I picked up the scooter from Mototouring, then rode across Colle di Gran San Bernardo to La Tine, Switzerland.
The original plan was to ride to Bern, but that was looking like a bit too far, so I choose a closer stop.
I wanted to cross over the alps into Switzerland via the Colle di Gran San Bernardo pass, but
it was the only pass still closed on June 17. Col du Gd-Saint-Bernard; Colle del Gran San Bernardo is still closed and temperature is -4C at the top this afternoon.
Of the 26 passes pass status only St Bernard was still closed.
BTW, a list of Swiss mountain passes
A note about Swiss highways:
Motorways are marked by green signs, while main roads (Hauptstrassen) are marked by blue signs.
There are 2 versions of Highway 9, a blue square (Hauptstrassen) version which I want and a green hexagon (Motorway) version.
I think only the A (Arterial/Autobahnen/Autoroutes featuring a white letter "A" followed by a number on green signs) require a vingette. So the green hexagon E27/12 might be OK and a bit faster.
The base route is 7h53m 412km which is pretty long.
Here it is broken out into segments
part 1: Mototouring to Etroubles avoiding tolls but highways OK 3h56m 242km
part 2: Etroubles to Rossinière (near Bern) over St. Bernard pass 3h34m 162km
I booked a home-stay at La Reine des Prés (€85)
Route de La Tine 10, 1658 La Tine, Switzerland
Milan Mototouring → La Tine Switzerland
Milan Mototouring → La Tine Switzerland (415 km)
| Time | Minutes | km | kph avg | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:19am | 60.2 | packing to fit everything on the bike at Mototouring | ||
| 10:19am | 72.0 | 49 km | 41 kph | On My Way! |
| 11:31am | 18.9 | fuel stop at Tamoil and a gas station coffee | ||
| 11:50am | 44.2 | 46 km | 62 kph | |
| 12:34pm | 83.8 | map | ||
| 1:58pm | 63.0 | 54 km | 52 kph | |
| 3:01pm | 1.9 | pictures heading up out of Aosta | ||
| 3:03pm | 7.9 | 6 km | 49 kph | |
| 3:11pm | 1.6 | map | ||
| 3:13pm | 9.8 | 8 km | 51 kph | |
| 3:22pm | 1.9 | pictures in Gignod | ||
| 3:24pm | 9.3 | 7 km | 44 kph | |
| 3:33pm | 9.4 | Saint-Rhémy | ||
| 3:43pm | 7.1 | 5 km | 38 kph | |
| 3:50pm | 1.8 | Gate of closed St Bernardo pass on Italy side | ||
| 3:52pm | 40.8 | 31 km | 45 kph | |
| 4:32pm | 1.6 | Gate of closed St Bernardo pass on Swiss side | ||
| 4:34pm | 14.7 | 12 km | 50 kph | |
| 4:49pm | 4.6 | fuel stop at Station bivouac de Napoleon | ||
| 4:53pm | 1.9 | 2 km | 68 kph | |
| 4:55pm | 1.8 | pic stop outside Liddes | ||
| 4:57pm | 7.1 | 5 km | 45 kph | |
| 5:04pm | 1.1 | pic stop at a hairpin turn | ||
| 5:05pm | 36.1 | 29 km | 49 kph | |
| 5:42pm | 36.5 | apricot vendor stand and waterfall hike | ||
| 6:18pm | 29.4 | 19 km | 39 kph | |
| 6:48pm | 3.5 | Bienvenue aux Diablerts | ||
| 6:51pm | 19.1 | 14 km | 43 kph | |
| 7:10pm | 4.1 | Glacier 3000 ski area | ||
| 7:14pm | 50.1 | 47 km | 56 kph | |
| 8:04pm | 128.4 | Arrived B&B La Reine des Prés, the Pays-d'Enhaut | ||
| 9h45m | 6h53m moving | 415 km | 60.4 kph | 71% moving, 173 minutes of breaks |
| Google time (7h26m) + 31% | ||||
Odometer 16,230km so this ride really started at 16,185 km
Hospice du Grand-Saint-Bernard (the Great St Bernard Hospice) is not a refuge for the dying as might be implied by the American English word "hospice". Instead, here the word is used in the absolute oldest, medieval sense of "hospice" as place of refuge, sanctuary, and hospitality (hospitium) for tired or vulnerable travelers. The hospice was founded around 1050 by Saint Bernard of Menthon, built specifically to protect pilgrims crossing the treacherous Western Alps from freezing temperatures and bandits. This is also the birthplace of the famous St. Bernard rescue dogs, which the resident Augustinian monks bred for centuries to locate travelers lost or buried in avalanches. Today the Hospice remains an active religious house run by a community of canons. Rather than medical patients, it welcomes hikers, skiers, and pilgrims who sleep in dormitories and eat communal meals.
While I could get my scooter under the gate, and ride by the workmen, I worry that the Swiss authorities might not look fondly on bypassing border checks. I'll go back down and through the tunnel.
Cascade de la Pissevache
Maybe because the name of this waterfall is "Cascade de la Pissevache"