New Morzine ski lift gets ready for take off

 

Gareth Marshall at Simply Morzine has been keeping us posted on the development of the brand spanking new 10 million euro Plenéy ski lift that will be ready in mid December for Morzine’s winter season.

The lift goes from central Morzine to Le Pléney and will almost double the transport capacity of the system, putting Morzine firmly on the map as having one of the best ski lift infrastructures in Europe.

The development, replacing a system that has run since the 1960s, will have 54 gondola cabins that can each accommodate up to 10 people, transporting up to 3000 skiers an hour and so massively improving the capacity and travel time to the ski area.

Access to the lift stations will be made quicker and easier and skiers will have more direct access to the slopes.

Of course, the lift comes in handy during the spring, summer and autumn season too, when the area is outstanding for walkers and mountain bikers – the lift will go some way to making their journeys easier!

Says Gareth: “It has been an amazing project to watch since it first started in May 2013. Think incredible engineering, helicopters dropping concrete to make pylons – all quite dramatic.”

Morzine is a traditional alpine village Morzine and ski centre in the Portes du Soleil region of the French Savoie Alps, between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc on the French-Swiss border, and just 75km from Geneva airport.

Simply Morzine is a collection of luxury catered chalets, self-catered apartments and a family-run chalet-hotel for winter skiing and summer alpine holidays. See the site at www.simply-morzine.co.uk.

Love ‘The Tunnel’ on Sky? Here are 10 Channel Tunnel facts

 

The Channel Tunnel is taking a starring role in Sky Atlantic’s newest grisly murder mystery, ‘The Tunnel’ which starts on Wednesday 16 October, so we have delved into some of the amazing facts that make the crossing from the UK to France so special.

  1. The Tunnel is 31.4 miles long from Folkestone in Kent to Coquelles in Pas de Calais. With 24 miles underwater, this is the longest sea tunnel in the world.
  2. At its deepest point, the tunnel is 75metres under water.
  3. It takes 35 minutes for trains to cross the tunnel. Services include Eurostar trains, Eurotunnel car-carrying shuttles and freight trains.
  4. Around 320m people have used the tunnel since it opened.
  5. There are actually three tunnels: two for trains and one service tunnel.
  6. Work began in 1988 and the first shuttle to carry a car crossed in 1994. The decision to build the tunnel was first announced almost 50 years ago, on 6 February 1964.
  7. 11 massive boring drills were used to dig out the tunnel and more than 13,000 workers took part in the construction.
  8. The waste removed during construction of the tunnels was used to create a new piece of land on the Kent coast. Samphire Hoe is an award-winning 90 acre nature reserve that with stunning views of the Dover cliffs.
  9. Despite the gory premise of The Tunnel, there have been no recorded murders in the Channel Tunnel.
  10. Engineers voted the Channel Tunnel the best construction achievement of the 20th century.

Find out more about Sky’s The Tunnel.

 

Easyjet announces low cost flights to France for summer 2014

 

Easyjet has announced its 2014 summer schedule, so to give you a headstart for booking the bargains, we have rounded up the best prices for flights to France for the May half term and summer school holiday dates in 2014.

If you find better deals please tell us in the comments below.

All of the following are based on travel from London airports and for a seven-night break (unless stated), and can be found at the easyjet website (www.easyjet.com). Of course, prices vary, so please check the latest price with easyjet before making any plans.

To book great value accommodation, go to www.franceforfamilies.com/gites

Cheapest Easyjet flights to France for the May half term holidays in 2014

London to Paris Charles de Gaulle
Depart, Saturday 24 May (from £35pp)
Return, Saturday 31 May (from £62pp)

London to Nantes, for Brittany and the Vendée
Depart, Sunday 25 May (from £55pp)
Return, Sunday 1 June (from £81pp)

London to La Rochelle, on the west coast
No flights available at this time

London to Montpellier, for Languedoc on the south coast
Depart, Saturday 24 May (from £70pp)
Return, Saturday 31 May (from £95pp)

London to Bordeaux, in south west France
Depart, Saturday 24 May (from £66pp)
Return, Saturday 31 May (from £54pp)

London to Nice, for the Cote d’Azur
Depart, Saturday 24 May (from £104pp)
Return, Saturday 31 May (from £78pp)

Cheapest Easyjet flights to France for the start of the summer in 2014

London to Paris Charles de Gaulle
Depart, Thursday 25 July (from £43)
Return, Thursday 1 August (from £46)

London to Nantes, for Brittany and the Vendée
Depart, Thursday 25 July (from £72)
Return, Thursday 1 August (from £57)

London to La Rochelle, on the west coast
Depart, Saturday 27 July (from £49)
Return, Saturday 3 August (from £44)

London to Montpellier, for Languedoc on the south coast
Depart, Thursday 25 July (from £80)
Return, Thursday 1 August (from £51)

London to Bordeaux, in south west France
Depart, Friday 26 July (from £111)
Return, Friday 2 August (from £66)

London to Nice, for the Cote d’Azur
Depart, Saturday 27 July (from £84)
Return ,Thursday 1 August (from £50)

Cheapest Easyjet flights to France for the last week in August in 2014

London to Paris Charles de Gaulle
Depart, Saturday 23 August (from £43pp)
Return, Saturday 30 August (from £41pp)

London to Nantes, for Brittany and the Vendée
Depart, Saturday 23 August (from £92pp)
Return, Saturday 30 August (from £87pp)

London to La Rochelle, on the west coast
Depart, Sunday 24 August (from £41pp)
Return, Sunday 31 August (from £73pp)

London to Montpellier, for Languedoc on the south coast
Depart, Sunday 24 August (from £43pp)
Return, Sunday 31 August (from £113pp)

London to Bordeaux, in south west France
Depart, Sunday 24 August (from £45pp)
Return, Friday 29 August (from £85pp)

London to Nice, for the Cote d’Azur
Depart, Sunday 24 August (from £48pp)
Return, Friday 29 August (from £130pp)

For a huge choice of gites and apartments in all of these regions, head over to our accommodation section and search by region: www.franceforfamilies.com/gites.

Watersports in the Alps: rafting and hydrospeed

 

Not something we normally associate with the Alps, but the variety of rivers and lakes in the mountains ensure there’s always fun to be had splashing about in water.

Watersports in the Alps

Something to try when the rivers in the Alps are full of life between May and October is ‘Rafting’ and ‘Hydrospeed’.  To do both you generally need to be confident swimmers and not afraid of the rapids! Most companies insist on being over 14 years old.

Rafting is done on very durable rubber dinghies normally with around eight people to a boat.  Everyone has a paddle and they have to use it!  It’s all pull together, particularly when negotiating the swift moving water of the rapids.

Rafting in the Alps

The ‘Hydrospeed’ adds what I think is the extra element of danger. Armed with just a bodyboard and flippers, you are heading down the river ‘tout seul’ – just you with your face inches above the water line, swimming swiftly past the rocks and gasping for air as the water dramatically carries you downstream.

You generally don’t need any pre-training or experience before trying out these activities.  The instructors will spend time at the beginning explaining the equipment, demonstrating how to paddle, lean, turn and flip!  The instructors can certainly add to the experience, guiding the way but also adding an element of fun to the experience – they can make it a real event to remember!

Over the summer the boys in our party (Dad, aged 40 something and Son aged 15) experienced both with An Rafting (www.an-rafting.com) on the Isere River, between Aime and Centron, in the Alps Savoie.  Highly recommended!

For somewhere to stay, head over to our list of fabulous gites in the Alps.