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The Webmaster replies:

Thank you for your kind words. You are indeed very fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world.

The Webmaster replies:

It's not a silly question at all!

Be warned that Chartreuse is not that an easy place to drive into and out of, so do allow yourself a bit of time for the drive. But I suggest that you drive through the massif from south to north, from Voreppe to Chambery. This will allow you to travel through the spectacular Guiers Mort Gorge, through the village of St. Pierre de Chartreuse, and from there to St. Pierre d'Entremont. Here you can go east into the Cirque de St. Meme, which is a beautiful location. There is a wonderful hike past some splendid waterfalls, and if you have time, you can visit the springs from which the river issues and the entrance to the Guiers Vif cave.

A brief description of the location may be found at: http://www.braemoor.co.uk/chartreuse/aulpduseuil/aulpduseuil.shtml.

A description of the route (with photos) may be found at: http://www.braemoor.co.uk/chartreuse/aulpduseuil/habertdame.shtml.

Note the latter route goes on to visit the tops, whereas you would return down an easy track having visited the waterfalls.

From St. Pierre d'Entremont, continue your drive to the north past the magnificent northern face of Mont Granier (http://www.braemoor.co.uk/chartreuse/photos/graniercliffs.shtml) and down into Chambery. You can pick up the autoroute to Geneva.

I hope this helps.

The Webmaster replies:

Thank you for your message. Both the walks require a little scrambling (only about four metres high, but quite steep), so you need to be prepared for that, and you should also make sure that you go round the way I recommend (i.e. UP the climbs). Chamechaude via the Jardin isn't dangerous - but there is a 200 metre section of path with a steep drop on the right, so you should have a reasonable head for heights. The path is quite wide, and there is no objective danger.

If you are agile, and can cope with heights, then you would enjoy both trips, but I would probably recommend the Jardin route as being the most fun. I suggest that you take a copy of my route description with you, to avoid any navigation difficulties.

Have a great holiday.

The Webmaster replies:

I do hope that you have an excellent holiday. I suggest that you start with the the tour of the Grande Sure valley, followed by the suggested walk on Mont Outhéran. The former is a very straight forward walk which will test out your new hips, and the other involves a little easy scrambling. If you have no difficulty with these, then you will be able to manage most of the other walks - at least those up to "Difficulty 2".

The Webmaster replies:

Thank you for your posting, and your kind words. To answer your questions:

1. The Sardinian Way is not the same as the Gorges du Guiers Mort. The latter enters the southern half of the massif from St. Laurent du Pont. The former is an old route which used to cross a western outlier of Chartreuse on the road between Les Echelles and Chambéry. The new road goes through a tunnel.

2. The second half of May is not a very good time to visit Chartreuse for walking. The weather tends to be wet and cold, with a lot of snow lying on the paths. Early June is much better - better weather and better flowers.

3. It depends on how pregnant you will be! Mont Outhéran is a fairly short walk which visits a nice top, and the walk around the waterfalls in the Cirque de St. Même is superb. However, I advise you to visit the Office du Tourisme when you arrive, where you will find leaflets with plenty of shorter walks.

The Webmaster replies:

May I say how sorry I am to hear about this most frightening incident. It must have been very traumatic.

People do need to be aware of the dogs - I have only come across them on the Grand Som, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were encountered in other upland grazing grounds. They are big, formidable looking animals.

There are two things to be aware of. Firstly, try not to walk through a tightly grouped flock of sheep. If the sheep are subsequently scattered, any dog that might be around may think that the sheep are being threatened and react accordingly.

Secondly, if you are approached by a dog, stand still and talk gently to it (any language will do!). It will probably come up to you and take a sniff - feel free to offer the back of your hand but don't make any sudden movements. After a few seconds it will decide that you are no threat, and go back to its duties. Do not shout, run, or make any other sudden movements.

Phil, I hope that your injury is now better and that it hasn't put you of this beautiful part of France.