Turn north at Lautaret and you're on your way to the even higher Col du Galibier (no public transport), which is closed by snow from mid-October to mid-June – sometimes the snow lingers longer, making life for riders in the Tour de France yet more hellish. The road to the pass is a tremendous haul up to 2556m, utterly bare and wild, with the huge red-veined peak of the Grand Galibier rearing up on the right and a fearsome spiny ridge blocking the horizon beyond. The pass used to mark the frontier between France and Savoie, and you can see fine views of Mont Blanc to the north. A monument on the south side of the col commemorates Henri Desgranges, founder of the Tour de France. Crossing the col is one of the most gruelling stages in the race, with a long, brutal ascent and terrifying descent at breakneck speed. The road loops down in hairpin after hairpin, through VALLOIRE, a sizeable ski resort, whose church is one of the most richly decorated in Savoie, then over the Col du Télégraphe at 1570m and down into the deep wooded valley of the Arc, known as La Maurienne, with the Massif de la Vanoise rising abruptly behind. Valloire has pleasant, reasonably priced hotels in Le Tatami (tel 04.79.59.06.08; €40–55) and the Christiania Hôtel (tel 04.79.59.00.57, fax 04.79.59.00.06; €40–55; restaurant from €13).
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