📓 Journals London to the French Alps

[Gary67]

Having worked at JLR for a long time (not anymore), not sure you’re getting a more reliable car IMO. You will be an AWESOME service when things break no doubt because they have cars go wrong a lot and have that part solved brilliantly. But getting repairs actually done and having your car back … lotus is miles ahead for me atm. My jaguar and Land Rover have been in multiple times and had a VERY similar issue in June this year with a engine management light (turned out to be the second turbo gone bang at 11 months old) but what saves them is they replace the car with another similar fairly quick via the AA so you can continue life.

Please await my update before you make a final decision

Bloody hell... this looks like it's going to be a much trickier decision than I ever anticipated!!!

 

[Biggles of Norwich]

I shall return to my trip description and get this thread back on track! If there is only ONE post you read on this thread ... this is THE ONE!

So its 7am and I am out cleaning the car again in the front of the hotel ready for what I expect to be the best days driving of the trip! Admiring my free parking space and the concierge all appear to know me now for just cleaning the car but its time to leave Evian-les-bains!

Quick pop to fill up on some awesome water from the spring (I am really getting some great parking covered in this trip!):
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So I have planned my route before leaving in anticipation of the drive. I spend most of my time in the alps when its covered in snow so the fun roads are then usually ski runs. They are usually called "col de..." and are always fermée (closed) in winter. BUT these roads are usually a drivers dream!

So we leave early... I want a free run over the mountain... I choose this run :
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So it started a bit off to get out of the town giving an insane incline and experience of the "sticky hill start" feature... but as soon as we got a few miles from the lake... this was a FANTASTIC drive, smooth tarmac and leaving early ...no traffic! Yes its an hour stint, but I finally got to test the car properly. One part in particular I need to focus on. I had hoped for a great drive, and BOOM this part delivered soo much I ended up turning around and doing part of it again . I had never been on this road in the alps before but took the risk and super SUPER glad I did.

Here is the repeatable section.. honestly the best 20 mins of driving of the entire trip... I went up .. then back down .. then up again
Here is the street view
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And the overhead:
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I did not see another car.. the sun was blazing and I completely forgot about anything else! I was soo much on another planet I have no pictures.. just said to my wife to drop me the location as we was a mile after we left so I could share!

Honestly what a COMPLETE joy... it was after the first run up I finally fell in love with this car... What a morning!!!!!!!!! I still have a smile on my face now

Stopped to experience some mountain biking in les gets (they put a serious track on the slopes in the summer!) And filled up on a beautiful Tartiflette.

The Emira got tested... The Emira is amazing... The Emira ...

Absolutely loving this thread, like everyone else! You mention cleaning your car a lot, seems to be in the hotel car park. Would you mind sharing your approach to this - Autoglym detailer over the whole car? Won't that scratch?

 

[AndyC]

Absolutely loving this thread, like everyone else! You mention cleaning your car a lot, seems to be in the hotel car park. Would you mind sharing your approach to this - Autoglym detailer over the whole car? Won't that scratch?

No scratches over here… but I use a finishing cloth and rotate! I took a bunch of cloths with me, worked a treat and still do it today.