I picked up some fruit and cakes for breakfast, packed up and followed the hiking trail for Cogne, the next town down. I was only meant to be passing through but I couldn’t help but stop and gape in awe at the scene that awaited me.

The back of the village town has a large grass field laid out before some stunning mountain backdrop. Building is not allowed on the field as it’s “protected” and you can see why if you ever get the chance to experience it under such good weather conditions as I did. Mountains slope down from left and right to for a valley that channels into the distance. Between them, further away than you can believe, is a snow-capped peak with what must be waterfalls spilling down it. Utterly magnificent and impossible to do justice to with a photo.

I found a cybercafe, so I had a quick mail check (thanks for the donations!) before rucking up again and making my way to this evening’s scheduled stop of Aosta. It’s a long, downhill road but there wasn’t much traffic so I never felt unsafe. I arrived in Aosta later than I’d intended, but still in daylight. Sadly it turned out I’d missed a weekend festival – the final act had just about finished – but at least the tourist information was still open to guide me to a campsite for the night.

There I got talking to an English couple on a cycling tour with their 2-year old daughter: Jeanette, Stewart (or Stuart) and little Indigo. I don’t know how they were raising her, but whatever they were doing was working. What a great kid!

I showered (included in the price in this place and felt wonderful!) and joined them for dinner down the road. Great conversation and company – I thank you folks and wish you well on the rest of your travels.

Well, this morning’s task was to get across some big hills in the Gran Paradiso National Park. Andrea had given me an old map, which was a huge help, and I made it to the borders of the parkland by 9:30am. By 12:30 I was sat having lunch in Valprato Soana at an elevation of 1113m. Cold pizza, a pastry and Coke were all I could get, but it filled a gap.

I stopped at a tourist information shack and was told that the route I’d picked wasn’t difficult and that I should be in my targetted destination (Lillez) by 8pm at the latest. In a word: ha!

The path to the start of the hiking trail was fine, but the trail itself was incredibly steep and it took over an hour to reach the first plateau. Markings there were sparse, but thankfully some people were building a house there and managed to point me in the right direction.

I moved upwards into a stunning valley and pointed myself at what I thought was the pass through the mountains. Then I noticed the red and white markings led to my right… and upwards. Ever upwards. That’s when I realised I’d barely reached half the height I had to climb to get through the pass.

The higher I got, the worse it got. Shale, pebbles, mud, snow… I did get a magnificent view of some chamoix perched on a ledge above me, staring inquisitively as they do.

Finally, maybe two hours later than planned or intended (or recommended, for that matter), I reached the summit having made full use of the chains bolted to the rock face. A large bell awaited me and I rang it like bonkers, overjoyed at getting to the top. But it wasn’t over yet… The downward slope was as good as unmarked and quite heavily covered in snow with loose rocks underneath.

I eventually made it down with my boots filled with stones. I had to slide down some steep grassy banks as I couldn’t find anything remotely resembling a trail down. Eventually I located a path to a sign marked “Lillaz – 1671m”. One mile! Yes!

An hour later I was still walking and beginning to wonder what was going on. I got to another sign: “Lillaz – 1671m”. It’s not the distance… it’s the elevation. By luck I bumped into a park guide who told me I had one to one-and-a-half hours still to go to get to Lillaz. I was battling against daylight as the sun was already going down and I wasn’t carrying any food. I had to get there.

I finally entered Lillaz around 21:30 and got camped up in a campsite. Lots of people speak French in Lillaz, but not a lot of English. I started to polish the language I’d been taught at school to pay for my camping and to buy some food. Setting up camp cost me EURO9 (4 for the tent and 5 for me, myself) and then I discovered it was an extra EURO1.5 for a shower! So I didn’t bother. Had I realised, I’d have camped in the woods round the back where it’s free.

Dinner consisted of one beer and two crepes – one with Nutella and one with Grand Marnier to help knock me out.

Another region I’ve seen a lot of recently and one I’d recommend for anyone with a couple of days to spare in the area. And preferably with a car. Don’t walk it like I did…

The region starts over the mountains from Tende in France, and the first town I passed by was Limonette. I didn’t see much, but it looked quite residential. Limone Piemonte, however… lovely place. Definitely a ski resort feel even in summer, the layout and decor is sublime. Little parks, a pedestrian-only area after 7pm with restaurants, pubs and clubs to visit… surrounded by mountains and with friendly people. Try and find the Irish bar with free internet. I normally don’t recommend Irish pubs because they’re all the bloody same, but this one had some of the best bar staff ever, free internet and killer burgers.

Work your way north from here through Vernante with its tourist-aimed Pinocchio fixation. Murals adorn the walls of most buildings and there’s a statue in a park at the north end. The rest of the place is mainly a single street with some lovely old churches and the like on it, but it’s a superb little spot for breakfast or lunch. I hear tell they have a killer fireworks display in mid-August as well.

Cùneo is next up, and it’s a larger place with less character but still some nice sights, such as the fountains and parks. It’s still in sight of the mountains as well, so you can sit and slobber over a delicious ice-cream while drooling over the scenery.

Between here and Torino / Turin are a succession of small towns and villages. A day trip in a car is enough to take them all in. I’d pick Racconigi or Carmagnola as my favourites as they had more to see in them. Courtyards, churches, nice lighting…

As I said, a nice day-trip if you’re in the area. Only an hour or two’s drive from Nice.