Day 14

13 miles

We decided to divide and conquer the excitement of our finale run, with Sarah taking the endearing mountain train up to Montenvers, while Max enjoyed the beautiful run route via the Roches des Mottets (where you could even spend the night in clear pods perched on the edge of the valley).

We convened at the panoramic terrace overlooking the sensational Mer de Glace, and had a celebratory/ recuperative/ awe-inspiring pause.

Onward and upwards from this glacier to Le Signal at 2,204m which was a stunning rocky environment with fantastic views both up to the spikey Aiguilles above and across the Chamonix Valley below.

The next stage was a relatively flat ‘Balcon’ path across to Plan de l’Aiguille just below the famous Aiguille du Midi cable car. It was great terrain and exciting views all the way.

We knew from the forecast that storms were coming, and as it was spitting gradually harder, it felt like a bit of a race to get to the Refuge where we had a Rendezvous with a highly recommended omelette montagnarde! We were incredibly lucky as the storm hit within minutes of our arrival. The cloud completely enveloped us, the lightning and thunder was ferocious, and the cable car was shut down immediately – it seemed we might be settling in for a while!

The storm fortunately passed through the valley, and once the rain had subsided enough, we ventured outside and started our descent. The route took us across rather satisfyingly to the glacier we’d been looking at all week from our balcony, and then dropped down through the trees to Chamonix.

It had been genuinely cold for the first time in a fortnight but by the time we were down, the sun was blazing again (briefly) so we closed off our route with a refreshing ice cream from one of Chamonix’s many artisanal shops.

It had been a particularly enjoyable loop, and definitely one to come back for – Sarah to experience the first part of the run, and a long lunch in the sun on the terrace over the Mer de Glace would definitely be worth a trip!