Monday 15th September: Sunny but hazy 12°C to 18°C
Chapelle d'Abondence to Bernex: 24.5k: 9am to 6pm: 9hrs
Accommodation: Hotel Cro Bidou La near Bernex
Bread, Cheese, Beaufort sausage
Construction mountain style
GR5 walker loaded up.
I'm always second to the top - climbing up to Pas de Bosse 1816m
But first down the other side
Chalets de Bise in valley 1500 m
Another col after this valley
You smell like a goat. UR a goat
Do we really need more cheese?
Up to the Col de Bose at 1915m
Rugged Valley
Not the Alps but still spectacular
Lake Geneva from Col de Bise
View from Col de Bise 1915m
Beaufort Sausage for lunch
Lunch with a view of Lake Geneva
Ibex join us for lunch
Boulder scrambling to Porte d'Oche
Port d'Oche at 1944 m
Lowlands around Lake Geneva
Do you have a match please?
The ONLY epicerie all day
Celebrating Lake Geneva with a beer amidst the washing
Today we climbed the Col de Bise and saw Lake Geneva way off in the distance, wedged between two mountain ranges and 1700 metres below us. We're only a day away from touching the waters of the lake, and 3 days away from getting to Geneva. Today was a big day, with a total of 3,400 metres up and down.
We're awake early, Facetime and email home, pack, and go to breakfast. The jug doesn't work, there's one butter patty, the jam is jelly and the owners are busy serving coffees to the early bird workers who drop in on their way to work. The B and B is also a Cafe/Bar/Tabac shop and is the only place open this morning in the village. After last nights shut out and an awful breakfast this morning, we’d rate our BnB L'Escalade 2 out of 10. At least the WiFi worked, the beds were comfy and the shower was hot.
It's 8.45am when we leave to buy fresh bread and cheese at the Boulangerie where I also spy a Beaufort Sausage - our last Beaufort Sausage died a slimy green mess after Ian carried it on our last trip for 4 days. This time, we'll have it for lunch TODAY. After 2 hrs of climbing along roads and cow tracks to the Pas de la Bosse at 1816 metres, we shelter for a coffee and a cheese sandwich. With a warm tail wind, we’re both sweating. But the air at the top was cold and the wind on wet shirts made it even colder.
Once at the Pas de Bosse at 1816 metres, we can see Col de Bise across the other side. But first we descend to Chalets de Bise at 1500 metres. It smells of goats lolling around on the track. There's cheese for sale at the farmhouse - only if you carry it says Ian, so I give it a miss. After a steep climb to Col de Bise at 1915 metres, we're greeted to the wonderful site of Lake Geneva. After 28 days of trekking, our destination is in site. It's cold and windy at the top but at 2pm we're starving so we sit out of the wind with a herd of Ibex and a view of Lake Geneva. Beaufort sausage, fresh bread, butter cheese and tomato. There's still a long way to go as we head over to the next col, the Col de Pavis at 1944 metres. There's only a small descent across the boulder field to Porte d'Oche at 1937 metres. It's a large square opening in the mountains from a valley of boulders to the green fields and forests down to Lake Geneva.
We've been up and down in the Alps for 28 days, and today we descend for the last time - one long steep descent of 1000 metres through meadows and forests with a hint of autumn colours in the leaves. Bernex is just around the corner. The steep downhill through the forest finishes at La Fetiuere, where there's a car park for day walkers and a road leading down through Malpasset to Bernex. Half way down, there's a cave with a statue of Our Lady of Notre Dame and 3 people beckon us over. I'm thinking they want to show us statue, but no, in French that I understand because of the hand actions, they want a match to light the candles around the statue. No matches, but we have a gas can with a spark, which they use to light one candle. They're happy as larry and we continue on, with another 5k to go and it's already 5pm.
We walk a bit quicker down the road, hoping to get to an epicerie in Bernex before it closes. Yes it's still open. We've already checked out the restaurant menu at Hotel Cro Bidou where we're booked, and most of the courses have melted cheese with something or other. Fondu in disguise again. So we stock up on more lettuce and tomato and two cold beers, some Chips Ancienne (Kettle chips) and peanuts.
Hotel Cro Bidou, in La Beunaz, the other side of Bernex, is a delightful surprise. Only 72 euro but has a fridge and a table on the balcony for a picnic. We're dying for a cold beer but first the washing which we haven’t done for three days. We shower, wash everything we own, hang it on the balcony, then sit down to a cold beer after a long 3400 metre 9hr day. Picnic time with a carafe of rose from the bar to go with our sausage and salad. The air is noticeably warmer and more humid closer to Lake Geneve and it's lovely sitting outside. We book the next 3 days at Thonon, Sciez and Hermance - no huts - we're Chateauing in two mediaeval chateaux near Lake Geneva