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Video diary – walking the Tour de Mont Blanc path above Chamonix – video

On my recent 3 days walking in the mountains of the Chamonix valley on the path of the Tour de Mont Blanc, I kept a video diary each day to record my impressions of the walk. It’s a little longer than most of my videos that I keep short to cater for the nano-second attention spans of most internet users, but I hope that you’ll find it engaging enough to watch to the end.

If you cannot see the embedded video above, view it on my YouTube here

Heather at Refuge de Bellachat near Chamonix
Heather at Refuge de Bellachat near Chamonix

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In the video you’ll hear me talking on Day 1 about our punishing walk uphill from Les Houches in the valley to Refuge de Bellachat, where we found basic accommodation but a view of Mont Blanc to die for. Before dinner, I climbed up behind the refuge to see the blue pool of Lac Brévent, reflecting in the evening sun.

Need a guide book for the Tour de Mont Blanc? We recommend the Cicerone Trekking the Tour of Mont Blanc by Kev Reynolds

On Day 2 we climbed up to the peak at Brévent not once but twice, as we misread our Tour de Mont Blanc guide book and made a mistake with the route. After that we decided to divert slightly from the more demanding Tour de Mont path with metal steps and handrails over tricky stretches, in favour of an easy walk down the stony piste trail to Plan Praz.

We rested a while on the sunny cafe terrace at the cable car station and watched the paragliders taking off, before walking the final 2 hours to Flégère through mountain meadows and along forest trails. Refuge la Flégère seemed like 5 star luxury after the more basic Refuge de Bellachat – it even had an indoor bathroom with hot showers! – bliss after a hot, sweaty day.

Lac Blanc near Chamonix
Lac Blanc near Chamonix

On day 3 we stayed at high altitude to climb up to Lac Blanc for a view of an amazing milky green glacial lake in stunning mountain scenery. Later that afternoon we made our way down to Chamonix in the valley and caught the bus back to our boutique Hotel Slalom at Les Houches, where a long hot bath and a comfy bed awaited us after our exhilarating three days of walking on the Tour de Mont Blanc Trail.

Although we couldn’t compete with those who were making the full 12 day Tour de Mont Blanc circular trek, we agreed that the time we’d spent walking was just right for us and that we’d love to come back another year to continue our walk on the same TMB circuit.

In the Chamonix valley we stayed at the modern, stylish, Hotel Slalom that is perfectly placed in Les Houches for summer walking opposite the start of the anti-clockwise TMB route. Double rooms in the summer season €86-99 plus €10 breakfast.

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Resources for those walking the Tour de Mont Blanc

We used the Cicerone Tour of Mont Blanc guide by Kev Reynolds – we found it to be an excellent guide for both the clockwise and anti-clockwise route with detailed route guide, maps, accommodation information and points of interest along the route.

Bookings for Refuge de Bellachat can be made only by telephone (04 50 53 43 23) and cost €40 for dinner Bed & breakfast. The cost of staying at Refuge la Flégère was €47 per person for dinner, bed and breakfast and bookings can be made by e-mail [email protected] or telephone (04 50 55 85 88 ). To avoid disappointment and a long walk, you should book your place in all refuges but can normally do so a day or two before, or from the previous refuge.

Need a guide book for the Tour de Mont Blanc? We recommend the Cicerone Trekking the Tour of Mont Blanc by Kev Reynolds

In the Chamonix valley we stayed at the modern, stylish, Hotel Slalom that is perfectly placed in Les Houches for summer walking opposite the start of the anti-clockwise TMB route. Double rooms in the summer season €86-99 plus €10 breakfast.

We booked our transfer from Geneva airport to Les Houches through Chamexpress and found them to run an extremely efficient airport to hotel service – cost was €25 + tax per person each way.

The walkingthetmb website has useful information to help you plan and prepare for your Tour de Mont Blanc walk, with a packing list and some links to other people’s photographs and on-line diaries to inspire you.

Other articles from our mini Tour de Mont Blanc

Day 1 on the Tour de Mont Blanc – Les Houches to Refuge de Bellachat
Day 2 on the Tour de Mont Blanc – Refuge de Bellachat to Flégère
Day 3 on the Tour de Mont Blanc – Flégère to Lac Blanc

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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