Holiday in France 14 - the Ecrins, Alpe d'Huez and a disturbed night
Looking back I cannot believe we packed so much into one day. After driving or cycling through the Col du Galibier and the Col du Lautaret and also stopping to take photographs, we were still in time for a late lunch. On the road to Bourg d'Oisans and Alpe d'Huez we noticed a little byroad coiling seductively down towards a blue pool. Perfect for a refreshment stop.
When we got down to the pool we discovered that it was the feeder for a small hydro scheme producing electricity for the local village, Villar d'Arene. Very neat. There was a place to park by the pool and we duly ate, admired the scenery and noted it for a possible overnight stay. The first picture is our first view of Villar d'Arene looking down from the main road.
We drove for quite a while through the Ecrins national park and got to Bourg d'Oisans and the start of Alpe d'Huez around four o'clock. It was not inviting. Bourg is quite a large town and was grey with cloud. I drove up the switchback road to the top of Alpe d'Huez (1,815m) while Alan cycled. There was nowhere to stop to take photographs and the whole road was lined with concrete sleepers on the slope side and seemed intimidating. No views could really be seen and it was getting prematurely dark. The ski village at the top of the climb is frankly ugly. After the wild open spaces of the Galibier and Lautaret this seemed cramped and miserable.
Driving down the clouds cleared and we headed back to our little lunch spot for the night. Just before the pool there was a small municipal campsite whose gates were opened but otherwise seemed deserted so we decided to stay there and pulled up on the grass at the bottom of the site. We ate, I took a couple of pictures of a pretty non-existent sunset and then we settled down to sleep. In the wee small hours we were awoken by heavy rain, the first we had had on the holiday despite the clouds and mist. Concerned that we might get bogged down in mud we moved the van back to the concrete safety of the car park in front of the pool.
Next morning we woke early and thought we would take a walk before we left. We set out on a path up the side of the pool only to be surrounded by slavering hounds and the sounds of close gunshot. Worryingly there were a couple of people with rifles just through some trees from where we were and even worse the silhouette of a man with a rifle on the top of the ridge training his sight in our direction. We persevered. I think the English are more popular now in France than they used to be!
When we were leaving the hunters returned to their cars, fortunately empty handed. I don't know if we had ruined their sport, but they did smile at us, maybe they just thought that they would get us next time!
Again a large number of photos, including one Holga of the pool and a monochrome conversion of an ICM picture of some birch trees.
When we got down to the pool we discovered that it was the feeder for a small hydro scheme producing electricity for the local village, Villar d'Arene. Very neat. There was a place to park by the pool and we duly ate, admired the scenery and noted it for a possible overnight stay. The first picture is our first view of Villar d'Arene looking down from the main road.
We drove for quite a while through the Ecrins national park and got to Bourg d'Oisans and the start of Alpe d'Huez around four o'clock. It was not inviting. Bourg is quite a large town and was grey with cloud. I drove up the switchback road to the top of Alpe d'Huez (1,815m) while Alan cycled. There was nowhere to stop to take photographs and the whole road was lined with concrete sleepers on the slope side and seemed intimidating. No views could really be seen and it was getting prematurely dark. The ski village at the top of the climb is frankly ugly. After the wild open spaces of the Galibier and Lautaret this seemed cramped and miserable.
Driving down the clouds cleared and we headed back to our little lunch spot for the night. Just before the pool there was a small municipal campsite whose gates were opened but otherwise seemed deserted so we decided to stay there and pulled up on the grass at the bottom of the site. We ate, I took a couple of pictures of a pretty non-existent sunset and then we settled down to sleep. In the wee small hours we were awoken by heavy rain, the first we had had on the holiday despite the clouds and mist. Concerned that we might get bogged down in mud we moved the van back to the concrete safety of the car park in front of the pool.
Next morning we woke early and thought we would take a walk before we left. We set out on a path up the side of the pool only to be surrounded by slavering hounds and the sounds of close gunshot. Worryingly there were a couple of people with rifles just through some trees from where we were and even worse the silhouette of a man with a rifle on the top of the ridge training his sight in our direction. We persevered. I think the English are more popular now in France than they used to be!
When we were leaving the hunters returned to their cars, fortunately empty handed. I don't know if we had ruined their sport, but they did smile at us, maybe they just thought that they would get us next time!
Again a large number of photos, including one Holga of the pool and a monochrome conversion of an ICM picture of some birch trees.
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