Alps August 2001

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I spent a week near Grand Bornand with a friend, Olivia. We stayed at La Ferme du Soleil, a chalet in Les Gettiers, up the hill from Chinaillon. It was situated at about 1500m, with the most spectacular scenery visible from the various balconies and mountain walks right on the doorstep.

In the summer, the area is pretty quiet, despite being so beautiful, as it is mostly visited for its skiing, which is obviously not available in the summer here! Most of the nearby chalets are still occupied by farmers for the summer, and the lower floors occupied by their cattle in the original alpine fashion.

The walking in the area is mostly on good paths, except on the multitude of rocky summits in the area which provide some good scrambles, and hillwalkers and mountain bikers were out in force on sunny days. There is also plenty of rock climbing, on the same rocky peaks. The local Alpine Guide company runs at least one walk each day, some further afield than others and ranging from family strolls along the valley to glacier crossings in the Mont Blanc Massif. Chamonix is only an hour or so's drive away, and we spent a day there (the pictures are here).