Tour Reports

Posts with the Tag 'denis smyth photography'

2011 Alpine and Pyrenees Tour. Day 6

Apr 19 2012

Gorges: Gorges du Verdon, Gorges du Nesque, Col de Tempêtes and Mont Ventoux. Distance: 320km. Gorges du Verdon Day 6 finds me starting my day in Saint-André-Les-Alpes at the head of Lac de Castillon, fed by Le Verdon River which over the millennia has gouged out Europe’s version of the Grand Canyon.

2011 Alpine and Pyrenees Tour. Day 5

Mar 21 2012

Some of these passes I covered last year in which case I’m not going into too much detail blabbing on about them. For the 2011 trip I filmed the roads with a Drift HD170 Action Camera, I hope the videos attached to this blog will help you see for yourself what to expect better than [...]

Carcassonne to Andorra via 11 Passes/Cols

Apr 15 2011

Route Description – From Carcassonne through Cathar country, entering Spain through one of the highest passes, ending in Andorra la Vella Distance – 470km of mostly Pyrenees mountain roads with 11 great Cols Cols/Passes – Col de Portel (1,432m), Col de la Crouzette (1,246m), Col de Péguère (1,375 m), Col de Port (1,249m), Port de [...]

Route Camarguaises/The Camargue Circuit

Apr 13 2011

Route Description – The Camargue Circuit runs from Arles to Saint-Maries-de-la-Mer through the Camargue National Park and back to Arles. Distance – An easy 140km

Provence – Golden Cliff Road, Frejus, St. Raphael, St. Maxime, Port Grimaud, St-Tropez and the Maures Forest

Mar 27 2011

Route description – Starting and ending in Théoule (west end of Cannes) this route takes the Corniche D’Or (gold road), Frejus, St. Raphael, St. Maxime, Port Grimaud, St-Tropez, the forest’s of Massif des Maures and a couple of great villages. Distance – 254km

Route Des Grande Alpes. Stage 8 – St Martin du Vesubie to Menton

Mar 27 2011

Route description and places to stay along Stage 8 of this great Alpine tour: Stage 8 – St Martin du Vesubie to Menton Distance – (Stage 7a – 148km) (Stage 7b – 157km) Cols – Col St.Roch, Col de Braus, Col de Turini featured in the first episode of Top Gear series 10 when the [...]

Route Des Grande Alpes. Stage 7 – Castellane to St Martin du Vesubie

Mar 27 2011

Route description and places to stay along Stage 7 of this great Alpine tour. Stage 7 – Castellane to St Martin du Vesubie Distance – (Stage 7a “Purple” – 148km) (Stage 7b “Green”- 157km)

Route Des Grande Alpes. Stage 6 – Barcelonnette to Castellane/Grand Canyon du Verdon

Mar 27 2011

Route description and places to stay along Stage 6 of this great Alpine tour. Stage 6 – Barcelonnette to Castellane Distance – 182km Cols/Gorges – Col de la Bonette (el. 2715 m./8907 ft.), Gorges de Valabres, Gorge du Daluis, Additional Routes – Grand Canyon du Verdon (Marked Yellow on Map)

Route Des Grande Alpes. Stage 5 – Briancon to Barcelonette

Feb 17 2011

Route description and places to stay along Stage 5 of this great Alpine tour. Distance – 114km Cols – Col l’Izoard, Col du Var Additional Routes – Lac de Serre-Poncon (Route 115km), Col d’Allos (el. 2250 m.) – Col des Champs (el. 2087 m.) – Col de la Cayolle (el. 2,326 m) (Route 116km)

Route Des Grande Alpes. Stage 4 – Lanslebourg/Val Cenis to Briancon

Feb 17 2011

Route description and places to stay along Stage 4 of this great Alpine tour: Stage 4 – Lanslebourg/Val Cenis to Briancon Distance – 110km Cols – Col du Telegraphe, Col du Galibier Additional Route – Including Col du Lautaret, Col de Sarenne, Croix de Fer, Col du Glandon (300km)

Route Des Grande Alpes. Stage 3 – Bourg Saint Maurice to Lanslebourg/Val Cenis

Feb 11 2011

Route description and places to stay along Stage 3 of this great Alpine tour: Stage 3 – Bourg St Maurice to Lanslebourg Distance – 76km (120km inc trip to Lac Cenis – 6/8hrs) (200km+ Bourg St Maurice to Briancon 6/8hrs) Cols – Val d’Isere, Col d’Iseran

Route Des Grande Alpes. Stage 2 – Grand Borand to Bourg St Maurice

Feb 9 2011

Route description and places to stay along Stage 2 of this great Alpine tour Stage 2 – Grand Borand to Bourg St Maurice Distance – 100km Aprox 3.5hrs, 4.5hrs inc Col du Pré +20km This stage passes – Clusez, St-Jean-de-Sixt, La Giettaz, Flumet, Les Saisies Cols – Col des Aravis – 1486 meters, Col des [...]

Route Des Grande Alpes. Stage 1 – Thonon to Grand Bornand

Feb 3 2011

Route description and places to stay along Stage 1 of this great Alpine tour. Stage 1 – Thonon-les-Bains to Grand Bornand Distance – 90km This stage passes by Morzine, Gets, Taninges, Cluses, Le Grand-Bornand Cols – Col de Gêts 1163 meters, Col de la Colombière 1613 meters Cols (Stage 1b) – Col du Ranfolly, Col [...]

So what the hell is Route Des Grande Alpes anyway?

Feb 2 2011

The Route des Grande Alpes is a tourist itinerary through the French Alps between Lake Geneva and the French Riviera passing over all the highest passes of the French Alps. It also hugs the Swiss and Italian borders so feel free to explore off route.

Tossa de Mar to Monserrat Monastery

Jan 31 2011

Route length 168KM At 1236 metres (4055 ft) above the valley floor, Montserrat is the highest point of the Catalan lowlands whose name means serrated mountain, it’s about an hours ride west of Barcelona and easily possible as a return bike ride from Tossa, plenty of petrol stations and places to eat and stay. Barcelona [...]

Tossa de Mar – Sant Feliu – Besalú

Jan 28 2011

This route takes you from coastal Mediterranean cliff side roads through Gerona, farmlands and low hills to the wonderful medieval walled town of Besalu.

Wicklow Mountains. Route 2

Dec 13 2010

This route starts just outside of Rathdrum simply because the stretch of road from here to Laragh is a great bit of crack if it’s quiet, there are a couple of really tricky turns on this road close to Rathdrum, you will know what I mean when you try them. Best to ride it slowly [...]

Wicklow Mountains. Route 1

Dec 7 2010

As a landscape photographer I get to spend a lot of time in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains and have gotten to know many of the most scenic back roads. So if you’re in the area why not check them out, as they are all within an hours drive from Dun Laoghaire port.