Transit day 4th September

I have mixed emotions moving to the next location. I am going to new place with new rides to do but at the same time I’ve settled in to where I am. The owners and long-time residents at the Loft hostel made it feel like a friendly share house rather than just somewhere to stay.

This transfer will be simpler than the previous one to Bourg St Maurice now that I have a car. But the rain that caught me out at the end of the ride back to Flumet has not abated, so it provided me some stress driving some big cols and very winding roads in very heavy rain at times. The route I chose to get to Briancon was over the Col d’Iseran and then over the Col du Mont Cenis into Italy. From Susa I took little roads to cross over the border at the Col de Montgenevre which stands over my destination.

I took my time packing and finally left Bourg St Maurice around noon. The rain was heavy, but I was driving on roads I’d just ridden a short time before so made good time over the Col d’Iseran. It was a totally different scene on the summit due to the weather; very few cars and only the bravest motorcyclists. The small clear mountain streams were today murky raging torrents and on many slopes were slivers of water cascading.

Col d'Iseran nearly all to myself

I stopped at the top of the Col du Mont Cenis for a lunch of baguette with tomato and camembert in the car before dropping into Italy. To help with navigation I’d bought a used car GPS unit loaded with Western Europe maps. I found it quite useful as a backup in poor visibility that a hairpin was coming up. But on one occasion it tried to turn me off the main road and onto a gravel road and on a couple of occasions told me to perform a U turn at the earliest possible chance when on the only road over the mountain!

View to Italy from Col du Mont Cenis

The difference in architecture was amazing having just crossed over the one mountain into Italy; the Savoie region has its typically Alps buildings and Italy with its tiled roofs and rendered walls. As I approached Briancon the weather started to improve, and when I made my way into town the roads were dry! With forecast looking good for the rest of the week it looks like luck is on my side at this time.

The Auberge Le Mont Prorel where I’ll be staying till the 7^th is quite a nice old building that has recently been renovated. The photos don’t cleverly show the high buildings either side, but on mine the building has only just been completed and hasn’t been sold yet so is empty. The bathroom has an odd odour, but I can keep my window open and just hear the flowing stream just behind the hotel so isn’t an issue.