YOU’LL WANT TO COME BACK FOR MORZINE
WE’RE sitting in a mountain chalet in the Alpine ski resort of Morzine, enjoying a traditional dish of tartiflette and some home-made liqueur which packs a punch.
We’ve already made friends with the family’s dogs and cat and are feeling throughly at home with Véronique Fillon, who we’d met less than an hour earlier and is now making our supper.
So when we’re told we have to sing for our dessert – and realise when Véronique’s husband produces his guitar that it’s not a joke – it takes only a top-up to have us picking our songs.
Bellowing out rock classics on an otherwise silent night in the French Alps is a surreal experience – but this is a trip to discover what Morzine has to offer outside the skiing season.
And the answer is... plenty. Some of our party had already been introduced to the hair-raising delights of summer canyoning, traipsing off in wetsuits to abseil and scramble among fast-flowing rivers and waterfalls on the afternoon we arrived.
Morzine is a beautiful little town of wooden chalet-style buildings festooned with flowers in the summer and fairylights in winter and dotted with independent shops, restaurants and bars. There’s a real community feel and a sense of outdoor activities constantly either underway or in the planning.
Those obvious snow-theme attractions aside, if you soak up the go-with-the-flow mood, you’ll find so much more.
Our night with guide Véronique was supposed to involve star-gazing and an outdoor excursion to find edible plants she uses in cooking. But those plans were forgotten over our tartiflette – the proper version, with just potatoes, onions and reblochon cheese, followed by lavender and thyme-infused cakes.
We were only reminded on seeing the millions of pin-pricks of light punctuating the inky blackness when we finally left far later than intended, despite the fact that our host had to be up at 4am next day to prepare an al fresco breakfast for mountain walkers.
We had no such early start at our hotel, The Farmhouse, which is more like a mini-manor – all wooden beams, open fires and slate floors – with lawns extending into a lovely garden, vegetable patch and fabulous views.
We took to hanging around the bar to chat at the end of the day, acquainting ourselves with Trouble the cat and learning about the 1771 building’s fascinating history. Rooms are named after their various uses over the years such as kitchen, treasure room and even cell, where signs remain of bars!
It’s in the ‘kitchen’ that I fall asleep to the sound of a thunderstorm one night only to wake to a beautiful day and the ringing of church bells and, further off, the river. Those bells toll again just two minutes later – to confirm the hour to those who hadn’t counted the first time.
Whether looking for somewhere to cosy up in the lounge with a book or as a base for a skiing party, this is it.
Attractive dining areas can accommodate big groups and there’s even a room to dry out ski boots. But outside of skiing, there’s plenty of exercise to be had in the mountains.
A gentle hike took us around Lac Nyon Guerin on the Pointe de Nyon where, in winter, the backdrop of dramatic peaks – like the snaking roads we climbed up – turn into ski runs.
Biking is huge here and specific cars on the ski lift take the muddy mountain bikes of those keen to make the most of the spectacular trails, while we hopped on just to see views including the snow-tipped peak of the mighty Mont Blanc.
A multi-pass allows access to lifts and the likes of pool and tennis facilities for just €2 a day while a quirky horse and cart ride – complete with driver’s dog, which apparently takes turns with a pet rabbit to travel along – proved a hit with us on a chillout afternoon.
But, for me, walking is the real treat. Besides the surrounding beauty there’s quiet (nothing but the gentle clank of cow bells) and feeling of escape. So when I heard of Afghan walking – an art which apparently enables you to cover vast distances more easily – I wanted to know more.
We spent a morning in the company of a lovely guide who made us focus on breathing and be conscious of our pacing. While I can’t say I mastered the art, I did end the walk feeling extraordinarily relaxed and oddly more energised.
Eating well also helped our feelgood mood. Many meals were memorable, such as a lunch of trout caught just metres from the Refuge de l’Equipe hotel, and dinner at Morzine’s excellent La Chamade, where chef Thierry Thorens served up course after extraordinary course.
Even then, we still couldn’t resist a visit to its downstairs cheese bar – an entire room dedicated to the stuff.
And if you do over-indulge then Morzine has the cure too. Summer or winter, there’s no escaping all that fresh air and exercise.
Take the ski out of ski break on a summer visit to the Alpine slopes, BARBARA HODGSON loved it