I didn’t know this region but Mum said it would be nice to go to the mountains. So I got out my map of France and asked her to show me where we were going to spend our next summer holidays. Between the Jura and Switzerland, that is!
Mum had put together a great programme for us and I can tell you that I wasn’t bored during the week!
We like camping, so we’d chosen a lovely campsite, Le Valserine eco-campsite in Chézery-Forens, right in the middle of nature, to explore the mountains. That’s when I learnt that the highest peaks in the Jura are actually in the Ain! It was a great opportunity to have a geography lesson. My dad set up the tent and, as usual, I passed him the sardines. Before it got dark, we headed to the supermarket in Lélex to do our shopping for the 2 nights we were staying.
Mum had prepared a comprehensive roadbook for each day
First day of the holidays, Sunday:
After a good night’s sleep, we set off for the Chézery-Forens cheese dairy. We woke up early to be there at 8.30am to see the famous local cheese being made: Bleu de Gex. This cheese dairy is one of the last to make it. I really liked the explanatory panels in the visitors’ gallery (and I must say that I like reading, which helps!).
After the visit, we stopped off at the shop to buy a piece of cheese and some local produce. Then it was off to Lélex, the village next door, for a cable car ride up (I was a bit scared, it was my first time, but I loved it!). You still have to hike to get to the top and see the panorama: ma-gni-fique. Another geography lesson: the Alps, Mont Blanc, Lake Geneva and the Geneva Jet d’Eau. It was worth the hour’s climb.
It’s nice in the mountains, and the heat isn’t overwhelming. So we continued to explore Lélex. Mum had downloaded the village discovery rally , which kept us busy for part of the afternoon. The walk took us along the banks of the Valserine (France’s 1st wild river!), and I couldn’t resist soaking my feet in the water (it’s a bit chilly after all). After our 2-hour walk, we got back in the car to go to the Musée des pierres et du Lapidaire in Mijoux. There, we saw a variety of stones, some small, some large, and what precision work! On the way back down to the shop, I asked Dad if we could buy a present for Mum, who was about to celebrate her birthday…
Day 2, Monday :
In the morning, we visited the Maison du Parc du Haut-Jura in Lajoux. The exhibition was well done and I learned a lot about nature, the environment and heritage. What’s more, I learned that part of the Pays de Gex is part of the Haut-Jura Regional Nature Park. We took our time to eat well.
In the afternoon, I was over the moon to discover Menth’évasion, a brand new adventure park with various workshops and zip lines. It took us a good 2 hours to do the whole thing. At the end of the afternoon, we visited the Menthières farm and saw how the goats were milked. And of course, we bought some goat’s cheese!
This was our last night in Chézery-Forens.
Day 3, Tuesday :
After having an early breakfast, folding the tent and packing up the car, we set off in the direction of the Pays de Gex plain, knowing that we were going to pass the Col de la Faucille. We stopped there at the end of the morning to take the telecombi up to the summit (no need to climb this time). Once again, the view was incredible and I even recognised Mont Blanc! We were lucky, the sky was clear and we could see the mountains clearly. Mum took lots of photos and posted them on her Instagram account (as always).
There were lots of activities to do. I had the time of my life with my dad on a toboggan run. We bought a multi-activity pass at the lift pass office so we could do lots of runs! I also tried out the mini-golf and adventure courses. I even saw that we could go for a ride with a donkey, but we didn’t have time that day. For a snack, I had a crêpe and a little further on, Mum and Dad had a blueberry tart. At the end of the afternoon, Mum had booked a trip on the giant zip line. I was too little to do it (you had to be 8). Meanwhile, Dad and I went to read the signs about the geological period, near the car park.
Col de la Faucille
Fun activities to discover
It was time to leave for the campsite in Gex.
Day 4, Wednesday :
The weather was still fine that day, so we decided to go for a walk. Mum had spotted an hour-and-a-half walk in a guidebook, starting from Mont Mourex in Grilly. It was 10 minutes from our campsite. After a short climb, we arrived at the orientation table with a 360° panorama of the Jura and the Alps. I can tell you that I know a lot about geography now! After that, we headed off into the undergrowth, which is really nice when it’s really hot. Before heading back to Gex for lunch at the restaurant, we stopped off in the village of Vesancy, where there’s still an old château and the town hall. In the afternoon, we visited the Maison de la Réserve and then went for a walk on the banks of the Journans. At the end of the day, Mum asked me if I wanted to do another rally, so we walked through the streets of Gex: and this time, I revised my history! I wasted no time in getting some sleep that night…
Day 5, Thursday :
It was another beautiful holiday day. It was a hot day, so to make me happy, Dad suggested we go to the beach at Divonne-les-Bains! Great, I love the water, and what’s more, it was a sandy beach, and there was no risk, it was supervised. We even hired pedalos to take us out on the lake! The whole family had a good rest. 🙂
Day 6, Friday :
It was the penultimate day of my holiday in the Pays de Gex and I still had to discover a château, that of Voltaire, a famous writer who lived in Ferney-Voltaire for nearly 20 years. There was a car park nearby where we could park. The château was a large pale pink house and had been renovated in 2018.
The inside of the monument was very beautiful and we went round without a guide to go at our own pace. My parents explained everything Voltaire had done for the village and all the causes he had defended. Afterwards, we went into the park and at the end of an alley (it’s the hornbeam) I spotted some beehives. Yum, I love honey! In the shop at Voltaire’s château, we bought a jar of honey. Yum!
Afterwards, we ate at a restaurant in Ferney-Voltaire before visiting the Atelier du Livre, a small exhibition on the history of books and printing. Then on to the Colovrex pond. There were games for the children and, above all, I could see the planes taking off – we were right on the runways at Geneva airport. Dad had also spotted a play area in the Parc de la Tire, just below the castle. I got to try out the zip line and climb the red ropes. It was great fun. 🙂
Last day of the holidays on Saturday:
Last day of the holidays. We’ve packed up the tent.
But before saying goodbye to the Pays de Gex, we made a few more visits. We were on our way to Valserhône to take the motorway, so we stopped off at the Marais de l’Etournel in Pougny, a recently-developed sensitive natural area. We saw some birds from the observatory, which was great. Our final visit was to Fort l’Ecluse, a former military fort. We climbed up to a terrace with a magnificent view of the Rhône, and then I visited the exhibition on bats.
And that’s how my week’s holiday in the Pays de Gex – Monts Jura went. The three of us really enjoyed this region. I’m sure we’ll be back next year!
Thematics
