briantrumpet
Legendary Member
- Location
- Devon & Die
Sorry it's got me in too, but I only just realised the unusualness of this: a continental col sign with the altitude in ft! It's the one up from Martigny in Switzerland, BTW, not near Annecy.
We wanted to do la Madeleine too, but just ran out of time (and legs)I thought I'd find these if I looked hard enough. The date is July 7th 1986, so something of a lament for lost youth. I crossed Saisies and Aravis later that day, and regrettably haven't been back since
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A teensy bit of exaggeration on the part of whoever put up the sign, I think. The Tumble sign further up the thread shows the same tendency - 480 metres would be nearer the mark according to Ordnance Survey.
It's certainly a spectacular spot! I was there last year... https://unanglaisendiois.wordpress.com/2016/08/02/col-de-la-bonette/Wish I could find the photo but it was a long time ago. I was bike touring through Europe and my uncle told me I should go to the Col de La Bonette, being the highest paved road in Europe. (There is a higher road in Europe but it is not a through road apparently) So of course, I had to go there! Technically, the Col itself goes up to 2,715 meters, but there is an additional loop that takes you up to 2,802 meters. From there I went to Isola 2000 and crossed over into Italy.
First col of the summer... I'm actually sitting here now:
It's a cracker for a back-road col, though no fast descents... too sketchy, and plenty to look at. If anyone does it, the better ascent is from Recoubeau, and the better descent via Aucelon.Wow - looks like a nice low traffic road as well