Exploring New Places

It is now 3 weeks since the family left us in Chamonix and I have finally got round to updating the blog. Just goes to show how I can be so easily distracted from writing by doing fun things in new places. 

The common themes of the 3 weeks have been going to new places, the heat (it has been over 30 deg C most days) and the Lothians.

But let’s take things a bit at a time.

Before we left Chamonix we had a relaxing family free day climbing at Valancine , and caught up with friends from the Gritstone club. Life is different without the family, and we missed them terribly!

On Monday 16th we set of south into Italy and went to Gessu Valley in the Maritime Alps . This was the first of our adventures into new areas , and we were not disappointed. The mountains of the Maritime Alps are rugged and stately, with dramatic rocky peaks towering over the high valleys and tumbling mountain streams.

High pass and mountains

Fiona on the Punta Balmarossa

We stayed in the beautiful village of Entracquel, with charming streets, and a fascinating center for the study of European wolves. The center has a Hogwarts type display room where the pictures all come to life to tell the story of the wolves in the area, and a big enclosure with real live wolves roaming around.

A Wolf

Butterflies all over the place.

We were joined here by Jim and Mary Lothian and together we spend a hilarious 10 days in the area. The high points were the cycle up the Valley Gessu. We were caught up in the middle of a Sunday cycle race and got applause from the spectators and pats on the back (and pushes) from the competitors as they overtook  us. The ascent of the Punta Ciamberline ( 1200 meters with a entertaining scramble at the top)  , catching a trout on my second cast , the Funs via ferrata ( honest , and it lived up to its name) , fantastic storms, and generally having a great laugh with the Lothians all make it a place to go back to.

The Lothians had us in tears of laughter

The best fondu ever ... honest

Mountaineering on the Punta Ciamberline

The top of the Punta Ciamberline

Eventually it was time to move on, and on the 26th we went over the Magdalaine Pass (on 3 wheels at one corner as we passed a big lorry), to the Vercors in France. We stayed at the old town of Die in the Drone valley. Again as we had not been there before and were rewarded with 3 fantastic days of rock climbing, cycling and a via ferrata.

Fiona at full stretch behind the chantelle

Chatillon en Diois

 The valleys there were more open with lots of vineyards, beautiful old villages, and deep swimmable rivers, all crowned by rocky limestone escarpments. Lots going on with a weekend Roman festival of battle re-enactments, people in strange clothing and a late night concert for the whole town.

Romans in Die ...Obilix is about to appear

As we were coming to the end of this part of the trip we got a call from the Lothians to say Jim had been in a cycling accident and was in hospital in Beaune. We headed north to give what support we could . He had been in a head on collision with another cyclist and had a broken jaw, cheek bone and other facial injuries, so was not a pretty sight. We all stayed in Nolay while Jim recovered and had some remedial treatment, then we all set back to Calais on the 2 August with Mary driving and us following on.

While helping Jim to recover we managed to explore the area around Nolay on our bikes and even did a bit of climbing, as it was all new and part of our exploration of new areas.

Old Market in Nolay

Now we are at Calais and about to see Jim and Mary onto the ferry for the last leg of their trip home and a visit to the surgeons at the Inverness Hospital . Jim is looking a lot better, the swelling is going down, he is recognisable again, but I am sure he is looking forward to eating solid food again.

French church window ( because it is colorful)

Next stop Amsterdam.

Chamonix

Just coming to the end of two fantastic weeks in Cham with the family. The first week we were camping in Argentier with Iain, Gill, Malc, William and , of course , Iona. In the second week we were joined by Chris and Jenea in a chalet up at Le Tour. Two weeks of fun and fabulous weather.

We went climbing, walking , parapenting ( well Jenea did ), had a birthday party, champaign, went fishing, running, up to the glaciers, via ferrataering, aerial rope parks, and generally having fun.

Such is the summer with the Hutchinsons.

Selection of photos attached. Difficult to pick a high point , But William flossing on the rope walk is one of the funniest things I have seen for a long time.

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South to the snow

We drove and drove, through Holand into Gremany and stopped for the night near Mainz.

We found a friendly camp site in the Nohe valley wine area, so we had to try the local produce. After the first bottle it became obvious this was too good a place to rush away from.

We booked in for an extra night and spent Thursday cycling up the Nohe valley. It was fascinating county with vineyards, castles, towerimg cliffs, quaint old spa towns and best of all , some hills to cycle up .

The Rotenfele cliffs-spectacular but loose

I have to, in the interest of historic accuracy, record a non proven verdict on the 400 meters we climbed. There was a small majority of the view that the hills were a nasty shock after Holland . The alternative view, that it was pleasant to change the pace and grind out a couple of mile in a low gear, was held by a significant minority. But we did it and got back in one piece.

Other noteable discoveries were the salines. These are huge walls of brush wood dripping with mineral water from the spa. The idea is that you sit in the spray to absorb its bemefical propertoes. They were very refresihing to cycle by, but dont think they cured any of  our many ailments.

There was also a very impressive exhibition of stone sculptures.

We are now in Argentier looking at the snowy peaks. The family has arrived so the pace has changed . More later.

 Fiona at the top of a hill

Saline -wall of dripping brush wood 

 Stone sculpture park

 German vineyard and castles- what not to like

Picturesque Bad Kreuznach

Holland - the Ups and Downs

As you would expect of a country as flat as Holland , there are not many ups and downs, but the title appealed to me so we are stuck with it.

It is now Tuesday, and we have cycled ever day for the last 6 days. Not always for very long but every trip has be interesting with its own particular character.

As you saw, our first day was a charming route through the forest and dunes in a very strong north westerly wind.


Fiona in Texel

On Friday we crossed to Texel and cycled all over the island, climbed the lighthouse, went to the top of the highest hill and saw lots of unusual birds (spoon bill, rough legged buzzard to name two)...... in a strong north westerly wind.

The island has a long and varied history. It was one of the last point of the continent to be connected to the UK before the North Sea arrived. It was also a centre of whaling and Den Hoorn, where we stayed, was full of quaint old whaler houses.

On Sunday we returned to the mainland and drove over the huge causeway that crosses the Waddensea to the charming province of Friesland .....and the wind continued to blow.

Oudega -Boat in the centre of the village 

Now Friesland is a little know gem of a place with picturesque villages, a never ending network of canals and lakes full of the most wonderful boats, and very friendly people.

Our cycle ride on Monday took us from our campsite near Oudega down to the coast at Hindeloopen and back by the ferry at Gaastmeer in a strong north westerly wind (for a change).


Hindloopen - old port still on the coast

Fiona inspecting a Lemster Arc

Friendly ferryman at Gaastmeer

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Then on Tuesday we went sailing on the Aleisa Hendrika, a dutch sailing barge built in 1905 and now running trips for cyclist from Heeg to Balk. 

It was a beautiful day and with a spanking northerly.  We sailed down the canals and across the Slotermeer in fine style . As you would expect John bounced about, pulled all the ropes he possible could, and got particularly excited when he was allowed to helm. Fiona was far more helpful and worked her passage with her usual focused skill.

After the wonderful down wind sail , and fixing Fiona's third puncture in 3 days , we cycled north into , you guessed it , the brisk north easterly , back to the van.

Woods around Balk

Fiona marvelling at the canal
over the road

As I write the wind has finally dropped, the mosquitos are coming out , so we head south for France tomorrow...

In The Beginning

We are away!

The one thing worse than packing in a rush is having an unlimited period of time to pack! ...

It was good with 3 weeks to go to get the bikes serviced , and with ten days to go it felt ok to make a pile of stuff in the spare room. Then it got hard and I started to lose the will to live. What is in the pile of cycling clothes? How many gloves are in the 'mountain' bag? Where did I carefully put the passports?  Stress and confusion for all.

But now we are away in Holland and it was all worth while.

With all the stress of packing we have not spend much time actually planning what we would do on the continent. There was one fixed point , meeting up with all the family in Argentiere in July, but we were free to be flexible and go wherever we wanted for rest of the time.

So that is what we are doing. We flexibly changed our pseudo-plan of finishing our holiday with a cycle trip to the Frisian islands and are now starting with it. Today was a practice ride around the dunes near Bergen and it was a great success. The bikes worked well, we did not get lost , and the arguments were kept to an acceptable level as they were only about trivial things, and I always had the last words. ( which were 'Yes dear' without an exclamation mark I might add).

The weather is wild and windy with some big wave.

And the cycling was through spectacular dunes and forests

Off for a beer and some food ... then to Texel tomorrow and hope the 40km/hr wind drop a bit. Still it is not raining much.