Route planning in the Alps

It’s just over 60 days until I depart for Geneva and a further tour of the Alps. I periodically drop in and out of the routes on MyRoute-app just to remind myself that I’ve not missed an obvious route additions.

At this stage I think it’s as good as it’s going to be. I have the confidence that I will be revisiting my previous tracks and I’ve waved my new routes in front of enough people to think I’ve implemented all the tips they have offered.

As we get closer to the time I will do one more review. I’ll be making sure that there are no stray points on the map. I’ll also be deciding which points are waypoints and which will be unannounced shaping points.

Once this is done I’ll be happy to export the .gpx files and pass them through the latest maps in Garmin BaseCamp. I know I can go direct from MyRoute-app using the Garmin connector but this eliminates any peculiarities.

The route – Retracing my steps, partially

I will be using Bikeshuttle again so much of the first day will be riding to the Northampton depot. Once the bike is loaded it will be a flight from Luton to Geneva. Only on the following day will the real tour start. This is assuming that there is no Brexit travel delays at the ports. With the extension date being 31st October, I wouldn’t want to guess what might happen in the interim.

Day 1 – Geneva to Grenoble

I plan to head out of Geneva on the quickest roads. South of Bonneville it starts to get more picturesque. La Clusaz is the first real experience of a Swiss Ski resort with a pretty village surrounded by mountains. Arching around the east of Annecy I head southwest towards Grenoble. This will be the stop for the night but not before experiencing one of France’s balcony roads, the Combe Laval. A brisk run following the L’Isère allows me to pick up the D76 and the run through Vercours before returning to Grenoble.

Day 2 – Grenoble to Martigny

Another long but rewarding day. Heading out of Grenoble I will loop north towards Châteauneuf before going southeast towards La Norma. Entering the Parc national de la Vanoise I should see the scenery pick up. Travelling through Bramans I head towards the Col de L’Iseran and through Val d’Isere. Just before Bourg-Saint-Maurice I will head up the Petit St Bernard with views of the Vanoise massif mountain range. Heading through Aosta, having crossed into Northern Italy, I take the run north to the Grand St Bernard and then onto Martigny.

Day 3 – Martigny to Curaglia

This is a suggested deviation from my previous trip. I take an alternative route to the north rather than through a rather tedious valley floor. Heading to the Col du Pillion to Saanen, and then onto Interlaken. I then take the Grimsel Pass to the Furka pass and on to Andermatt where I will pick up the Oberlap Pass towards Curagulia.

Day 4 – Curaglia to Val Müstair

This again is unchartered territory having previously not ventured much beyond Andermatt. From the hotel I head south almost to the border with Italy, purely so I can head up the San Bernadino Pass. Crossing the top of the Splügen Pass I head east to the Flüella Pass and the Ofenenpass to Val Müstair at the head of the Umbrail Pass.

Day 5 – Val Müstair to Prata Camportaccio

The day of the Stelvio! It is the Stelvio Pass that has brought me this far east. Heading south on the Umbrail Pass I proceed to the west side of the Stelvio and then south on the rugged Gavia Pass. I then head north on the Bernina Pass before heading to Prata Camportaccio. A bit of a leap of faith but the location fell right for the milage. The accommodation looks good and being on the Italian side of the Alps it’s much cheaper than Switzerland.

Update: I’ve made adjustments to go down the east side and turn around at Trafoi. I thought we might be short on time but I’ve made it work.

Day 6 – Prata Camportaccio to Bedretto

I head north towards the Splügen Pass before heading south down the San Bernadino Pass to Ariolo. I then pick up the cobbled Tremola on the Gotthard Pass towards Hospental and another run on the Furka Pass. Picking up the Nufenen Pass, I then head for Bedretto.

Day 7 – Bedretto to Grindelwald

A day full of passes! From Bedretto I again run the Tremola (good job I love it) to Hospental and on through Andermatt on the Gotthard pass. I pick up the Susten Pass and the Grimsel pass and (appetite willing) go around again. The second time I break off at Innertkirchen and head for Grindelwald. If I am feeling travel weary I can skip the second loop and go for a relaxing afternoon/evening in Grindelwald. Maybe I can find out about all the supposed crimes?

Update: Having reviewed the route I decided that rather than go overkill on the Grimsel, Furka and Susten I would take a run north through the high meadows that are full of cows and the sounds of the bells that they wear around their necks. This allows me to do a loop adding the Glaubenberg Pass to the route. I’ve also added a visit to Lauterbrunnen. Being so close it would be rude not to drop in before heading over to Grindelwald.

Day 8 – Grindelwald to Geneva

I leave Grindelwald and head back to Geneva. I will head back through Saanen and over the Col de Mosses to Yvorne. From there I will travel through the area of France to the east of Geneva to hopefully be greeted by a Bikeshuttle truck.

After a relaxing evening I will be flown back to the UK to be reunited with the bike and the ride home.

The list of passes on the route

• Combe Laval (D76)
• Col de L’Iseran
• Petit St Bernard
• Grand St Bernard
• Col du Pillion
• Juanpasse
• Grimsel Pass
• Furka Pass
• Oberlap Pass
• San Bernadino Pass
• Splügen Pass
• Flüella Pass
• Ofenenpass
• Umbrail Pass
• Stelvio Pass
• Gavia Pass
• Bernina Pass
• Tremola/Gotthard Pass
• Nufenen Pass
• Susten Pass
• Glaubenberg Pass
• Col de Mosses