Motorhome Holiday Vibe in Aix-Les-Bains

We decided to stay a couple of days on the motorhome aire by the marina in Virignin. The ViaRhone cycle path ran right next to it which was great for running and also shock, horror, we actually cycled on it too. I’m not confident on a bike and hate cycling with traffic around me, but give me a cycle lane, and as long as we don’t go too far or fast (brakes must be applied on the downhill at all times), I’m up for it.

We cycled just a few kilometres, including across a cycle path bridge, to see the Pierre Chalet gorge. The Rhone winds its way through the sheer cliffs either side, with an old bridge and a couple of roads squeezed in for good measure. It wasn’t as impressive as some of the gorges we’ve visited in the past like the Caminto del Rey in Spain, but it was a lovely pootle about on the bikes.

Before we headed for bed, I nipped outside to catch a glimpse of the ‘Blue Moon’ as it rose over the mountains behind us. It wasn’t red like images we’ve seen from folks back home, but it was still impressive to see – I even got the ‘big camera’ out to take a photo.

The following morning was a waiting game, and we’re a bit rubbish at those. The motorhome aire at Aix-Les-Bains is very popular, and because it’s part of the Camping Car Park network, you can see how many spaces are available on their app. This is both good and bad. Good as you can see if there is space, bad as you can see those spaces filling up as you drive towards it. We’d watched spaces come and go the previous day, and it looked like between 10.30 and noon was the best time to arrive. We serviced the van, in case we didn’t get in, so we were ready to head somewhere without services for the night, and then set off around 9.30am.

Our first obstacle of the day, Jay’s nemesis – the Tunnel-Du-Chat. We first drove through it in 2013 in Dave, our 2.20m wide motorhome. Why is this important? Because the tunnel width restriction was 2.35m, so we didn’t have much room to play with. The second time we tried to drive through, the tunnel was closed, and we were sent on a detour over the mountain road. Normally this would have been a bit of a squeaky-bum time but manageable. However with all the extra diverted traffic, and us meeting a 52-seater coach on one of the tightest bits (he wouldn’t budge so I had to get out and back up traffic so we could shuffle around him) it became one of our more memorable drives.

This time it was straightforward, almost boring, as the width restriction is now 2.60m (we’ve no idea why as it hasn’t been widened) but that gave us plenty of room to pass a fellow motorhome and a couple of lorries.

After rounding the bottom of Lac du Bourget (which you’ll have almost landed on if you’ve travelled to Chambery airport – see below), we were still a tad early to try and bag a space in the aire. So we stopped off at an Intermarche and stocked up with food and fuel. Zagan’s fridge refused to light on gas while in the car park, so it was a quick shop after which we headed for the aire hoping we’d be able to get some hook-up to keep our ice creams frozen. We drove to the barrier and tapped our camping-car park card on the keypad (which still seems strange, but that’s what you do at these places). The barrier lifted and in we drove. All that stress about would we get a place was lifted with that barrier.

Checking the app once we’d parked up it said there was one space free. We don’t exactly know how the system works as you can book spaces in advance (if you’re happy to pay for that feature) and you can also leave the aire and come back to your space (well, a space, it might not be the one you left). However we don’t think it knows if you are leaving to move on so it holds your space until your 24 hours is up. This might explain why there were several pitches free last night and a queue at the barrier because the computer said it was full.

The motorhome aire at Aix-Les-Bains (I’m pronouncing it ex-ley-bann, no idea if that’s right though) is one row back from the big posh frontline apartment blocks that overlook the lake. We suspect the area in front of the apartments is a flood plain as it has flooded here several times in the past. These days it happens less frequently because the Rhone was dammed in several places and is under control, but if there’s lots of snow in the winter it could happen again. So, while the patch of land has some restaurants and fun fair rides on it now, I suspect they disappear in the winter. Either end of the tree-lined Esplanade Du Lac are marinas, packed with boats floating on crystal clear waters. I instantly felt in holiday-mode, while Jay went for a run before it got any hotter.

This region is heading into another heatwave, which will sadly limit our time here in Aix-Les-Bains. By Friday the mercury should be well into the 30’s, and we’re already feeling a tad warm at 28c. We walked 5km along the lakefront yesterday afternoon at the pace of sloths, the sun zapping our energy. Any tiny bit of beach was like human soup as everyone took to the water to stay cool (despite warnings about some sort of duck flea (puces de canard) that can infect your feet.

Sitting on a warm harbour wall after the sun had set behind the Dent du Chat (the cat’s tooth mountain peak that the tunnel takes its name from) was one of those moments I know I’ll remember forever. It was just a lovely holiday moment, even with ducks quacking at our feet demanding food.

We’ve retired very early, and we know we’re fortunate to be in this position. However, somehow it never seems like we go on holiday, we simply shift our lives to another place. So for once it was lovely to recapture a bit of the feeling I used to get when I set up my ‘out of office’ message and bolted for the door with a week of freedom ahead of me.

This morning I was up early to get in a 10 mile run before the sun got too high in the sky. We’re both taking part in the Robin Hood Half Marathon in September, and building up my distance with training runs means I won’t hate it – I know this from experience. I followed the cycle path around the lake and past the end of the runway for Chambery airport.

I’ve previously flown into Chambery for ski holidays, the airport is only open to big planes in the winter. You descend over the lake with the mountains rising up either side of you. It’s a fantastic sight. I’d love to see the view from the lake-side promenade, but I bet the engine noise makes a right racket – no wonder they don’t land at night.

After a quick shower we walked a couple of kilometres away from the lake into the town centre of Aix-Les-Bains. The history of town goes back to Roman times. Queen Victoria liked to visit, nobility and the wealthy took to its thermal waters, but today it turned out was all about more recent history.

The town was marking the anniversary of its liberation after World War II. There were information boards in the main square, but we just missed the main event. A lectern stood empty and flags were being wrapped up when we arrived, but lots of folks were wandering around with small paper tricolor flags.

The streets were busy despite the temperature, so we were pleased to find a restaurant in the shade close to the town hall for some lunch. Once we were back walking around in the sun, with full tummies, we didn’t last much longer. There’s probably loads more to see, but we got a good vibe from the place and would happily pop back another time.

Jay is poring over the maps and planning our next move. Now we are down here in the Alps, suddenly a month doesn’t seem long enough. There is so much that we want to see and do, however these days we prefer to stop for a couple of days in each place. I have no idea how we did two years moving pretty much each day, but I guess we were 10 years younger then. As for the Alps, we’ll just have to save some of it for another trip.

Ju x