Jungle Gym

In the same way that when kids watch the pre Christmas TV ads and perpetually say "I want one", a similar cry may be heard when we see a brochure or an ad for one of those Jungle Gym/Treetop adventure thingies; "Can we go?"


We've had a go on a few now. But not in the UK. The kids aren't old enough, nor will they be for some time. And the quality of the French variety does vary a bit from mediocre to brilliant, though wee Sam inevitably ends up on the little one when he really wants to go bigger and higher.


And then we tried the one at Talloires, above Lake Annecy. Wow! It did say 3 to 5m above the deck come to think of it. Unlike most of the others we've been on, the 'smaller' course runs on one continuous cable, so there's no need to clip and unclip. This makes it much safer, and perhaps as a result they can push the boundaries a bit further.

The photos do the talking much better than I can, so have a look at the album on this link to my Facebook pages.

Admittedly, its a bit far for a day trip from the apartment in Argentiere but for aficienados of the Jungle Gym, perhaps it'll be worth the effort!

Bikes, walks and adventure parks

The pace of the last couple of days has been decidedly slow. In typically British fashion I’ve got to add that the weather hasn’t exactly been driving us along. Very cool in comparison to expectations, and at times a bit wet too. Evenings by the fire were not what I had in mind for July!
To celebrate Sam’s 5th birthday on Monday, we jumped on the bikes and headed down to Chamonix. Using the riverside track, we kept away from the traffic and made it all the way to Place du Mont Blanc before locking the bikes up at the station. A great ride down and the kids loved it.On then to the adventure park over by the Montenvers train, with the main objective of a few blasts down the summer luge. However, there was a slight cock up in the plan as 1. The park now charges an entry fee for the day and 2. The summer luge was shut.

Last year we were able to buy a few tokens and it felt like good value entertainment as the kids ‘paid as they played’. At 40 Euros for a family ticket, it felt like an expensive birthday treat. And that’s discounted from the 52 Euros we would have paid if the luge had been operating.

Another slight annoyance is the fact that they charge by height – under 1m tall in for free (Sam exceeds this quite considerably), but the activities are restricted by age – several being for 7 and over. How fair is that?


Regardless, we spent a couple of hours there having a go at most things, including the Mini Foret jungle gym up at the top of the brand new Planards chairlift. Sam went home happy having had a bike ride and a couple of hours at the park.

I got ticked off by the guard on the train for bring the kids bikes on. Only 5 bikes on any train and we’re a family of 4. That doesn’t leave much room to rely on the service – and a great service it is too. At least with the car, the worst case scenario is that having biked down the valley I get the train back while the others grab an ice cream and wait while I drive down to collect them. But that kind of defeats the purpose doesn’t it?! At least, now that I've paid my taxes and got my residence cards sorted, the train is free.

Leaving Montroc

On the Aiguille Rouge National Park Nature Trail

With a promise of drier weather following in behind the overnight rain we decided to get out for a proper walk today. Of the many options available, and with still the odd shower about, plenty of low cloud and a chilly wind, a valley walk over to Vallorcine seemed the best option.

Someone got a new camera for Christmas!

Hameau Les Montets

Having timed our sandwich making just right, we jumped on the train up to Montroc and then picked up the path over to the Col des Montets and the Chemin des Diligences. I had thought that this might be a fairly dull walk, following the road through familiar territory. However, I have to say that it was really good, being just the right distance for Sam & Jodie, and with plenty to look at and take in along the way. Thoroughly recommended for an easy low level walk into the quieter reaches of the Chamonix valley.

Me Tarzan, you Jane...

One final bit of fun before the long journey back to the Highlands. Back down to Chamonix again and the Parc de Loisirs for some jungle fun on the roped course through the trees.


With 3 different levels in the Parcours D'Aventure its possible for wee Sam to have a shot on his very own course through the trees, with a watchful eye being kept from a very safe spot on terra firma right next to him. Despite some slight concern that he wouldn't be quite so bold when it came to it, Sam loved the 'mini foret' and chances are he'll be moving on up the grade to the petit foret as soon as age and height permit.


Jodie meanwhile climbed high from the start on the 'Petit Foret' course, with me in tow keeping a close eye on the karabiners and safety procedures. And what great fun it was too! Climbing steep ladders (and a climbing wall), traversing high wires and suspended logs, swinging into cargo nets, and probably best of all, the zip wires. And all without batting an eyelid! No Fear!


Not sure whether you're supposed to or not, but we enjoyed it so much that we went back round many of the sections for a second go! And the parc is open till the end of October, so if we get chance in October and the weather holds there's a very good chance that we'll be back for more very soon.


As the course is located in the trees at the top of the Planards ski run, just on the outskirts of Chamonix, you need to catch the chairlift to get up to it. But this also means that on the way down, there's another run on the summer luge included in the price of the ticket!

So that's all for this trip to Argentiere and the Chamonix valley. Back again in a few weeks with the mountain bikes to have a go at the Tour of Mont Blanc.