Sometimes it’s hard to remember why we’re here. During the holiday season we get caught up with work, trying to ensure visitors have such a great experience they’ll want to return to the area again and again. And during the inter-season, the empty town and empty schedule rock me to my core.

We’re preparing, once again, to open Alpe d’Huez on Saturday. Many businesses are already open, and you can smell the new season in the air. Or maybe that’s the smell of rubble and sawdust as workman and builders continue their renovations until the last minute? I prefer to think it’s the new flowers as they bloom, as layer upon layer appear in the grass and the undergrowth.

For me the pre-season days are a time of frustration, of limbo, of being neither here nor there. I love the emptiness of inter-season but crave the buzz of the season, spending time with people other than The Boyfriend. Our work rhythms directly oppose those of our clients and guests, so gearing ourselves up for the onslaught of visitors, full of enthusiastic questions (the same ones over and over again!) can be quite a psychological leap.

As always, I find the best way to cope with it is to try to remind myself why – in fact – I am here. I love the scenery, the smells, the feeling of fresh air filling my lungs. I love to wander for hours and not see anyone at all. I love to share the best routes and views with curious and like-minded visitors (hence the creation of Destination Oisans). I love experiencing the change of season, the lengthening nights, the slowly warming air.

This week I’ve been searching for my love once again. Erratic weather, caring for my sick sibling and a nasty bout of inter-season blues have kept me off the mountain. I’ve been here long enough to know that a good long walk on my own, preferably with at least two seriously steep sections, may not cure me of my malaise but will get my heart and body moving, shift some of the darkness in my mind and push the anger out of my lungs and into the air.

So on Tuesday, in desperation I slammed my feet into my trainers and completed the loop down to Huez Village, along the Gorge de Sarenne and back into Alpe d’Huez in record time. The walk should take around four hours; my time of roughly three hours tells you how badly I needed to clear some psychic space.

It’s a stunning route and one I highly recommend. If you have transport you can drive either the first or the last section, or take the bubble lift down to Huez during the season. The only people I saw were some workmen and a shepherd. It was just the tonic I needed. Not quite enough to clear me completely, but enough to get me through the rest of the day.

Practical Information: From Alpe d’Huez follow Path 9 on the official
Alpe d’Huez Walking Map down to Huez Village, take Path 10/11 along the Gorge de Sarenne, up Path 12 to the road and either along the road back into resort or along the path alongside the archeological site.

For more information about walking in Alpe d’Huez, click here or visit the Destination Oisans Hiking page for more walks in the area.