France: Alps by Motorbike

In the summer of 1995, we made an epic 2000-mile journey to the Alps and back, keeping to the high passes that border Italy and Switzerland.  It was soon after I’d passed my driving test and bought a motorcycle, a 1000cc BMW police bike.

The Route

We travelled through Burgundy on minor roads down the Yonne Valley from Auxerre to Nolay, where we stayed in a friend’s house both on the journey out and back. From Besançon, we rode through Switzerland over the Forclaz Pass in pouring rain to beautiful sunshine in Chamonix.  We skirted the Vanoise National Park, where we’d been the summer before and Mont Cenis, where we’d skied the previous winter.

The Aim

Our goal was further south, where we planned to walk in the Queyras. But to get there, we had to cross the Petit Saint Bernard, walled in by 3 metre snow drifts, the Col de l’Iseran, Mont Cenis and the Col d’Izoard.

The Queyras

The Queyras is one of the oldest mountain ranges of the Alps, was among the last to be opened to public tourism towards the end of the 20th century, and remains relatively unspoilt. On reaching the Queyras, we met a young man called Michel who invited us to stay at his family home in L’Eychaillon, What we didn’t realise, when we agreed to follow him on his motorbike, was that his home was high up above the valley and the only way there was up a switchback dirt road. We left the bike there and went off walking on a mini tour of the Queyras, staying in delightful mountain refuges and dining properly in the French way.

The Return

We had to race back for a friend’s wedding, covering 550 miles on the last day, but nevertheless found time to visit Ecrins National Park and go white-water rafting near Briançon.  It was a great adventure.

Published 29 Jan 2024, 68 pages, ISBN 9781912460670