Undiscovered Walks 2013 Intro

You have to go the distance to discover.

At time of writing, i am sat in a hotel situated somewhere near Paris, having left the sweltering humidity of an uncharacteristically warm British summer for a slightly overcast french skyline, almost exactly halfway to my destination : the alps.

The journey so far has been fraught with misadventure and mishap: terrible traffic on both sides of the channel and the postponement of our crossing by a couple of hours being the main culprits. Fingers crossed the journey tomorrow will run a lot more smoothly so we can arrive at our first campsite in good time.

This year I will be going to two campsites, each of which will act as my main base for the hikes I am going to discover and impart to you throughout the next few days on this blog.

First of all, I will be returning to the campsite at Lac de Saint Apollinaire in the southern alps. This petite and picturesque campsite sits several hundred metres above the enormous Lac de Serre-Ponçon, a reservoir which is not only a feat of engineering and a honeypot for water-sports, but also a real source of beauty. Nestled beneath a vista of mountain scenery and blue skies, the lake is a must-see for anybody journeying to the alps, in the same way Geneva and Annecy are.

Indeed, that goes for the area as a whole: situated between the town of Briançon to the north and the Mediterranean around a hundred miles to the south, this area is not only a great area for getting off the beaten track but also tends to be quite kind with the weather - the tourist board for the nearby Queyras regional park boast that the area has sunshine "300 days of the year". Considering the weather in most mountainous areas is incredibly erratic and changing - with many valleys having completely different weather to its neighbour - this area is perfect for anyone who craves a lengthy period of settled weather in which to take to the heights. The area is also incredibly interesting historically - being very close to the Swiss and Italian borders means this area is home to many a fort, from those which have existed since the middle ages through to those built as late as WW1.

After ten days at Lac de Saint Apollinaire, I will be venturing north, closer to the heart of the French Alps, and into the Vanoise National Park. Although more regularly frequented by tourists, this area is an unknown quantity to me. However, I am expecting slightly worse weather in exchange for more impressive mountain scenery. This area is, after all, not too far from Mont Blanc itself: while the area around the Lac de Serre Ponçon has lush forests and beautiful sheets of water beneath craggy peaks, in the Vanoise area i can expect colossal mountains and stunning glacier.

Once I know for sure, however, I will be imparting my knowledge to you. Expect over the next few days a series of walking guides, following the hikes i have discovered from my two and a half weeks in the alps, peppered with my own thoughts and musings in between. I'm no doubt going to have a great time and I hope the following guides prove useful to you and indeed inspire you to find your own undiscovered walks.

Enjoy,

Jack.