Col de la Moutiere - at last !
- Thread starter franco
- Start date
Ohhhh, that looks nice 
Shhhhhh
Shhhhhh
This we know, trip to Nurburghring booked in two weeks time to catch the last of the summer (we hope...)
Great trip report Franco, plotted it in to MapSauce for some time in the future (found the little bakery! N44.04241 E7.12898
)
Hey franco, if ever you decide to do a tour for us green eyed monsters over here I'll be first in the que to sign up, without hesitation!
Quality report, loved it
Ye never know, I might just do that one day. Or publish a web page "Franco's ramblings in the Cote d'Azur"....
Glad you liked it
This we know, trip to Nurburghring booked in two weeks time to catch the last of the summer (we hope...)
Great trip report Franco, plotted it in to MapSauce for some time in the future (found the little bakery! N44.04241 E7.12898
That's the one, just confirmed the coordinates on Google Earth. Bon appetit.
Well
After the bike trip, the boys were saying they wanted to visit the forts up there, so we jumped in the car yesterday and went up the Col le la Moutiere to check it out.
Armed with torches as these things go a long way underground.
Cameron climbs up the entrance, rather than just going in the open door
Inside the one at the top of the Col de la Bonnette, there's a massive room (more than 200m2 with three of these monster engines
Someone been here before and left their rubbish. Scary thing about these is that they are often used by animals as shelter, so you can hear scurrying around. Luckily we weren't charged head on by a terrified goat in the ptich black
The guns are still in pretty good nick, in fact it's all amazingly well preserved in there, probably cos it's so isolated and dangerous as there are open traps in the ground, which have filled with water, so you have to be really careful where you're stepping
Storage shelving in the same room as the guns. Picture quality isn't great as it's taken in torchlight
Open lift shaft which drops 4 storeys again, filled with water in the bottom.
Outside on top of the bunker, gives an idea of the size of it. Internal staircases and ladders get you up to the higher levels like here.
Looking over to the Col de la Bonnette loop from the top of the bunker, so it's not far as you can see.
Water reservoir built on the top of the bunker, still watertight, good ol' German engineering
View over the machine gun turrets to the southern side of the Bonnette road.
Shame this wasn't a GSer, but nice shot from the path up to the little viewpoint right at the top.
There was however, a 1200GS ADV parked right in front of my car here...with a nice view down to the Col de la Moutiere road.
Young lad managed to find a patch of snow, which he subsquently fashioned snow balls from and pelted his brother...
The trip shots aren't quite the same though, looks better with the bike in front of the scenery IMHO
These looked like they'd been drawn in charcoal....
So, after the excitement of the bunkers, we headed north down to Jausiers, and turned right over the Col de Larche, which is helpfully called the Colle della Maddalena on the Italian side. Headed down into Italy with the intention of going over the Col de Lombarde back into France. Now I never took many photos, but the run up through France to the Col de Larche is very scenic with dozens of bikes flying past us in both directions. If you haven't done it, a nice loop from Barcelonnette is Jausiers->Larche->Lombarde->Bonnette or Moutieres and back. Easy loop in a day as we passed cyclists doing exactly that
Anyway, rather than just wheeching up the Col de Lombarde, it's well worth continuing past the turnoff (which is on the right) and going to Vinadio. Now this place has got THE most amazing walls all round the town, which look mediaeval, but were in fact built in the late 1800's. Great place to stop for a cappucino and foccacia though, and the kids loved it.
Cross the bridge into the town
Got a couple of strange statues which looked like slimmed down Michelin men to me but are the creation of British sculptor David Mach
The twin on the other side of the road into town.
The walls go on a fair way down to the river. Much bigger than the size of town merits.
The walls from the other side.
Really nice place in a gorgeous setting though, and well worth the 5 minute detour (plus time spent in the cafes) if you're going up the Col de Lombarde.
So, we continued our journey up the Col de la Lombarde, which is stunning scenery-wise and again, I woulda taken a dozen photos on the bike but nothing in the car
At the top, clouds were setting in
Welcome home
Bunkers at the top of this col are a couple of minutes walk along a path from the road.
Nice view of the road up the Col
Another wee visit including scrambling up and down ladders, which the kids loved.
Pretty crap attempt at camouflage, but from the road it was surprisingly effective.
So, all in all, a top day oot.
After the bike trip, the boys were saying they wanted to visit the forts up there, so we jumped in the car yesterday and went up the Col le la Moutiere to check it out.
Armed with torches as these things go a long way underground.
Cameron climbs up the entrance, rather than just going in the open door
Inside the one at the top of the Col de la Bonnette, there's a massive room (more than 200m2 with three of these monster engines
Someone been here before and left their rubbish. Scary thing about these is that they are often used by animals as shelter, so you can hear scurrying around. Luckily we weren't charged head on by a terrified goat in the ptich black
The guns are still in pretty good nick, in fact it's all amazingly well preserved in there, probably cos it's so isolated and dangerous as there are open traps in the ground, which have filled with water, so you have to be really careful where you're stepping
Storage shelving in the same room as the guns. Picture quality isn't great as it's taken in torchlight
Open lift shaft which drops 4 storeys again, filled with water in the bottom.
Outside on top of the bunker, gives an idea of the size of it. Internal staircases and ladders get you up to the higher levels like here.
Looking over to the Col de la Bonnette loop from the top of the bunker, so it's not far as you can see.
Water reservoir built on the top of the bunker, still watertight, good ol' German engineering
View over the machine gun turrets to the southern side of the Bonnette road.
Shame this wasn't a GSer, but nice shot from the path up to the little viewpoint right at the top.
There was however, a 1200GS ADV parked right in front of my car here...with a nice view down to the Col de la Moutiere road.
Young lad managed to find a patch of snow, which he subsquently fashioned snow balls from and pelted his brother...
The trip shots aren't quite the same though, looks better with the bike in front of the scenery IMHO
These looked like they'd been drawn in charcoal....
So, after the excitement of the bunkers, we headed north down to Jausiers, and turned right over the Col de Larche, which is helpfully called the Colle della Maddalena on the Italian side. Headed down into Italy with the intention of going over the Col de Lombarde back into France. Now I never took many photos, but the run up through France to the Col de Larche is very scenic with dozens of bikes flying past us in both directions. If you haven't done it, a nice loop from Barcelonnette is Jausiers->Larche->Lombarde->Bonnette or Moutieres and back. Easy loop in a day as we passed cyclists doing exactly that
Anyway, rather than just wheeching up the Col de Lombarde, it's well worth continuing past the turnoff (which is on the right) and going to Vinadio. Now this place has got THE most amazing walls all round the town, which look mediaeval, but were in fact built in the late 1800's. Great place to stop for a cappucino and foccacia though, and the kids loved it.
Cross the bridge into the town
Got a couple of strange statues which looked like slimmed down Michelin men to me but are the creation of British sculptor David Mach
The twin on the other side of the road into town.
The walls go on a fair way down to the river. Much bigger than the size of town merits.
The walls from the other side.
Really nice place in a gorgeous setting though, and well worth the 5 minute detour (plus time spent in the cafes) if you're going up the Col de Lombarde.
So, we continued our journey up the Col de la Lombarde, which is stunning scenery-wise and again, I woulda taken a dozen photos on the bike but nothing in the car
At the top, clouds were setting in
Welcome home
Bunkers at the top of this col are a couple of minutes walk along a path from the road.
Nice view of the road up the Col
Another wee visit including scrambling up and down ladders, which the kids loved.
Pretty crap attempt at camouflage, but from the road it was surprisingly effective.
So, all in all, a top day oot.
Hey franco, if ever you decide to do a tour for us green eyed monsters over here I'll be first in the que to sign up, without hesitation!
Quality report, loved it
I'm in..
Great stuff
Mr K
Registered user
Excellent!
Memo to self: Get out more.
Memo to self: Get out more.
swissrob
Registered user
Nice. Done the Parpaillon twice in the Defender including this hairy photo here
Still like to do it on the GSA though, don't remember it being too much of a bumpy ride up there, and believe me, in the Defender, if it's bumpy, you know about it. Might try and get up there whilst I'm still young then
cant really do that anymore as they have dug huge trenches either side of the tunnel exit to stop tossers doing exactly that !
Phluppe
Registered user
Great ride Franco. Than again, the easy bit from Col de la Moutiere towards the Bonette route is no challenge, next time, at the intersection, take the track on the left, going towards Bayasse on the Cayolle road.
Watch out though, it's a 7 on a scale of ten where the tracks you jus tdid isn't even a 3
Oh, don't think there aren't any GS tossers on the Alpine roads forum who love an bit of unpaved once in a while
http://www.alpineroads.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1149
(my nick on that forum is Torque)
Man, I've been to your region so many times on the bike, once or twice a year I'm staying in Les Arcs-sur-Argens. Still discovering new roads, Col de Valberg was a new for me this year, coming from the Gorge de Daluis.
Anyway, have fun overthere, I know I would
Grtz, Philip!
Watch out though, it's a 7 on a scale of ten where the tracks you jus tdid isn't even a 3
Oh, don't think there aren't any GS tossers on the Alpine roads forum who love an bit of unpaved once in a while
http://www.alpineroads.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1149
(my nick on that forum is Torque)
Man, I've been to your region so many times on the bike, once or twice a year I'm staying in Les Arcs-sur-Argens. Still discovering new roads, Col de Valberg was a new for me this year, coming from the Gorge de Daluis.
Anyway, have fun overthere, I know I would
Grtz, Philip!
Cool. I saw that road going west the last time I was up La Moutiere, couldn't be that hard as someone came up in it a Peugeot 308, though it was a rental car
Definitely going to check it out. Got a list of passes I want to try within the next year or so, including the Casterino -> Col de Tende track, Col de Braous via l'Escarene and a couple of others round Auron/St Etienne.
I've signed up for Alpineroads, with the username..... Franco
Definitely going to check it out. Got a list of passes I want to try within the next year or so, including the Casterino -> Col de Tende track, Col de Braous via l'Escarene and a couple of others round Auron/St Etienne.
I've signed up for Alpineroads, with the username..... Franco
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