20+ IDEAS for LES VACANCES de la TOUSSAINT au Pays du Mont-Blanc
The 🍂🎃 Vacances de la Toussaint here in France fall this year between 🗓 Saturday 23rd October ⇒ Sunday 7th November 2021 – and you are in for a treat – as there are plenty of family-friendly activities a-happening here 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc. And this year, we find ourselves less restricted by 😷 Covid measures! We still have to wear masks for certain events, … Continue reading 20+ IDEAS for LES VACANCES de la TOUSSAINT au Pays du Mont-Blanc
FAMILY HIKES: Boucle de la Chapelle d’Ormaret (Combloux ⇒ Ormaret)
This is a lovely bucolic family hike, a boucle leaving from ⛪️ the baroque church of Combloux, and heading to ⛪️ the little chapel in the hamlet of Ormaret. It’s an easy stroll, with 🌿 wide open spaces for running, little bridges to cross, 🐄 farm animals to see (and the possibility of visiting a farm along the way), and ⛪️ a small chapel to … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: Boucle de la Chapelle d’Ormaret (Combloux ⇒ Ormaret)
10 MORE ideas for AUTUMN FAMILY HIKES & STROLLS with small children (beyond le Pays du Mont-Blanc)
This is the follow-up article for 10 ideas for 🍁 autumn stroll with young children 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc (see here). Autumn is certainly arriving, and I love this season of 🍁 burnt seasonal colours adorning the trees and covering the ground accompanied by early ❄️ snow powdered on the nearby 🏔 summits! And so, here are some ideas to head out and enjoy those 🍁 dazzling colours … Continue reading 10 MORE ideas for AUTUMN FAMILY HIKES & STROLLS with small children (beyond le Pays du Mont-Blanc)
10 ideas for AUTUMN FAMILY HIKES & STROLLS with small children au Pays du Mont-Blanc
🍁 Autumn, before ❄️ the snow arrives (and even when ❄️ the snow arrives!), is a lovely time for a family stroll or hike here 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc . . . the temperatures are (usually) fresher than the ☀️ summertime, and 🍁 the burnt seasonal colours adorning the trees and scattered on the ground are just beautiful. Next to a lake, you’ll perhaps see 🍂 autumn … Continue reading 10 ideas for AUTUMN FAMILY HIKES & STROLLS with small children au Pays du Mont-Blanc
FAMILY HIKES: La Passerelle Himalayenne ⇒ Lac Vert (Passy)
I have now been on this hike a few times en famille, and with friends. I can assure you that each time, friends are wowed by the 🌉 Himalayan suspension bridge, 🏔 the fabulous views of 🗻 Mont-Blanc, and the ethereal 💦 Lac Vert. The altitude gain (dénivelé) on this hike is fairly minimal, making it a great short hike for families with young children or older … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: La Passerelle Himalayenne ⇒ Lac Vert (Passy)
« Le Mystère de la Montre » : a treasure hunt in Mont-Saxonnex!
MBFF tried out another of Cluse Arve & Montagne’s jeux last autumn! This time we chose another jeu d’aventure: ⏱ Le Mystère de la Montre, in ⛰ Mont-Saxonnex! After having had so much fun doing the previous two jeux, ⚔️ Le Chevalier Maudit (in Châtillon-sur-Cluses; read about our experience here) and 🥚 L’Œuf de Plume la Gypaète (in Le Reposoir; read about our experience here), … Continue reading « Le Mystère de la Montre » : a treasure hunt in Mont-Saxonnex!
LA RENTRÉE 2021 – creative activities & sports clubs
📚 La Rentrée is often an exciting time for children, sometimes daunting too: a new school, a new class and teacher(s), new subjects, seeing their friends again after the long summer holidays . . . (note: I’m aware that some children are already back at school; mine return later this week!). This 📚 Rentrée 2021, is – of course – as last year, still a bit more … Continue reading LA RENTRÉE 2021 – creative activities & sports clubs
« Le Chevalier Maudit »: medieval knightly fun and Geocaching® en famille! (Châtillon-sur-Cluses)
In February this year, we headed to ⛰ Le Reposoir to do one of the Cluses Arves & Montagnes 🗺 jeux d’orientation (we’ve also done the jeux L’Œuf de Plume la Gypaète – see here for MBFF article), and we really enjoyed it! As well as the fun of the orienteering game, we really delighted in getting to know a new mountain village and the … Continue reading « Le Chevalier Maudit »: medieval knightly fun and Geocaching® en famille! (Châtillon-sur-Cluses)
FAMILY HIKES: la Gorge du Glacier (Argentière)
I don’t know about you, but I like to stay off 🏔 the busy mountain paths in ☀️ the summertime, social-distancing regulations in place or not! Last summer, my boys were at their 🎨 Art & Nature workshop with local artist Cat Kartal in Argentière, and so I took the opportunity to have a day out by myself, hiking and then reading my book in nature. I decided … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: la Gorge du Glacier (Argentière)
Site des Ponts de la Caille (CRUSEILLES)
You may well have spotted these two bridges – the 🌁 Ponts de la Caille – from the motorway (A41 Annecy-Genève) on a trip to 💦 Lac d’Annecy from the 🏔 Pays du Mont-Blanc? Have you ever come off the motorway to explore? MBFF certainly has – my curious nature would never leave such incredible looking bridges unexplored! The 🌁 Ponts de la Caille are two … Continue reading Site des Ponts de la Caille (CRUSEILLES)
FAMILY HIKES: « Sur les traces des Graniteurs » (COMBLOUX)
MBFF has now hiked the short themed walk ⚒ « Sur les traces des Graniteurs » in Combloux a couple of times . . . Every autumn, a group of volunteers goes to tidy up the paths for you! So what exactly is the themed walk ⚒ « Sur les traces des Graniteurs » ? It is a short hike with explanatory panels, which explains … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: « Sur les traces des Graniteurs » (COMBLOUX)
20+ SUMMER TERRACES for families in the Chamonix Valley!
Our 🥗 local restaurants and cafés are beginning to re-open to the public after a long second and third Covid-enduced closure, with socially distanced tables and other modifications. Restaurants with terraces are therefore a particularly attractive option for people to head to, who want to eat out again, but are less keen to be seated indoors. Last summer, I put together this article, detailing some … Continue reading 20+ SUMMER TERRACES for families in the Chamonix Valley!
An AIRE de JEUX, a MARE aux TÊTARDS and a PARCOURS ORIENTATION (Argentière)
It took MBFF a very long time to discover the wonderful 🐸 mare aux têtards & 🌈 playground in the 🌲 moraine woods of Argentière! But we are so glad that we finally made our way there! I had been wanting to hunt out this elusive playground (not so elusive if you live in Argentière!) for many, many years, but never quite managed it. And one day … Continue reading An AIRE de JEUX, a MARE aux TÊTARDS and a PARCOURS ORIENTATION (Argentière)
ACCROBRANCHES ®, GRIMPE d’ARBRE & TYROLIENNES au Pays du Mont-Blanc
With all of our wonderful 🧗♂️ rock climbing and Via-Ferrata routes 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc, it is only natural that so many 🌳 accrobranches ® should also appear over recent years! We’ve tried out a few of them, and they are very popular with our 🐵 monkey climbing boys . . . 🌳 some tree climbing terminology: 🌳 accrobranches ® – it is a rope course … Continue reading ACCROBRANCHES ®, GRIMPE d’ARBRE & TYROLIENNES au Pays du Mont-Blanc
SPORTS EVENTS for families au Pays du Mont-Blanc (autumn 2021)
It is not officially 🍁 AUTUMN, but for me it feels like autumn as soon as La Rentrée happens. Here au Pays du Mont-Blanc, we have a rich calendar of 🚵♂️ sporting events to participate in, or be a spectator at, over the 🍁 autumn months : 🏃♂️ trail running, marathons and half-marathons; 🚵♂️ road-biking and VTT events; In this article, you will find: 🗓 … Continue reading SPORTS EVENTS for families au Pays du Mont-Blanc (autumn 2021)
FAMILY HIKES: La Cascade de Bérard (LE BUET)
The short hike up to the 💦 Cascade de Bérard, located just above the village of Le Buet (near Vallorcine), is the perfect family outing on a hot ☀️ summer’s day or after 🌧strong rain – you’ll either be refreshed or you’ll see 💦 the waterfall in its rawest, most powerful form! If you head off on this hike in late spring or in early summer, … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: La Cascade de Bérard (LE BUET)
OUTDOOR ART EXHIBITIONS au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
All that we really need to do to enjoy art 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc, is to open the window, as outside is 🖼 the most exquisite work of art of them all: 🌿 Mother Nature, Dame Nature! It is no wonder why so many 🎨 famous artists have been – and are still are – attracted to our 🏔 alpine scenery: 🍂🍃 the changing seasons, and … Continue reading OUTDOOR ART EXHIBITIONS au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
FAMILY HIKES: La Cabane du Cerro (CHAMONIX)
There are so many wonderful 🏔 hikes au Pays du Mont-Blanc and several of them are the perfect length for families with very young (or reluctant) walkers! I have always found (actually, I still do!) that hiking to ☕️ a mountain buvette, with the reward of 🍨 an ice cream or 🍓 a slice or fruit tart, is a great incentive to hike. As are … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: La Cabane du Cerro (CHAMONIX)
BIKE PARKS au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
There are 🚵♀️ some wonderful VTT routes 🏔 au Pays du Mont-Blanc – some are easily accessible, some you’ll need to take 🚡 a télécabine to access . . . and now we have electric bikes to make certain routes more accessible, and 🚵♀️ Fat Bikes to head out on the snow, mud or sand! Pop into your local tourist office to pick up 🗺 a … Continue reading BIKE PARKS au Pays du Mont-Blanc (and beyond)
Where to observe TADPOLES & FROGS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
A couple of years ago in late May, MBFF went for 🍏 a picnic with friends up at 🎣 Lac de Javen in Megève – it was mild May that year! 🎣 Lac de Javen is a popular picnic spot for families in the summertime, as it is just a short hike to get there and there are plenty of activities on offer: ☕️ buvette and … Continue reading Where to observe TADPOLES & FROGS au Pays du Mont-Blanc
MBFF’s 20 favourite PICNIC SPOTS (with small children) au Pays du Mont-Blanc!
A 🍏 picnic en famille gets everyone outdoors, and is often accompanied by a short walk or activity with 🏔 superb views! In this article, I shall share with you 🍏 MBFF’s favourite (tried and tested!) picnic spots, specifically for families with babies and small children. That means that they are all easily accessible and with no dangerous precipices nearby! Being easy to access also means that most … Continue reading MBFF’s 20 favourite PICNIC SPOTS (with small children) au Pays du Mont-Blanc!
FAMILY HIKES: Bois de Fessy et les Blocs de La Pesse (Sallanches)
During confinement, we all had to find 🏡 walks within a 1km radius from home . . . though perhaps I was not able to go quite as far as I desired, this did encourage me to try out some of the 🏔 very local hikes, and one that we did en famille (though with much whining and shoulder support at times!) was this one: 🌳 … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: Bois de Fessy et les Blocs de La Pesse (Sallanches)
BUGGY STROLLS: Parcours de l’Eau Artistique (Arve River, PASSY)
Each new spring season, ❄️ the snow melts and the 🌷 first spring flowers peep up shyly from the lawns; this re-awakening of nature is the perfect invitation for a buggy stroll . . . Early in 🌷 the spring season there may still be too much ❄️ snow along the river paths at higher altitude in 🏔 the Pays du Mont-Blanc, but there is a lovely stretch … Continue reading BUGGY STROLLS: Parcours de l’Eau Artistique (Arve River, PASSY)
FAMILY HIKES: l’Alpage de Charousse (Les Houches)
The hike to 🌼 l’Alpage de Charousse (alpage means high mountain meadow) in Les Houches is one of my favourite short hikes in the Chamonix Valley, and one that MBFF has really enjoyed en famille with two small hikers. Description of hike The main highlight of this walk is arriving at the postcard perfect meadow – 🌼 the Alpage de Charousse (1200m)- when the blue, pink … Continue reading FAMILY HIKES: l’Alpage de Charousse (Les Houches)
GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY & CULTURE LESSON – learning about Paris (primary level)
I woke up a few weeks back now, on my 🐿 10th Groundhog Day, and decided that I would like to take the boys to 🗺 Paris . . . They have been asking to go for a while now, and I’ve always told them that we would go once they were old enough to be able to walk a fair distance without complaining (as … Continue reading GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY & CULTURE LESSON – learning about Paris (primary level)
