Walking Through Paradise - An expedition through Western Europe's largest nature reserve

So, we wrote another great book about our adventures last summer (and I say that being totally unbiased, naturally).  Walking Through Paradise is an account of our fifteen day adventure through Western Europe's largest nature reserve, taking in the Vanoise National Park in France and the adjacent Gran Paradiso National Park in Italy, both in the Alps.

Over the next fortnight or so we'll be posting up a few favourite photos and a summary of each day we spent on the trail.  The photos tell some of the story but can only hint at the incredible people we met, the kindness we experienced and the life-altering moments of total exhilaration as we trekked and slept and lived above 2000 metres for days on end.

Because we set out only five days after completing a challenging 27 day loop around the Matterhorn it was supposed to be a relaxing, peaceful trip. Then we saw the glaciers and the peaks and all of that went out of the window. We trekked for another 240 kilometres and climbed another vertical kilometre every day, battling through blizzards, stranding ourselves at the top of 3000 metre plus glacier fields, and crossing cols so sharp and severe that we could scarcely believe we'd climbed them. We also slept in everything from our tent to metal sheds, and from plush hotels to a half-built treehouse we stumbled upon.

It really was a grand adventure through some of the most beautiful scenery we've ever encountered. That's why we called it Walking Through Paradise

Here are just a few highlight photos .....

Just Around The Matterhorn - 4 weeks of Alpine Hiking

Dan's written another fantastic book about our Swiss hiking adventures this Summer.  Yes you might say I'm biased but really he's done an amazing job of capturing in words the incredible natural beauty we saw, the scenery,  the history and local legends of the areas we walked through, the people we met, refuges we stayed at and so much more.  "Just Around The Matterhorn" is now online and over the next 28 days I'll be posting up a few favourite photos from each day.  The photos tell some of the story but only a very small part of the adventure...  If seeing these photos leaves you wanting to know more about our travels this summer, then watch this space....

After dropping off the dogs at friends and family, we headed for Zinal, Val d'Anniviers, Switzerland, which maybe you'll know is one of our favourite places we've visited in the last 6 years.  Dusting off our hiking packs, having been 3 years since our Tour du Mont Blanc adventure - which Dan wrote about in "Turn Left At Mont Blanc"  we set off into the wilderness.

27 days and 138km later with more than 24500m uphill and downhill we arrived back at our motorhome!  Taking in Tour of the Matterhorn, Tour of Monta Rose, parts of the Tour des Combins and the Chamonix-Zermatt Walker's Haute Route.  We dangled off ladders, crossed glaciers and so so much more.... And the adventures this Summer didn't stop there.... all will be revealed in good time....

Here are just a few highlight photos .....

Wild Camping On The Tour du Mont Blanc - Hiking La Peuty to Lac Blanc

It’s been two years since we hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc and over 21 months since we last had the opportunity to spend a night away from our pack of dogs, so it was with great anticipating and much gratitude to our friend Lena that we set of from La Peuty to spend our first night under in canvas in so long. Our plan for the day was to follow the same route as had done during our TMB visit, hiking up and over the Col du Balme to enter France before crossing over the Auguille des Posettes, descending to the Col des Montets and then walking the Grand Balcon Sud route to reach Lac Chesery at 2211 metres altitude, a walk of around 17 kilometres with over 1800 metres of climbing….which is quite a lot when carrying a full overnight pack for the first time in 2 years. Not that we gave it much thought I have to say, although perhaps we should have.

Two Days In The Aletsch Arena - The Longest Glacier In The Alps

4 years ago!

Four years ago, in the very first fortnight of our very first trip in our very first motorhome (which is a lot of firsts), we visited the Aletsch Glacier. There was no particular planning involved. We drove into Switzerland, pottered along the Rhone valley and happened to see a sign. A couple of days later and we had hiked up to the top of a ridge and got our first glimpse of what more than 20 kilometres of glacier looks like, which is amazing by the way. We spent the rest of that day wondering how we were ever going to top an experience like that and twenty-four hours later were parked alongside Lake Maggiore, which is also amazing - teaching us that everything is great, just different and special in its own unique way. Anyway, the reason I mention this is because, for four years now, we have been wanting to come back to the Aletsch Glacier and spend a little more time appreciating it, and that is what we have been doing for the last two days.

Hiking The Tour du Mont Blanc, GR5 and Haute Route: Our Alpine Adventure

When we set off, in July 2016, to hike for a month through the French and Swiss Alps we had no real plan in mind. In early 2014 we'd been due to get married, leave our jobs and set off on a 2300km honeymoon-hike. It was supposed to be a career break, a relationship boost and a much needed big life reset all rolled into one...and then Dan nearly died. Two years later and we were back and ready to try life in the mountains, living out of rucksacks and sleeping under the stars. This is the adventure that followed.

An Autumn Week in the Ecrins National Park - La Berarde

The Ecrins National Park in the French Alps, lying roughly between the triangle of Gap, Briancon and Grenoble, is one of our favourite places on earth. Many of our hiking and cycling adventures over the past few years have either been in or around this area, but there was one place above all of the others that really captured our hearts and that was the remote, peaceful mountain village of La Berarde. Our first, and only, visit was way back in 2014 when we pretty much tossed a coin and followed the tortuous road which leads there almost by chance but went on to spend 3 days in what we considered to be near perfect hiking territory. We would have stayed longer, but a week of storms were forecast and we decided to chase the warmth....but we always vowed we'd come back when we got the chance, which is exactly what we have finally done.

4 Fantastic Trail Runs From Grimentz, Val d'Anniviers, Switzerland

We love being in the mountains. Whether hiking, cycling or just sitting and looking at their majestic beauty. But sometimes we also want to really get our blood pumping as well by slipping on our trail shoes, packing light and going uphill as fast as we can. Since arriving back in the Val d'Anniviers a couple of weeks ago we've been trail running together a few times and have had a wonderful time, enjoying good paths, fine weather and magnificent views of snow capped mountains. Plus, we haven't needed to travel for hours to reach the start of a good trail. Here are 4 of our favourite and also most accessible routes right from our base here in Grimentz.

Winter Lodgings In Alpine Huts - Our Night At Cabane du Grande Mountet (2886m)

The network of Alpine huts dotted throughout the French, Italian, Swiss and Austrian Alps are a fantastic resource. Throughout summer and for many during winter as well, they open up a whole world of possibilities to hikers who want to extend their routes, enjoy the stillness of an Alpine night without carrying a tent or simply visit remote places otherwise inaccessible/difficult for them to reach. All features we enjoyed on our 2 day expedition to the Cabane du Grande Mountet (2886m) from Zinal.

GR58 – Tour of the Queyras - Our Aborted Attempt

The GR58 Tour of the Queyras Regional Park is a 78km hiking loop that caught our attention. Since my health problems last year had prevented us from carrying overnight packs for some time, we were eager to have a go at this trail, estimating that it would take around 6 – 8 days to complete the loop. The tour guides we had read suggested this was a beautiful, relatively quiet part of the French Alps which wouldn't present too many challenges for UK hikers in comparison to some of the other alpine tours such as the Vanoise and Ecrins, with many refuges, optional variants, conveniently spaced villages and a good public transport network for backup. It seemed like a good opportunity to refamiliarise ourselves with thru-hiking.

10 Hiking and Walking Routes in the Cabo de Gata - Nijar Natural Park

With the ochre rocky cliffs and crags of the Sierra del Cabo de Gata, the jagged volcanic coastline and the beautiful golden beaches there are plenty of different types of hikes on offer in the Cabo de Gata natural park. Along the coast the long distance trail GR92 extends all the way from Almeria through the entire natural park, while inland a criss-crossed network of trails takes in many of the rolling hills and valleys of the arid desertscape. Although the natural park might not boast the 3000m snow capped summits of the nearby Sierra Nevada, the variety and contrast on offer creates a unique hiking environment with routes to suit all abilities. We've put together a collection of our favourite trails from our winter stay in Cabo de Gata.

Hiking in the Hautes-Pyrénées & the Pyrénées National Park - Gavarnie & Cauterets

The Hautes-Pyrénées Department of France, part of the much larger Midi-Pyrénées Region, consists of several distinct geographical areas stretching from the flat agricultural land in the north around Tarbes to the high peaks of the Pyrénées along the Spanish border. Overlapping with the peaks of the Hautes-Pyrénées is the eastern edge of the Pyrénées National Park, a 457 square kilometre area with snaking boundaries that sits on the border with Spain, contains 6 distinct valleys and altitudes ranging from 1060m up to 3298m at the summit of Vignemale. Barely a single portion of the the Hautes-Pyrénées is free from waymarked hiking paths making this area an ideal destination for hikers of any ability. Details of our own hiking adventures in this area are listed below.

3 Big Hikes in the High Mountains of the Ariège-Pyrénées, France

The Ariège department in the Midi-Pyrénées is one of the least populated and most unspoiled in France, with massively diverse geography. Moving south through the region the flat plains in the north give way to the Pyrenean foothills and then the high mountains with many over 3000m close to the Spanish and Andorran borders. We had several basecamps in the Ariège: Tarascon-sur-Ariege, Ax-les-Thermes and l'Hospitalet-pres-l'Andorre and discovered an area of stunning natural beauty that was perfect for disappearing into the hills on the dense network of waymarked hiking trails. We've listed the hikes that we tackled below, along with suggestions for other routes and longer itineraries.

5 Amazing Summer Hikes in Val d'Anniviers, Valais, Switzerland

Trying to choose just 5 favourite hikes from among the many that we tackled in this stunning valley is a daunting task. All of the many and varied hikes we tackled in Val d'Anniviers, which you can read about here, were beautiful and invigorating in their own ways. However, if you only have a few days to explore the hills of this pristine valley, below are our favourites to give you a few ideas.