The Long Road to Morzine

Our adventure to Morzine began as soon as we started our engine; we’d made the decision to avoid the tolls to get to the Portes Du Soleil, and what an adventure it turned out to be. It’s around 90€ in total, each way, on the toll roads from Calais to the Portes Du Soleil so it isn’t cheap. This is partly why we decided to avoid them but also because we wanted to see France. We’d planned in advance, but of course, nothing works out exactly as you’d hoped!

We left the ferry in our Camper late in the evening and had intended to stop for the night quite soon. A short drive away from Calais is the town of Saint Omer in the Nord Pas De Calais region- a perfect place to stop for a rest. We had the directions to an “aire camping” car park but of course, we had no 3G, and finding it in the dark, in a place we didn’t know, we didn’t stand a chance! But thanks to the map, (don’t tell Mum!) we managed to find the town and luckily a brand new aire, right in the centre! It’s got great facilities if you want to park up for the night, with a good, new toilet and other travellers – this is a great spot. It’s also near a bakery so you can grab breakfast before starting your long journey in the morning.

The lack of 3G meant that we plotted the rest of our route on the map. We found the best way to manage the journey is to plot from town to town. Simply following signs in little villages and hamlets. We next decided to head to the town of Orchies, round the bottom of Lille. The roads we used run parallel to the motorway to do your best to avoid getting on them and paying fees. This part of France is particularly flat, taking you through very remote farmland and quiet villages. The most interesting and harrowing part of this region is the number of war memorials you come across along the country roads. Sporadically appearing as you pass through the region – there are fields full of flowers and small grave stones which really gives you a picture of the scale of conflict that touched this part of the world.

We next headed for the city of Reims in the beautiful Champagne- Ardennes region. If you have time, and can schedule some stop offs during this part of the journey, you won’t regret it. There are towns, villages and cities along the way offering wine and champagne tasting experiences with really relaxing and tranquil spots to stay at. We scheduled our stops according to the availability of places to park the campervan. We found several spots on the road to the town of Chaumont but it took us longer than expected to get there and we again struggled to find them. However, there was plenty of parking in the town itself, with restaurants, cafes and lively nightlife. The viaduct outside this town is particularly impressive, especially when it’s lit up at night. It’s definitely worth a visit if you’re passing through.

After sleeping for a few hours in Chaumont, which is in the Haute-Marne region, we got up early to try to get to Morzine before nightfall. It was a rainy morning and quite a bleak start to the journey; however as the weather started to brighten up and the mountains began to emerge in front of us everything seemed to improve! We next aimed for the town of Dole in the Jura region and faced a definite change in temperature and snowy weather! It’s here that you need to make a decision, whether to skirt round Geneva or head around the top of the lake via Lausanne. We chose the latter, which may have meant a longer journey but also enabled us to see the Alps appearing in the distance over lake Geneva, which was spectacular. When you pass across the Border from France into Switzerland, you’ll be offered the option to buy your pass for the motorway, if you’re avoiding the tolls like we were, you won’t need to do this. The guards will seem quite shocked (who opts for mountain roads over straight, smooth motorways?!) but you only need the vignette if you’re planning on going on the highways. It’s a legal requirement to have snow chains for your vehicle as you drive through the mountains in the winter so now’s a good time to get them if you haven’t prepared well in advance. It’s quite slow as you pass through the city of Lausanne, and you have to avoid a lot of traffic and navigate lane changes and complex signalling but once through the hustle and bustle, the rest of the journey seems to fly by.

You pass through Evian and Thonon before taking the main route up to the Portes du Soleil. Both lakeside towns are great places for lunch and dinner stops, especially if the weather’s good and you can enjoy time on the waterfront. You then basically turn left and you’re on the road to Morzine. It was fully open when we drove up the windy monntain road but be aware, on occasion it’s shut due to landslides and avalanches so double check before you choose this route. We were lucky! It’s then about an hours drive up to Morzine and Les Gets.

This was an amazing, memorable way to start our trip and if you’re not driving in a heavy, fuel-consuming campervan, like we were, it’ll save you a lot of cash! It’s time consuming and of course quite a challenge but you see places that, if going via the motorway, you’d never get to see. It was stressful at times, especially when driving a big, cumbersome vehicle through narrow, country lanes and paths. In total it took us 2 full days of driving, but we had made a lot of mistakes. The key to making this journey a success, is planning in advance, scheduling realistic stop off points and definitely not relying on your phones. It takes up a good amount of fuel but the sights and experiences we gained from doing the journey, more than make up for that. Our adventure across France is something I’ll look back on fondly in years to come – it was well worth the trouble!