lakes are fed by snowfields - and the temperatures is appropriately cold.......later this week there's been a Top 10 Swimming Holidays feature in the Guardian....an interesting read as it starts out with sooper dooper places where you can get your cozzie on, to courses for the more devoted who can test themselves, around the world.  One of my favourite swim combos, on a four day horse trip over to Italy (can also be done on foot of course but it is a long way back uphill from Terme di Valdieri), is the ability to swim (or kayak) in the lake next door to Questa refuge, and then enjoy the warm sulphury waters in thermal baths. And below - the proof!!!!!

Enjoy..............get in touch with us - spacebetween - for more details...........

Lac - next to Questa Refuge

Terme di Valdieri - that is so good!!

In the spirit of we small and perfectly formed down shifters offering a great experience AND helping each other out - this is what Jacqui and Kevin are doing in Abruzzo. 

Love to have you in the Mercantour for the summer but we are kinda booked!!!!

KOKOPELLI CAMPING - this is what they are saying!!!

Active ventures, simple pleasures.

The smaller the campsite, the fewer the rules, the more the freedom Active ventures: Well off the beaten track in central Italy, the Majella National Park in the Appennines of Abruzzo is an idyllic play and training ground for any active adventurer. With its endless crags, gorges, lakes, wilderness and sweeping mountain roads, the Majella is just the perfect spot for climbers, hikers, bikers, cyclists and triathletes.

Simple pleasures: To the back drop of the Majella mountains and stunning views whichever way you look, we have no electric hook ups, no marked out plots, no campervans. Just tents and camping as nature intended. Just pick your view, pitch your tent amongst the olive and fruit trees, explore, chill, relax. Opening May 2012, between us, a pair of downshifting climbers, we have a fair amount of experience of climbing, mountain biking, cycle touring, triathlon and skiing. We’re also aiming for a self-sufficient, minimal impact lifestyle.
We cook our own bread, grow our own veg, enjoy a good festa and live for the mountains. With Kokopelli, we will be pulling all this together in Abruzzo, the relat i vel y unknown, but truly spectacular, heart of Italy. And you don’t even need a tent to camp with us: Camping our way: if travelling with all the paraphernalia of camping life is difficult, or you just fancy giving it a try, then why not use one of our tents? Or stay in Rosemary, our quirky little VeeDub? Rosemary can comfortably sleep 4 friendly adults, she’s got a small kitchen, cooker and fridge. She also has a large awning which can be attached to her side giving bags of space and a separate sleeping compartment.

 Camping without camping: if camping really isn’t your thing, we do have a rather nice
en-suite family room in the house, or a basic, but very comfortable, room in the barn,
sleeping 2-4 people.
 

Whether you’re in Rosemary, the barn, or the house, all the outside living, sun
terrace, BBQs, communal barn, showers, laundry and so on are available to you as if you were
camping. This way you get the best of both worlds.  A few mod cons: Just because we’re “back to nature” basic it doesn’t mean we’re prehistoric. We’re walking distance from Serramonacesca with its
two “sell everything” shops, two bars, a butcher and a chemist. We have wifi,
power points and are happy to charge your mobile phones, laptops & other devices.
We’ve got a communal fridge-freezer, solar powered showers (with gas back up), cooking
facilities and dining areas. We’ve even got a TV that we’re happy to share for big sporting
events and so on.
A little bit extra: whatever your needs or passion, we can (within reason) fit in with you.
We can pick you (and your bike) up from Pescara airport, we can arrange bike hire, give
you maps, guidance, itineraries or work with you to create a training programme. We can
drop you off at the top of a mountain if all you want to do is hike or cycle down. If you’re
a climber, we can show you the crags and give you crag guides. We can make you
picnics for your daytime explorations and you can join us for supper, wine, chat and
laughter in the evenings. We can even show you the local bars, beaches, events, festivals
and fun.
 

How to find us:

FB - Kokopelli Camping
Twitter - @JaqsD
www.kokopelli-italy.blogspot.com
jacqui_dixon@hotmail.com

Dreamin'of the Dordogne????

As we in the Mercantour are pretty chocker for the season for accommodation and holidays, let me pass you in the direction of Jane and Steve Harman-Hunt, who have found the perfect location in the Dordogne.  

Jane and Steve have only been in the area for a handful of years, and we spacebetweeners have not yet been over to visit them (France is just too too big!), but (given that Jane is a Lord at heart) you can be sure of a great welcome.

They are offering 15 % off all holidays at their home the Ridge in May and June 2012...which can't be bad in these stringent times.....

At the Ridge they have a 1 bedroom cottage and a 2 bedroom gite.  The area is just perfect for great lower level walking and chilling.  If you can drag yourself away from your lounger, there are many  beautiful towns and villages to explore locally, and many activities for children. 

For bookings in July and August......be quick!

Wildlife holidays in France...wolf watching in the Mercantour

The BBC have done the cause of the wolf a great deal of good in its recent excellent documentaries "Land of the Lost Wolves".

Anyone in the UK can still catch a look at the programmes via IPlayer - a service European mainlanders have yet to benefit from! Closer to home many people might not imagine that wolves could possible exist in our forests - aside perhaps from in Eastern Europe where their exotic myths link well to tales of Dracula in his lair, and Little Red Riding Hood!

However, the wolf is alive and well, thank you very much, in Western Europe, in France, and most certainly in Italy where the wolf has been less feared as a predator, thanks perhaps to the positive slant gained from Romulus and Remus and so forth. In the Mercantour National Park, there are allegedly 20 or so wolves that roam free. This, given that the park extends over 685km2 makes the sighting of a wolf a rare occurence, but they are kind enough to leave plenty of evidence of their presence in their wake, in the form or prints (very easy to spot in the snow), scat, dens, and kills.

Spacebetween do offer walking holidays in this beautiful National Park (which few people have still never even heard of - just an hour North of Nice!), which combined with a visit to the Alpha wolf park in the Vesubie valley is an excellent lupine experience. Unfortunately spacebetween do not have the funding nor the time to spend weeks crouching in the undergrowth.......as Gordon Buchanan must have enjoyed - lucky devil! The wolf here in the Alpes-Maritimes has had a particularly bad press, and was only seen again in the early 80s - in the area around which the Alpha park is now based. On the Italian side of the frontier in the sister National Park, the Alpi Marittime Park has also recently opened a wolf park - which spacebetween hope to be able to visit this spring. Wolf adventures are also offered further north in the Ecrins, which is sandwiched between the Mercantour and the Savoy to the North.

For more information about wolf orientated short breaks, or week long holidays - wolf watching holidays in France.

Image courtesy of Dave Willis - Mountain Sport Photography and Paramo.

Good eating on holiday in the Mercantour!!!

With apologies for the attactive but not very appropriate picture of attractive micro flora in the Mercantour - but at the moment I can't access our rustic shots of farmers, cows and cheese.....use your imagination by all means......However the main point of this short note was to say bravo to Hugues, Magali and Yann who had a feature on FR3 yesterday - programmed originally for last week - but had dropped down the schedule - cheese making in the Tinee - visible on Itunes - and the piece is at around 15 minutes into the 20 minute programme. Worth a look for sure and it is great to see the efforts of farming starting to reap some success and interest by the powers that be, to support them and encourage more farmers into the area. You will never be disgruntled by the price of cheese again - as you realise all the work that goes into making your cheese - best to give your Euros to small local producers than the big supermarket chains. There's cheese produced in just about every valley in the Mercantour - and each has its individual taste - fear not about hygiene either as the production is strictly controlled.....for anyone living on the coast here - their farm in on the way north to Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage - up a drive on the right hand side of the road. Cheese fans can also get their fill from the gargantuan cheese board served by Luc and Christine at the Grand Chalet in Valdeblore - it is justifiably famous! or, more modestly chez nous in Berthemont - where we have Jean-Francois' (well known in some circles for his dancing!) cheese on tap!!! Thanks to Kate Slater - I think - for the image.

Guns and roses (well mimosa at least!) - walking/riding and military history holidays on the French Riviera

While most of your time spent in Sainte Agnès might be spent escaping from the heat of the French Riviera some 800m below, and where many a happy hour can be wiled away in its tranquil streets admiring the craft shops or taking a jar in the Hotel Saint-Yves or the splendidly located Restaurant Le Righi, do spare a thought for the village’s rich history. For sure you might be surprised to see an excitable American chasing a troupe of horses round the village which will take you back to cowboy days, but Sainte Agnès conceals much more. In the 16^th Century the House of Savoy built a fortification in Sainte-Agnès, which was a strategic location between the Counts of Provence and Genoa. The fortress hosted no small amount of action between the French and the Sardinians, and became part of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia between 1814-1860.
In the 20^th Century the Maginot fortification was planned to defend the Bay of Menton and to prevent attack on the coastal cities from the north. In the SE of France, the Maginot Line became the Alpine Line or the Little Maginot line. Built between 1932 and 1938, the “ouvrage” in Sainte Agnès consisted of one entry block, two artillery blocks, two infantry blocks and one observation block which faced Italy, plus underground catacombs of more than 2000m2. Perched at 780m it was one of the most powerfully armed sites of the Maginot line and even today many of the guns are in working order.
Ste Agnès can be visited everyday from June to October and at weekends in winter months.
Military buffs might well be interested in the military relics of the Maginot Line in the Alpes Maritimes which gives details of all the military relics of the Maginot Line in the Alpes-Maritimes, in the late 1920s up to some 400 installations were being planned. Further images of the Maginot Line can be found on www.fortweb.net. Many of the sites today do require some finding, and come right up to the Vésubie valley near to the base of spacebetween, Mercantour walking holidays and accommodation specialists, who don’t do specific military history targeted breaks but would be bound to help visitors to get the most out of their break in this lovely part of the world.They do also offer more general walking breaks around the beautiful village of Sainte-Agnes, which military history or not is a splendid base for a holiday, and further north in the Mercantour.
The photo is dusk returning to the Med, and Sainte Agnes after a day out on horseback. For local horse riding contact Denis Longfellow on 00 33 622 295 886.