Mo Murphy Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I'm toying with the idea of traveling to the Alps next summer and crossing them by green lane / gravel track. This I suspect would involve crossing the maritime Alps from France into Italy as the Swiss would be far too glum to allow us to use any of their tracks Is this the bit that Hannibal came along ? Does anyone have any experience of this ? Have you planned it, driven it and/or photographed it. Is there a best route ? Can anyone help to plan a route ? I'd prefer to avoid organised tours as they're not really my cup of tea. Any info welcome Cheers Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Moseph I would talk to Hillbilly Raider - yes I know she is not exactly loved on here, but the guide that Alpine Rovers use for thier runs in the Alps sure does know his stuff The other guys I would talk to are the Alpine Club (sadly my membership lapsed last year after 20 years!) and the RGS edited to say try the Randoneurs Vert as well http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl...l%3Den%26sa%3DX The Raid D'annibal used to follow this route but is sadly no longer with us - it were a hoot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bull Bar Cowboy Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Is this the bit that Hannibal came along ?Does anyone have any experience of this ? Cheers Mo Yes & yes ..........the track is private BTW .............but there is a way..........and not all of it is drivable, but what is drivable is a real nice ride.......... I started at Val D'Isere as much of the track is privee, but the Val D'Isere 4x4 club have rights to drive it............. but you have to be accompanied.......... The club is in the main street about half way and you go to an office at the back of some shops........... it is well sign posted............I was lucky, as they were 'doing a run' whilst I was in the Alps .............. that was back in 1999. You might be able to find the club on the web ? .................... the guys there have all the info Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orgasmic Farmer Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I sent you the link a few days back Mr. Mo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted June 7, 2008 Author Share Posted June 7, 2008 Yes, Mark indeed you did. It's the rest of the journey I have to think about too though Thanks Ian and Dave. Has anyone else been ? Come on post up, don't be shy Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 I did this last year Mo, not entirely on tracks, but spent quite a bit of time off tarmac. Went from about 90 miles north of Chamonix, along the Swiss border, dropped down into Chamonix for a few days, then back up to cross into Italy. I would also highly recommend driving through the Verdun Gorge on the return route. Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 I did this last year Mo, not entirely on tracks, but spent quite a bit of time off tarmac.Went from about 90 miles north of Chamonix, along the Swiss border, dropped down into Chamonix for a few days, then back up to cross into Italy. I would also highly recommend driving through the Verdun Gorge on the return route. Martin Verdun Gorge is so cool, both the high and low roads and that fabtastic town at the far end... Damn but I love that part of france Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 Verdun Gorge is so cool, both the high and low roads and that fabtastic town at the far end...Damn but I love that part of france Do you mean the town Digne Les Bain? If so, I agree! What a beautiful place. I headed North from Monaco through the Gorge, on probably some of the best driving roads I have ever been on. Millions of opporunities to get off road there. When we got to Digne, I fell in love with the place. Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted June 8, 2008 Author Share Posted June 8, 2008 Do you mean the town Digne Les Bain? If so, I agree! What a beautiful place. I headed North from Monaco through the Gorge, on probably some of the best driving roads I have ever been on. Millions of opporunities to get off road there.When we got to Digne, I fell in love with the place. Martin Martin, Were they opportunities with rights of way or just tracks that looked promising ? Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 Bit of both I guess Mo. The ones that looked promising were the ones going back up into the Little Aplini (foothills) but I did not bother with those as the ones with definite rights of way were the ones going off the little minor roads running through the gorge, into the gorge itself, which were superb. As I was with my girlfriend, and it was a driving holiday, it was not necessarily an off-roading holiday.....I did not drive all the routes as I would in an ideal world. You would be able to drive a substantial distance through the gorge (about 50-80 miles at least) by entering on any track and traversing through the gorge entirely off-road. If you came to a tricky or inpassable part, you could simply backtrack to the nearest track back onto the minor road, and enter the gorge at a later point a couple of miles further on. To give you an idea just how beautiful this area is.....I may come home from the Pyrenees via the gorge, a detour of a few hundred miles. Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted June 8, 2008 Author Share Posted June 8, 2008 Thanks Martin, I'll do a search and see if I can find some pictures Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted June 8, 2008 Author Share Posted June 8, 2008 Well, judging from the pictures, it's not to be missed Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishbosh Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 How to traverse The Alps, Avoiding Tarmac [Mo Murphy reply stylee ON] Easyjet? [/Mo] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ101 Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 [Mo Murphy reply stylee ON]Easyjet? [/Mo] Your so funny Bish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I would be quite interested in finding out about some tracks for use this summer as I think I will be driving to Italy and I quite fancy taking an extra day or two and finding some lanes to enjoy on the way there or back. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Chris, If you need some help, drop me a line. I had a wonderful time, and I REALLY do mean that some of the routes I was on were the best roads I have EVER driven. In a nutshell......Dover - Dunkirk - Champagne - Chamonix. Was going to go through Switzerland from Chamonix, and then through the Rhine valley & Black forest. Turned out there was a LOT of rain all over Europe for a couple of weeks, so we decided to chase the sunshine & so crossed the Alps again into Italy & went on back roads & as many tracks as we could find as far south as Pisa. From there we headed west to La Spezia & drove several hundred miles up the coast to San Remo (Lonely Planet rate this stretch of road as one of the top ten drives in the world, in the Blue List.) I highly recommend stopping at a place called Portovenere. From San Remo, we crossed back into France & had a look at how the other half live in Monaco...funnily enough, a day out there was cheaper than a day out in London From Monte Carlo, we followed the coast road to Nice & Cannes, then turned north where the REAL driving nirvana began!! The Verdun Gorge!!! I really dont know enough words to quite tell you just how stunning it was driving through there. You simply have to do it at some point...everyone should. And dont forget to stop in Digne Les Bain. Beautiful. All in all, it was about 3500 miles, which was quite tiring for me. My drivers side seat runner keeps sliding backwards when you move it forward, and Jude couldn't reach the pedals, so I had to do it all on my own, which was a lot in 2 weeks. I'd do it again in a flash though. Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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