High Into the Alps, Col du Galibier by Motorhome

With 33°C days forecast at Aix-Les-Bains, we were keen to decamp our motorhome from the aire yesterday and find somewhere cooler. We serviced the van ready for a few days up in the mountains, and programmed the satnav for a 3 hour drive up here, to the Col du Lautaret.

It’s just over 2,000m above sea level here (we’ve been here before back in 2018) and is reaching around 22°C in the daytime. It’s beautifully cold at night, about 10°C. We’re loving it, and so is our fridge, which struggles to stay cool in very warm air.

As we cruised the many roundabouts leaving Aix-Les-Bains we were already starting to sweat in the cab, cursing ourselves for not getting the van’s aircon re-gassed. About 40 minutes of motorway and B roads brought us to an Intermarché supermarket where we’d seen there’s a car park laundry (these are in the UK too: www.thelaundryrevolution.co.uk). One of the machines was empty, perhaps because it was hidden between two buildings so only the locals know where it is?

Ju threw in 10 days worth of laundry and we used the 30 min cycle to stock up on fresh food and icecream. There was a Bricomarché next door (think B&Q), where we picked up a hammer for the awning tie-down straps (I forgot to bring one) and some small bungees for the bike rack as the wheel straps are all falling apart with age.

On this trip we’ve decided to cough up for the toll roads to make the driving easier so cruised along on the A43, rather than tackle the slower parallel A roads. The motorway signs read TURIN as we headed east, with a handful of lorries presumably off to use the Fréjus Tunnel into Italy. The high cliffs around us were suddenly dwarfed by a giant ragged shadow across the sky ahead: the high Alps. Gulp. That means the mountain roads, and they never fail to get my anxiety fired up!

I’ve driven motorhomes across a good many ranges in Europe and North Africa, but driving these roads still takes maximum concentration. I’ve got the hang of engine braking and placing the van on the road around hairpins and narrow sections. But I doubt I’ll ever get used to the total lack of barriers, and all the traffic. Almost as soon as we left the motorway we were climbing up to the Col du Telegraphe, and were in among the almost-stationary cyclists, taxis, motorbikes, 4x4s, motorhomes, vans and quad bikes. Every man and his dog were up here, and everyone was in a hurry to get to the top.

I used to ride motorbikes (admittedly like an idiot much of the time, my knee-sliders were well worn and I’d used 8 of my 9 lives when I finally gave it up). So I know the sensation of wanting to roll fast through the bends and being stuck behind someone. It’s frustrating. As a motorhome driver I try not to get in the way. I indicate right when it’s safe to overtake, pull over to let a ‘tail’ of cars through etc. But there wasn’t much opportunity for this stuff: it was just too twisty and narrow and I was 100% in self-preservation mode. A taxi, quad bike and a biker all couldn’t wait and opted to pulled off ‘whoooo! that was close’ overtakes. Oncoming drivers no doubt later requiring a change of underwear. I uttered several choice words during these events.

As we missed the turning into the car park at the top of the Telegraphe when we were last here, we decided this time to stop for some lunch. Reaching the top, it was rammed. Cars, motorhomes, vans, people and dogs everywhere (I’m not sure about the dogs, but I imagine they were there). With nowhere to park, even in the official motorhome parking bit, we opted to keep going towards the Col du Galibier about 22km south.

Looking at the map we decided instead to stop at Valloire, until we discovered the town was holding an all-terrain vehicle fair, and every inch of car park, roadside and flat/not-so-flat bit of mountain was plastered in every shape and size of 4×4. Hundreds of them. Cool to see, but also bad timing on our part as many of them were driving to and from the fair, adding more traffic to the shared thin strip of tarmac.

Refreshed, we took to the road again, me mildly relieved we could actually get traction on the gravel. The road up to Galibier was easier than Telegraphe, more open and with less traffic and fewer cyclists to overtake. The views were astounding, although our focus was all on the road.

We didn’t go over the pass itself (we’ve done that before). Instead we used the one-way tunnel to skip the last km of climb. That was an experience in itself, we only spotted the traffic lights at the last minute which just flipped from green to red as we entered the tunnel. My prescription sunglasses can’t easily be whipped off, and the tunnel was dark and felt about 30cm wider than we were!

Popping out the other side, more jaw-dropping mountains exploded into sight. Spotting a large parking area with lots of space we pulled in to look around, stretch and take in the magnificence of it all. From here it was just an 8km 2nd gear drive down the mountainside to the Col du Lautaret, where there’s a tolerated overnight area off the main road we’ve stayed in before. We knew we could rest there for a couple of nights in an utterly amazing place.

At least we hoped we could, recent park4night comments and a webcam we’d been watching (click here to see it) showed it was very, very busy with motorhomes and campervans. As we descended Ju could see the area, but couldn’t spot a single place free, there were maybe 50 rigs in here. Last time we came in June 2018 and there were about 17 of us, much quieter. The pandemic has no doubt added to the number of rigs, but we’re still in the school hols and we know from experience many vans disappear as soon as they end.

Thankfully when we bounced our way into the rough ground of the parking area at around 3pm Ju spotted a space. Fairly tight, but then motorhome parking in Europe often means being 2m at most from the van next to you. As I engaged reverse, a grey bearded chap emerged from one of the vans and stood in front of it.

My heart sank as I expected a mild altercation. Nope, he was very friendly when Ju asked if he was OK with us taking this place. Phew, we were in. He just asked us to budge over a bit when the neighbours left, which of course we did. After that another 20 or 30 vans arrived. Some took space vacated by cars, others used other car parks closer to the road (with the associated noise), a few just parked right across the view of others.

We both chatted about a sadness we felt in among all the beauty, as this was one of the last places we stayed with our long-time travelling pooch Charlie. He was old and frail and that tour back in 2018 proved to be his last. We had to have him put down in Bourg-Saint-Marice, an awful experience for us. RIP Mogwai, Wee Man, you were a cracking vagabond-dog. A few tears were shed, but we’re back into it now, soaking up the wonder of the high Alps.

That was yesterday. We slept soundly last night, very grateful for the cool air. Despite being quite a way south in Europe and sat in a bowl of mountains, we were able to watch the athletics on UK satellite TV. I’d had a run up to the col so was a bit tired (I’ve done this run before), and we’d stood around outside the van eyeballing the myriad stars and dim glow of the Milky Way. The marmots which had bobbled up and down the hill the last time we were here were missing, only their squeaks let us know they’re still around.

Today Ju’s tackled a few miles of hill running. Some of the collection of vans have departed, perhaps taking to Italy just 40km from here, heading over Galibier or back down the valley to Grenoble. The sun’s framed by a completely blue sky, it’s very beautiful. We’ve breakfasted, sun-creamed up, and taken a gentle four mile hike into the edge of the Parc National des Écrins around the hulk of rock behind us to to a viewpoint beneath the blue-ice hulk of the glacier.

There’s more information about the day hikes around here (and tons of other places) on Dan and Esther’s blog. A few years later sadly Esther lost her life when hiking in the Pyrenees. RIP Esther, you lived a full and free life. Thanks to Dan for keeping this information available in her memory.

We’re checking out the weather now and it looks like it’ll stay hot in the valley for another day or two before breaking for rain. It’s a Friday too (aires and campsites are usually even busier at weekends), so we’re thinking we might stay put for a couple more nights before heading down towards Grenoble. We’ve plenty of fresh water, solar for power, a full fridge and a spare loo cassette, so can easily stay self-contained for another few days.

Cheers, Jay