Hello From Méribel

Hi everybody, and a very warm welcome back to my blog page direct from Méribel. It took until late summer for Harriet and I to return to our beloved mountain retreat but since mid-August we have been making the most of it. We were able to sneak out of the UK under the radar, keeping our socials distanced (!), and wearing our face masks here in France (which is way more common place than back home in the UK). So, how has it been? Ooh la la, incredible.

As mentioned in my previous post, my photography mojo is really back on track. The exhilaration of seeing the summer views here is so very motivating. Harriet has been horse riding, running, hiking - as well as keeping in touch with colleagues at work (as she's been able to do throughout her furlough time: the joys of connecting remotely!) I've been mountain biking, road cycling, hiking, sunset shooting, wildlife shooting and any other shooting (camera-only of course!) that I can squeeze in; plus bits of decorating in between.

One of the best secrets in the French Alps is the quality of the mountain biking here in Méribel, both enduro and downhill. For some reason it hasn't taken off with the mountain bike baggy short brigade quite as much as in other resorts like Morzine, Les Gets (and other Portes du Soleil villages) and Chamonix etc. Not sure why, but that's fine with me. One trend I've noticed this year in particular is the explosion of people riding e-bikes up on the mountain, and how many are available to rent in resort.

The road cycling locally appears to be growing in popularity as well, mainly due to the 'new' cycling challenge up and over the Col de la Loze. My list of road cycling cols to tick off is gradually growing; I have to say though that this Méribel col is by far the toughest I've managed so far. I can't wait for the Tour de France to come through town and up to the Loze in just a few days time.

The hiking is as good as ever with majestic scenes, plenty of marmotte sightings, and the views. The views...... are just breathtaking. One of our hikes into the Vanoise National Park above Méribel coincided with a fresh dusting of snow from the previous day. A lovely reminder that it is only a few months before the winter season.

We have one more week here before we head back to the UK to start our quarantine in Leamington Spa. Will it have been worth it? You betcha, a resounding success of a visit and a great break in many ways.

I'll more than likely post again soon after returning to the UK, including a quick report on what upgrades/improvements are being made over the summer up on the mountain. In the meantime..... stay safe, stay healthy, and stay fabulous. Martin.