Road Trip "Route des grandes alpes"

[Julien]

Road Trip "Route des grandes Alpes"
8 days / 3000 Km (1800 Miles)

If you have the possibility to take holidays in France, i suggest you to follow this road trip on probably the most beautifull roads and landscape in France : "Route des grandes Alpes"

Day 1 (Monday 19 July 2021) : Ozoir la ferriere => La Clusaz

After a cold spring and a rainy July, we are lucky and this monday it's the first sunny day in this strange summer.

Nothing special on the road, The Elise is confortable on the highway, it was just difficult to store all of our luggages in the trunk : 1/3 for me, and 2/3 for my wife

LA CLUSAZ is a nice Sky station, here a view from our bedroom :


Day 2 (Thusday 20 July 2021) : La Clusaz => Thonon les bains => La Clusaz
Waypoints : Le grand Bornand / Col de la Colombière / Cluze / Les Gets / Les gorges du pont du Diable / Thonon les bains


THONON LES BAINS (near EVIAN) is a thermal town on the shore of the Loch Leman, just in front of Switzerland.
You can visit YVOIRE a nice village near THONON with midle age walls and buildings.

Example of gastronomy in this region :

Ham, cheese and patatoes

Tipical view near the mountain pass of "Col de la colombière" :




A video of the hill-climb of the mountain pass "Col de la Colombière" from "Le Grand Bornand"
It's mutch more a touristic ride , because my wife is a little scared on mountain roads and as you can see, there is a lot of cyclists, camping cars or some times farmer with tractors...

Watch on YouTube

To be continued...

[Dark]

La Clusaz is a wonderful village, have skied there for last 20 years but never visited in summer, it's on my list for trips in the Elise! The owner of the Le Lion d'Or opposite the church is French/Scottish and a very good friend!

[Stu160]

Spent two nights in La Clusaz after a blow out in the V6, lovely place, lovely food and lovely people

[graeme]

We've got family in Thonon, so we've done most of the good bits there in both Sport160 and campervan. Amazing, stunning, beautiful part of the world!

[Andy G]

good effort Julien - you are making me want to do another French Frolic with Lotus on Track now!

[Julien]

Day 3 (21 July 2021) : La Clusaz => Villarodin
Waypoints : Col des Aravis / Les Saisies / Bourg St Maurice / Val d'isère / Col de l'Iseran / Val Cenis / Villarodin


Hill climb to mountain pass "Col des Aravis" gives you a view on the Mont Blanc with it's eternal snow.


An other view at the mountain pass :


Up and down mountain pass "Col des Aravis" :

Watch on YouTube

View at mountain pass "Col des saisies" :


View between "Les Saisies" and "Bourg St Maurice"


Up and down mountain pass between "Les Saisies" and "Bourg St Maurice" :

Watch on YouTube

On famous mountain pass there are many photographs taking photos of cyclist, motorcycle and sport cars.
In the evening you can connect to the web site and order a photo if you want.
Here our Elise and us at "Col de l'Iseran"


View at mountain pass "Col de l'Iseran" just after "Val d'Isère" :







To be continued...

[Tim S]

I'm loving the write up of this - thanks Julien. It's been years since I've been in the Alps in the Elise. Now have the maps out and dreaming of the next one!

[Julien]

Day 4 (22 July 2021) : Villarodin => Orcières
Waypoints : Col du Télégraphe / Valoire / Col du Galibier / Le Bourg-d'Oisans / Villard Notre Dame / La Mure / Orcières


Some views at the mountain pass "Col du Télégraphe" :




Valoire is a nice ski station and in August there is a big trade fair of off-road véhicules and equipments (formely in Val d'Isère)


Another "Salade" of the mountain :
:

Then hill-climb of mountain pass "Col du Galibier" at 2642m (8668 ft)

Watch on YouTube

Between "Le Bourg d'Oisans" and "Villard note dame" it's a very narrow road, dig into the cliff




And several narrow tunnel like cavern...


You have to honk at each turn in case of there is an other car in the opposite direction.
In this case (it's happened 2 times), one of the car have to back out on hundred of meters until it reachs a larger part of the road to cross.

After 4 Km of this "road of the death", there is 4 Km of norrow hairpin turns without safety guard, and my wife was very scared.

I had planned to follow the red ligne to join "La Mure"


After "Villard notre Dame", a small hamlet, the road is now a dirt track with holes and rocks.
I was not sure to reach "La Mure" by this way without damaging the Elise, so we decided to go back "Le Bourg d'Oisans" by the road of the death again.

Then we take the N85 aka "Route Napoléon" to reach "La Mure" and then "Orcières".

I have many friends near "Orcières" because from 1995 to 2010, i was a Marshall in the organisation of the "Croisière Blanche" a 4 days expedition with crews from all Europe and probably 1/3 of British.


Unfortunatly, ecologists killed this famous expedition...

Typical gastronomy in mountains : "Pierrade" a stone or iron plate grill for meat :


To be continued...

[ryallm]

Looks absolutely brilliant. I really love that part of France. Hopefully I might do something similar next year in my Emira if it arrives in time for the summer

[Julien]

Day 5 (23 July 2021) : Orcières => Sisteron
Waypoints : Ancelle / Col de Moissière / Lac de Serre Ponçon / Briançon / Col d'Izoard / Vars / Barcelonnette / Sisteron


The road "Ancelle" => "Col de Moisière" => "La Batie Neuve" is still a special stage of the Rally of Monté Carlo.

View at mountain pass "Col de Moissière"


Narrow road after the mountain pass on the special stage :


Last turns of mountain pass "Col d'Izoard"

Watch on YouTube

View after the mountain pass :








The "Route des grandes alpes" continue after "Vars" in the south along the Italian border until "Menton" on the "Cote d'Azur", but we didn't want to go here, so after "Barcelonnette" we reach "Sisteron" a nice town.

Bizarre rock in "Sisteron" :


To be continued...

[C7Steve]

Looks a great trip and I am slightly jealous.


Steve.

[Julien]

Day 6 (24 July 2021) : Sisteron => Vallon pont d'Arc
Waypoints : Monbrun les bains / Vaison la Romaine / Mont Vendoux / Vallon pont d'Arc


Vaison la Romaine is very nice small town with a Romain bridge of near 2000 years.


In 1992, a catastrophic flooding ravaged the town and camping all along the river :


After "Vaison la Romaine", we reach a famous montain the "Mont Ventoux" it could be translated from old Fench in : "Windy mountain".
This mountain is famous for the cyclist race "Tour de France", but saddly when a British cyclist, Tom Simpson, died during the Hill-climb in 1967.

Last turns before the mountain pass on a beautifull road :

Watch on YouTube

Views at the top of the mountain :






Then we reach "Vallon pont d'Arc" in "Ardèche" a very nice region with small mountains.
We find a very nice Hotel on the shore of the river "Ardèche" just in front a cliff :

View from the room with 2 kids in rappelling :


View on the beach of the Hotel with the cliff and a lost of prestoric caverns :


To be continued...

[Julien]

Day 7 (25 July 2021) : Vallon pont d'Arc = > Issoire
Waypoints : Les vans / Prévenchères / Langogne / Brioude / Issoire


"Les Vans" is a very nice town in "Ardèche"


In the past (until 2011) it was the center of a big off road expedition.
Once again killed by ecologist

Between "Le Vans" and "Villefort" it's a road tipical of small mountain in "Auvergne" : Turns, turns and turns

At "Villefort", we enter in "Lozère" the more sparsely populated county in France.

For our last night in "Issoire", we find a small "Bed and breakfast" in a tiny house :




Day 8 (26 July 2021) : Issoire => Ozoir la Ferrière
Nothing special, now it's time to go home, and 200 Km before arriving, it rains

The Elise was the perfect car for this road trip, enough confortable, no oil consumption, no over heat during climb under 35°C, just the trunk too small

Hope to see you soon on French roads

[hendeg]

Thanks for sharing Julien. Brings back so many good memories.

[BigD]

Great write up and trip. Thanks for sharing. Recognise a few places and roads from frolic trips.