Chamonix Activity Review: 6th August 2013

So the 1st weekend of August might not be a public holiday in France as it is in the UK, but with all the festivities that have been going on lately it certainly felt like one.

The Cosmojazz Festival is only in its 4th year but it has grown way beyond the original scenario of a few free concerts in the centre of town and in a couple of mountain locations; this year we had a chap dangling upside-down from a crane whilst playing a piano, hoards of people dancing along to the crazy Mazalda Turbo Clap Station, a Balkan brass band in Chamonix Sud, Alpine horns up at the Emosson Dam and much more.

Respected musicians came from all over the world to perform alongside local Chamonix bands - professionals and amateurs alike. The nightly jam sessions at Hotel Alpina were a great chance to see some amazing talents coming together and improvising live on stage in from of a transfixed audience - and we got to enjoy it all for free! The atmosphere throughout the 4 days was fantastic, all anyone talked about was who they had just listened to and how great it was; I had so many "must-sees" recommended to me by various different people that there was absolutely no way I could fit it all in, I would have had to have been in about 5 different places at once!

To give an idea of how much the festival has grown in such a short space of time, I was talking to an exhausted volunteer who had been working like a Trojan setting up and taking down stages. He told me that in its 1st year the festival had 15 volunteers, this year they had 80 and could have done with more! Now, I'm not one to listen to gossip but he also let me in on a cheeky rumour that there are plans for next year's Cosmojazz to expand to the neighbouring towns of Courmayeur in Italy and Trient in Switzerland - imagine how severe my FOMO* is going to be then! (*FOMO = Fear Of Missing Out)

After a relentlessly hot week it has been necessary to take it easy and seek out shade. My boyfriend suggested a walk this week in Servoz - he sold it to me with promises of unmarked paths, hidden houses and secret lakes that appear on no maps, it all sounded far too Famous Five to turn down. We set off from the junction on Route de Passy (see map) and turned up the smallest of the 3 roads, following it uphill until we reached a signpost with Le Reposoir and Le Mont marked to the right. The path cuts behind a chalet and then runs through a meadow, climbing gently up above the village of Servoz. It dips in and out of woodland so that there are plenty of cool shaded parts, many of these trees are dripping with plums in the autumn and you can find mistletoe up here in winter.

The path comes out behind a couple of houses at Le Reposoir from where you follow the unsealed road round a bend and look out for a little path that disappears into the woods on your left. Carry on up until you come out on another quiet road by another small cluster of chalets, take the path behind the chalets up towards Le Mont. The path goes past some fields with bee hives in before ducking backing under the shade of the forest, keep going straight on until the path splits into 2 with a signpost giving options to the left and right and VTT trails painted in red on the trees. This is where we ignore all the marked paths and boldly stride forth into the unknown... Instead of turning left or right we carry straight on up a smaller path that climbs quite steeply and goes past a small stone chalet that has no access other than on foot, how's that for a mountain hideaway?! Shortly after the house bear right and after a few more minutes you'll find yourself at the 1st of the 2 lakes, to find the second one you need to keep going up and around the 1st, crossing a small stream and carrying on a bit further uphill.

The lakes are crystal clear and have a beautiful grey/green tint to them that makes them glow a little bit when the bright sunlight shines through the trees. Admittedly they are not as stunning or majestic as many of the lakes round here and I wasn't tempted to swim in them but they are secluded, shady and tranquil - sometimes that's what you need when the August heat gets too much! It took us around an hour to get up to the lakes, you can get back down the same way in about 30-40 minutes, or you can continue up to the Le Mont parking and follow the road down. If you enjoy nosy-parking at charmingly traditional chalets and beautiful gardens bursting with flowers then this is your chance. There are many little paths you can take that cut corners off the winding road, most of them passing right beside some gorgeous old properties.

Cosmojazz may be over for another year but the music vibes are still going strong. This week we have the Musicaltitude Festival, a celebration of comedy and opera. There will be many performances throughout the week, please visit this website for schedules and further details. All other upcoming events can be found on our What's On calendar.

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