Another tale gives an ancient account of the formation of the Chasseforêt glacier. ‘Chasse forêt’ translates as hunting forest, and this tale begins with a group of herdsmen tending their herds and flocks on the high mountain pastures and forest land. While they were engrossed in milking the cows and goats a beggar woman approached and asked for some milk. The men refused and sent her away with some strong words. She cursed the men and vowed they would regret their decision. That evening it began to snow. The snow continued to fall throughout the following days, steadily covering the pasture and forest. Eventually they were covered by such an accumulation of snow it began to turn to ice, putting the pasture out of reach of the herdsmen. The curse is said to have cut those pastures off for ever.
A typical lunch high in the mountains, Dents des Ambin in the background
A more recent tale features Flambeau, a dog who throughout the 1930s delivered post to the fort high on the summit of Mont Froid. For ten years he made his way each day from Lanslebourg to the fort with the military mail and then returned home. In pride of place in Lanslebourg high street is a memorial stone to this epic journey and faithful canine postman.
In this area, pride in traditional ways of life is very evident. Traditional dress is celebrated and hospitality centres on the fabulous local produce. There are many local shows and festivals celebrating all things agricultural and rural. Highlights include a wonderful community re-enactment of the Nativity in December at Bessans, the National Accordion Festival in Termignon in January, and a five-day husky dog sled race (le Grand Odyssée) throughout the valley in January. Any of these would add interest to a winter ski holiday. The summer festivals include a week-long astronomy festival, taking advantage of clear skies and the minimal light pollution to star gaze. The French national holiday on 15 August is cause to celebrate food and farming, with festivals and events throughout the valley. Sheep shearing and herding are demonstrated, along with dances and traditional dress parades. A growing mountain sports festival in August encourages novices and children to try a range of outdoor sports in collaboration with the local mountain guiding bureaus. The local tourist offices produce a free weekly newsletter outlining the upcoming events.
Travel
The Maurienne valley is served by very good transport links, and travelling to the valley by public transport is perfectly feasible. Modane serves as the gateway to the upper valley and has a railway station with links from Paris and Turin, served by the TGV. The journey from Paris to Modane is around 4hrs, and by taking the Eurostar from St Pancras to Paris the journey can be both quick and environmentally responsible (without the complex baggage limits of airlines). Buses and taxis are readily available from the station into the upper reaches of the valley.
Lanslebourg in bloom
The A43 motorway enters the valley on its way to Turin and probably is the transport link many people will use. The favoured route is Calais-Reims-Dijon-Lyon-Chambéry-Modane. This avoids Paris and its associated traffic problems. In 2010 the motorway tolls were around €70 each way. A reasonable travel time from Calais is 10 to 11hrs. Taking an afternoon crossing and driving to the Champagne region will break the journey. Troyes is a beautiful medieval town with a pedestrianised town centre and countless Tudor-style buildings. The next day's journey is then around 6hrs and makes for an afternoon arrival in the valley.
Budget hotel chains Formule1 and Etap offer good value, basic accommodation when you are travelling, and you can arrive any time as you can swipe your credit card at the door to gain access to your room. This means you can travel further later into the evening, but make sure you pre-book online.
Viamichelin is a useful route-planning website. It has information on the tolls for motorways and speed cameras; it also allows you to print out plans with the motorway signs included, which is of great help to the less confident co-driver.
On a Saturday in school summer holidays a good portion of Europe is travelling through France, and you would be well advised to avoid being part of the masses if at all possible – queues of an hour or more at booths for the Péage (toll roads) are not uncommon. The credit card lanes seem to move quicker.
Flying is also an option and there are a number of airports within 2 to 3hrs of the valley. Lyon, Turin, Chambéry and Geneva are all within striking distance, and the smaller airports offer quick check-in and arrival procedures, so you can be on the road in a hire car in no time.
Dent Parrachée from the Bellecombe road in winter. Perfect easy ski touring and snowshoeing abounds
Camping Mélèzes: a peaceful and shaded site that makes a perfect base camp within easy walking distance of Termignon village centre
When to go
The Maurienne valley is an outdoor adventure wonderland and offers winter sports for all, including renowned ski touring in late springtime. Snowshoeing is also popular right up until mid-to late May when the road passes begin to be opened up. What might be considered UK winter conditions will prevail in the higher mountains into June. The summer season really begins in July and extends through to late September. Early season snow will lie on the upper mountains in July and bare ice will be all that remains from late August. Almost all the routes in this guide will be snow and ice-free from mid-July onwards.
One event to bear in mind if planning a visit in July is the Tour de France cycle race. If the route follows the valley then there will be very heavy road congestion and all camping facilities will be fully booked.
Accommodation
Termignon is a reasonably central base for the Haute Maurienne. It is a quiet village situated about halfway along the valley, meaning you can easily access the climbing and via ferratas lower down the valley, the side valleys, the national park and the upper valley. The village has a tourist information centre (which posts a three-day weather forecast in English updated daily and has free internet access), an ATM, a new supermarket and petrol station, cave de vin selling many local wines, local produce shop, equipment shop, a few bars and a couple of restaurants, along with a few fabulous cheese shops.
There is an abundance of self-catering accommodation available at Termignon's new apartment complex. These are clean, well-appointed apartments only finished in 2006. The view from the pool/gym area is a breathtaking vista of la Dent Parrachée.
There is a great campsite in the village offering two venues, one by the river in the shade and the other slightly higher in the sunshine. Site fees are very good value: in 2009 it cost slightly over €10 per night for a large pitch, a car and two people. It is clean and has plenty of hot water throughout the day. (You don't need to worry about grabbing a shower before the hot water runs out!) A little van selling bread and croissants signals its arrival with a cheerful beeping at 8.30 each morning.
Lanslebourg is the largest village after Modane and offers plenty of choice of accommodation. It also has a number of banks, equipment shops, restaurants and other shops (including a pharmacy).
Modane is a large town, and most people will pass through on their journey to the upper valley. There are two supermarkets, one at each end of town; both have petrol stations. There is an interesting range of shops including an organic supermarket, l'Esprit Vert, which also stocks a small range of vegetarian foods (an uncommon find in France and a welcome one for