Le Tour comes to Bourg

Sappho packs herself off to Les Arcs to meet the cyclists coming in…

When we were told earlier this year that Bourg St Maurice had been named as the arrival town for the 16th stage of the Tour de France, we immediately started looking into our flights. So imagine our excitement when we heard that 14 teams of the Tour would be starting in our beloved Arc 1950… Lance Armstrong and Bradley Wiggins included!

This called for some serious planning, not to mention an extra quick crash course on the world’s most watched race.
So I packed off, with a couple of journalists in tow, on Monday 20th July to Arc 1950, (Erna Low’s bestselling holiday destination as well the location for the Erna Low Property french office) and what a trip it was.
The village was looking its finest, the sun was shining, the cows were mooing and the whole village was buzzing with the knowledge that the cyclists fast approaching.

Les Maillots Jaunes proudly decorate sunny Bourg

On Tuesday 21st, after a morning of white water rafting from Bourg St Maurice to Moutiers along the Isere river, we took out seats in the ‘tribune’ seating area at the arrival in Bourg perfectly positioned under the big screen to watch the cyclists ride in from Verbier/ Martigny in Switzerland through La Thuile (Italy) and down from La Rosiere.
While ducking and diving for the freebies being hurled into the crowds, the crowds grew more and more excited at the cyclists descended. They made it look so effortless but we were reminded how dangerous it can be as one of them slipped coming down from La Thuile and had a nasty fall. Ouch!
Mikal Astarloza riding for the Euskatel Team was the first to come in with a time of 4h14m20s, swiftly followed by five other riders all making it 4h14m26s. For full table of results, please see here for the full results table.
The overall ranking was unaffected however with Contador (in the ‘Maillot Jaune’ for fastest overall time), Hushovd (in the ‘Maillot Vert’ for most points), Pellizotti (for most ‘climbing’ points), A. Schleck (fastest overall youth) and Astana (best overall team) still leading the way.
It was quick dash after the prize giving back up to Arc 1950 in order to beat the team’s trucks and entourage who would soon be making the slow climb. We sat in George’s Bar, drinking our beers in the sunset as we played cyclist celebrity spotting as they all made their way to their apartments. We saw Mark Cavendish making his way to Auberge Jerome and word on the village street was that Lance Armstrong was in Prince des Cimes and having dinner in Chalet Luigi that evening. Some of the Russian teams apparently travel with their own chefs to ensure a good nutrition but the rest were obviously out for the evening as the village restaurants were full to burst!
The village had relaxed their ‘pedestrian only’ policy for the evening as the streets where packed with the team trucks and thousands of pounds worth of bikes all strapped to the roofs of the branded cars.

Entourage in Arc 1950

After having breakfast in Le Brasserie 1950 on Wednesday 22nd, at the next table form Richard Virenque, the trucks and teams departed Bourg to commence the 17th stage of the circuit. The gruelling mountain stage from Bourg to Le Grand-Bornand through Beaufort, Megeve, Sallanches and Cluses. 
I now realise I hadn’t quite grasped how much more the Tour was than a few men crazy enough to cycle round a country but what it also means for the fans and the towns that welcome them. The buzz and excitement it brings with it is infectious and I can safely say I have been converted to a dedicated follower… now where’s the 2010 schedule?!

To view all the photos, become a fan on the Erna Low facebook page!

Sappho Barkla is the PR and Marketing Manager for Erna Low Holidays and Erna Low Property.

Summer stays are available in Arc 1950 from just £336 for a family of four in a luxury self catered apartment for 7 nights, includes free activity pass, self catering basis, no travel http://www.ernalowsummer.co.uk/ 0845 863 0525
Winter prices at Arc 1950 start from £533 for a one bedroom apartment for a week (up to two people sharing) including return Eurotunnel crossings with free upgrade to Flexi Plus. www.ernalow.co.uk 0845 863 0525

Viewing the Alps from a sunnier side…

Victoria and Georgina from our admin and sales team explore the Maurienne Valley in the July sun…

Bright and early on the 9th July we met at St Pancras International to catch the Eurostar to Paris then on to Chambery via SNCF.  Once in Chambery we transferred to the beautiful Chateau des Comtes de Challes set in the hills above the city where we tasted and learnt about the local Savoie wines.

After a comfortable evening we ventured an hour into the Alps to the resort of Valloire.  Here we viewed the mountain biking trails and hiked to Les 3 Lacs after a sumptuous mountain lunch which had panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.

Vic and George hiking through the Maurienne Valley

The evening was spent at the Lagrange Prestige residence, Les Chalets du Galibier where we tested out the spa facilities and relaxed after a hard day’s work!

The next day we ventured further into the Maurienne Valley taking in the historic forts in Aussois and then headed on passed Valfrejus, La Norma and Termingnon La Vanoise until we reached the traditional village of Bonneval sur Arc where we devoured a healthy tartiflette!  To work off all those calories we went for a mountain stroll and then departed to Val Cenis.  Here we visited Les Alpages de Val Cenis where once again we felt it was our duty to try out the spa facilities and restaurant.

Fancy a dip?

After our short but action packed trip to the Maurienne Valley we can thoroughly recommend the area for both summer and winter activities which offer a very traditional alpine atmosphere. 

Many thanks to ABTOF, Savoie Mont Blanc tourist board and Rail Europe for arranging an unforgettable experience.

Valley view from Aussois towards Chambery

Getting into the Spirit at Arc 1950

Surrounded by seasoned skiers and boarders at Erna Low, Laura from Admin recounts her experience catching up on the slopes…

As one of the only members of staff that does not ski or snowboard at Erna Low, I absolutely jumped at the chance to have a ski lesson during the end of season ski weekend. I had always been a bit scared of trying it, as I am a bit of a wimp and a bit scared of hurting myself. Luckily, one of the students working at Erna Low was a skiing virgin too so we were able to do the lesson together.

So here we were, all kitted out with skis, boots and poles, attempting to drag them to the Spirit 1950 ski school meeting point for our lesson. As Arc 1950 is such a small resort, all the ski school groups meet in the similar place, however there are posts showing which group needs to go where.

Laura conquering the mountain

We found our group, and it turned out I was the only one who didn’t speak French – this was not a problem as the ski instructor said he would be explaining things in both French and English which was extremely helpful during the 2 and a half hour lesson. 
We were both a bit apprehensive of what we were going to do – having no idea how to even stand up on skis!! First thing we did was to push ourselves along with the poles – easy enough, and a good way to learn how to keep your balance. We were then told to put our poles down – what?! Our little safety blanket to keep us upright! Snow plough was next, easy enough in theory, but putting into practice was a little difficult. After a couple of attempts, most people had sort of got the hang of it. We were still in the Arc 1950 village which does not have a lot of room to practice, so we got the pedestrian lift up to Arc 2000, which literally takes a few minutes.

For the remainder of the lesson, we spent the time shuffling up a little bit of slope and then coming down and attempting to snow plough. We also got shown how to turn, and stop at the same time. The lesson was really enjoyable, even though not everyone spoke the same language, everyone helped each other out, if it was helping them to get up to slope, or grabbing on to someone when you felt yourself slipping a little bit! Although I only had one 2 and a half hour lesson, I can imagine that having the full week’s worth of lessons would be such fun, and would learn so much! The instructor said that the lesson the next day, he would be taking the group onto some slopes, so quite a quick progression. I do believe this is the only way to learn, get stuck in as quickly as possible.

Overall, I had a fantastic time on my ski lesson, I would however say to any beginners, be prepared to have some very tired legs! How wonderful that we had the afternoon at the Spa at Le Village to relax and put our feet up! I am now planning on heading out to the Alps next winter and having a week’s worth of lessons – I will be joining my colleagues on the slopes in no time!

Laura Mann, Administration Assistant, Erna Low

Prices at Arc 1950 start from £533 for a one bedroom apartment for a week (up to two people sharing) including return Eurotunnel crossings with free upgrade to Flexi Plus. Erna Low Ski holidays www.ernalow.co.uk

Shoestring skiing

Victoria, our admin manager, heads to the hills on a budget.

As usual for me I needed to organise last winter’s ski holiday on a budget.  I do this because I try to get as many holidays out of my spare cash as possible rather than one big one! 

Left me more to spend on looking the part!

I chose Les Deux Alpes as I’d heard rave reviews about the skiing and night life and I also knew I could organise really cheap flights with Ryanair from Stansted to Grenoble, which would give an easy transfer at either end.  I also chose to go in March to avoid the school holiday prices and busy slopes.

So we got the local bus to the airport early Saturday morning and when we arrived in Grenoble we transferred to the resort with Ben’s Bus, which is a low cost ski transfer company.  The buses ran according to the flight arrivals and departures so it was easy to hop on the bus at either end without worrying about timing.  It cost approximately £43.50 per person return, which is a bargain compared to car hire or private taxi transfers.

 I booked a cheap self catering studio apartment close to the Diable cable car with an accommodation supplier we work with at Erna Low.  My view was that as long as it was clean and tidy it wouldn’t matter if it was small and when we got there we were pleasantly surprised.  We had a lovely kitchen area, balcony and the sofa bed didn’t take up all the living space.

Our Skiset ski hire shop was located just around the corner and we picked up our lift passes when we picked up our accommodation keys.  It was all very easy.

We went shopping at the local supermarket to buy our food for the week which was where we were in for a shock.  Due to the change in the exchange rate everything was so expensive and we knew then we wouldn’t be able to afford much, but we managed somehow!  So each morning we had porridge to last us as long as possible and we took energy bars up the mountain to try to avoid snacking on food up there where the prices were even more extravagant.  We even came back down to the apartment at lunchtime as we were completely gobsmacked by the prices up the mountain!  This worked easily for us as we were only about 50-100m walk from the cable car.  Then we headed back up the mountain afterwards.

In the evenings we scouted the happy hours and found two great bars which had bargain pints on offer, the Polar Bar and The Secret, so we even managed to enjoy après ski on a budget!

For dinner we tended to cook up something in the apartment to save on the cash, but we also ventured out to sample a couple of the local restaurants.

All in all it was a fun, energetic and bargainous holiday!  As it was a while ago I can’t remember the exact total cost but I vaguely remember it costing no more than £500 per person, including spending money for the week.  That’s not bad for a ski holiday!

Victoria Lincoln, Administration Manager, Erna Low