Uphill to the Sea
A walk through the Alpes-Maritimes to the Mediterranean Coast
Route details and statistics The GR52a skirts the edge of the Mercantour National Park starting at Colmars (04 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) in the valley of the Verdon, then heading east, south-east, and north-east to the Col de Tende (06 Alpes-Maritimes) in the … Continue reading →
22 – 23 April 2005 First down My route plan showed this was going to be our hardest day – 800 metres of ascent, but a knee-wrecking 2000 metres of downhill. By now we were used to finding fallen trees … Continue reading →
20 – 21 April 2005 Prêt à Manger La-Bollène-Vésubie has a Post Office open every day, Monday to Saturday. From 1000 to 1130. There was one food shop, but it was closed when we went up into the village at … Continue reading →
18 – 19 April 2005 Introduction The soft green glow from the backlight of my watch showed me the time – 1.16 in the morning. I’d been in bed since before ten, and just woken for a moment. As I … Continue reading →
In the north-east corner of France, the round tree-covered hills of the Vosges are the territory of the Club Vosgien. Founded in 1872, 75 years before the CNSGR/FFRP, and recognised as utilité publique in 1879, the Club operates a unique … Continue reading →
Waymarks on the French GRs and GRPs If you have ever used the French footpath network you will almost certainly have come across the red and white flashes of paint (balises) that mark the long-distance footpaths, the Sentiers de Grande … Continue reading →
Fifteen years after it won the Booker prize I finally got round to reading this book. It is an impressive achievement: amusing, exciting, and entertaining; complex and mysterious. Intertwined stories are reflected and echoed in each other. It’s a post-modern … Continue reading →
September 2004 Notes Hovering over bits underlined like this will show more information, if your browser supports it. Munros in bold, tops in italic. Distances measured from 1:50,000 OS map, so likely to be underestimated. Total ascent from cumulating altimeter: … Continue reading →
The high standard continues in the third book. If anything the "detection" takes second place to the stories of the characters: one leading player is effectively sidelined for the whole of the book while others take a more prominent role. … Continue reading →
Néouvielle Nature Reserve, Hautes Pyrenées, France 9 September 2004 During my time as a leader for HF Holidays I led two holidays in the French Pyrenées. On this particular day I took the group to the top of this 2657m … Continue reading →