Other Walking Tours
The No. 1 Ladies' Walking Tour Agency is inspired by the books of Alexander McCall Smith about the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Botswana. The similarities include a tiny, non-profit agency known for its humaneness. The difference is that this one specializes in small walking groups for maximum flexibility. If you know and love an area and would be willing to share its uniqueness, please let me know. Your on-site travel expenses would be covered in exchange for your knowledge and experience.
Call Nancy Traer at 1-510-527-2302 or email ntraer@comcast.net.
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French Alps
Our base for this walking tour in August, 2009, was a lovely chalet in Sixt Fer a Cheval, Haute Savoie, 74740. To see more: www.SixtAlpineChalet.com. Sean, Liam and Linda were our helpful and knowledgeable hosts.
The chalet
has four en suite bedrooms, a large
lounge/dining room and well-equipped
kitchen.
We chose
self-catering--a bakery and small
grocery in the nearby
village--because we had
several GREAT cooks. The sunsets from the balcony were
stunning.
Our first day was a hike from Servoz to a mountain-top
restaurant for lunch with another incredible view.
We
also walked from Le Lavancher to a waterfall.
The second
day was the longest and
hardest walk
to the top of the alp.
There is a dairy famous
for its
cheese and remote location
above the timberline
but the gravel road is not easy walking.
Hiking sticks recommended!
We did our big shopping in Samoens after exploring the
Botanical Gardens and wonderful
shops there. We walked
from Cascade du Rouget to Chalet du Lignon to Cascade
de la Sauffaz de Pleureuse de Sales.
The end of our most beautiful valley was
surrounded by waterfalls:
Cirque du Fer
a Cheval. There is a Reserve Naturelle,
a bar and restaurant and picnic tables in a
large clearing. We walked to
le fond de la
combe until rain discouraged us.
It is definitely a place to return and walk
further.
From
our chalet we walked down to the
river and followed it toward Samoens,
through a gorge and a tiny village before
turning around.
There is an old abbey in the village of
Sixt
waiting for renovation but an exhibit there
allowed us
to see the once-beautiful
wood-paneled dining room.
Three of us went parapunting with the birds
in Morillon, a breathtaking climax to a wonderful
week. Many thanks to Hrothgar and Emily
who planned it.