To Cluses for LPG, shopping and driving practice
On Thursday the weather was perfect for being on the slopes! But we really had to go shopping. Well, the main reason for the trip was to fill up on gas and we really wanted to go before the weekend to avoid any traffic issues.
We headed for Cluses which is about 14 miles away. It doesn’t sound much of a road trip, but that’s up and down a couple of mountains and around lots of hair-pin bends. We chose the right day because the sun was shining from a cloud-free sky, so the roads were nicely thawed out in most places. I hadn’t actually done any driving since we hit the Alps – I didn’t fancy driving in the ice and snow too much – so it was a good day for me to remember the techniques. It’s VERY important to use low gears to slow the vehicle’s descent down the steep hills, otherwise risk over-heating the brakes which would stop them working completely.
In Cluses we popped into Carrefour to replace the nice Panasonic camera we bought just two weeks ago, which I lost the day before. The last time I’ll mention that! We also picked up some coffee and cereal while we had a bit more choice. The UK is definitely not the only country suffering high food prices. Also there just doesn’t seem to be the promotions in French supermarkets that we get in Britain – or such a wide choice of really basic and cheap foods. For example I usually buy own-brand coffee in Asda for £1.39 for 100g. The cheapest we could get here was the equivalent of £2.10. And breakfast cereal is usually over 2 Euros right up to about 3.50.
Of course the poor Euro to sterling exchange rate doesn’t help. We’re using our Nationwide current account that we opened before we left to travel last year. There’s no charge for overseas transactions and the exchange rate always seems to be favourable. Currently we get about 1.114 euros to the pound so I reckon for grocery shopping it’s just like a 10% discount at Asda.
Will try to catch up a bit tomorrow but that pesky generator isn’t playing the game and there’s only so many times Simon can go out and restart it. Still thinking about that Honda….
February 24th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
your drive sounds hair rising you must be gluttens for punishment . You certainly have courage. GOOD for you . keep up yhe good work it make a excellent read
February 26th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Hi, we’re a older couple traverling through the Alps in a caravan looking for ski spots that don’t cost the earth with camp sites, we are in the Saint Maurinne valley 1st week in march and looking for other similar area’s just wondering if you know of any info on www. sites to look at, we are planning to go to Greece April looking for kiteboarding spots so any info would help.
I have enjoyed reading some of your stories and wish you well with your future trips
March 1st, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Hi Dave,
I’m afraid I don’t have an instant resource for campsite information. It may just be a case of trawling the net. Do make sure they’re open all winter though as it’s surprising how many Alpine campsites seem to close. If they’re called ‘camping caravaneige’ you should be ok. The less glamorous ski resorts tend to be the cheapest. We chose to return to Avoriaz/Morzine because the pass price is reasonable for the amount of area it covers. In this area we use Camping Solerey in St Jean d’Aulps, there’s Camping Les Marmottes close to Morzine - they have a 2 or 3 night minimum stay, but looks like a nice site. There’s also a very popular site in Chatel, ‘L’Oustalet’.
For kiteboarding spots I would recommend the book ‘The Kite and Windsurfing Guide Europe’ which lists hundreds of spots in detail. I assume you mean kitesurfing and not landboarding - finding those is much more difficult!
Have a great trip!