Ensemble Cycling Vacations
  • Home
  • ABOUT US
    • Why Ensemble Cycling?
    • Q&A with the Director
    • FAQs
  • WHY, WHEN, WHERE, HOW
  • LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
    • Tripbooks
    • Ride Guides
    • Local Team
  • PHOTOS & NEWSLETTERS
    • Photo gallery >
      • Gorges de la Nesque
      • Mont Ventoux
      • Route de Suzette
      • Bastide de Ventoux, Sept. 2013
      • Girona area May 2015
      • Mallorca May 2017
    • Newsletters
  • CONTACT US
  • Blog
  • MacDonald Report

some additional TMB shortcut notes

2/2/2020

1 Comment

 
I found a few more notes in my files about the shortcuts we took.

1. We cut out the stretch across Chamonix, from Argentiere to Les Houches. That's the most developed stretch of the route and while i am sure on the high routes it would be spectacular, there is also a main road right up the valley with regular bus service and lots of car traffic and pretty ordinary villages. We also were staying in Chamonix before and after and so could get a sense of this area outside of the TMB.

2. We started by taking the cable car ski lift up from Les Houches to Bellevue/Col de Voza. That saved...I don’t know. Several hours.


3. We planned to take the local bus across les Contamines. The route drops you in the middle of town and instead of walking the X km to the end of the village, we planned to take the free local shuttle bus to Notre Dame de la Gorge, where the route really starts up again.

Note that a) the local shop in les Contamines closes at lunch so if you want picnic supplies, grab them as soon as you arrive in town (I think it closes at 12pm.

​Also, the shuttle bus driver takes a break for lunch too from noon til 13h45. We were stranded in the main square for our picnic (which was OK). Check the bus schedule. Here is a summer (ete) schedule from 2014. check again for 2015.

http://www.montblancbus.com/media/upload/Contamines/print-les-contamines-ete-2014-1058.pdf

Have fun


1 Comment

TMB updates (accommodations and meals)

2/2/2020

0 Comments

 
I've been asked for more information on where we stayed along the way. Here's what I remember.

Night 1. Les Balmes,
We arrived fairly early at our overnight spot, by about 3pm.

This is a fairly rustic spot. We splurged for the semi-private room (as opposed to the dormitory rooms which housed about... 15 people each.) the food was basic but fine. There's a nice terrace here where we enjoyed our traditional post-walk beer. We passed one other overnight option I believe it was Refuge Nant Borrant. We have no idea what it would have been like.

Night 2. Refuge des Mottets
this was one of our favourite stops on the trip. Again, we spent extra $$ for a fancier private room. And it was very nicely decorated.
Dinner here was excellent. A big communal hall but the food was very good.


Night 3. Buton D'Or. In Courmayer.
Not really a refugio. Rather a real hotel but affordable and a very nice room and a GREAT breakfast. There Lots of good little restaurants in town.


Oh and a note. We had midday coffee at Refuge Elisabetta. This place is stuck on the side of the mountain and looked really very neat. I think we peeked into a couple of rooms and they looked cozy and comfortable. We wished that our schedule had allowed us to stop here longer, or overnight.
THINK about making this work for you.

If you want to stay in the mountains tonight (instead of going down into town as we did) at the top of the Down gondola was Maison Vielle. It looked fun but a bit of a madhouse. Lots of families running around. Which could be a good thing.

Night 4. Bonnati.
A big refuge but with comfortable rooms (again, we paid extra for a private room) but up on the mountain with excellent views.
Big communal dining hall but decent food. Very organized.


Night 5. Auberge des Glaciers La Fouly
Again, this was down in a village. More of a small hotel than a mountain refuge. But a good spot. Good dinner.
There is a small food shop in town.

This was also the perfect location from which to catch the bus along the road that skipped the flat stretch to Champex.

Night 6. Trient
for our final night we stayed at the Auberge/Relais du Mont-Blanc
There are not many options in Trient. This place was a laid back hippie type place. Comfortable but a bit cobbled together. Shared showers and WCs. (but then anything is comfortable after a long day of walkin, especially over the Fenetre d’Arpette which was spectacular but brutal)
another fun evening meal with a big communcal crowd. Tasty as I recall.

There was a fancier place just up the street that was just opening up la Grande Ourse. It looked nice, but more $$$ I expect.

And the next morning we walked back to Chamonix.


​The End.
0 Comments

    Peter Stock

    Founder of Hosted Villas, Founder of Ensemble Cycling. Cyclist

    Archives

    February 2020
    January 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.