Mark Watts – Page 2

Daffs or not at Sonnailley, hiking May 12, 2023

When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of golden dandelions and buttercups
William 2Ws ish

Last year we hiked via La Dôle to Sonnailley to find the daffodils mostly spent. This year we were one day earlier and they were worse (spenter?). However our leader, me, had already lowered expectations and told the participants they would need to bring their imagination so all was not lost.

Seven of us plus a furry hound gathered at 10:00 at the parking at la Givrine on what promised to be a cold and wet day and Météo Suisse did not disappoint: we had some rain, sleet, hail and mist over the course of the hike. Fortunately not too much of any of these and it was even dry at our lunch stop. There may have been a little sunshine but not enough to be noticeable.

We arrived in 3 cars and spent the first couple of hours trying to master the intricacies of the newly installed parking meters.

All but one of us, photographer at othe end of the lead

That accomplished we set off up to the Couvaloup de Crans and onward to La Dôle going through a field of daffodils on the way up. At least the leader had the sense to avoid saying that an even better display awaited them at Sonnailley.

Once at the Dôle we had done most of the climbing and it was clearly time for an aperitif. So we stood in the lee of one of the buildings with a bottle of white and a variety of nibbles, finally washed down with a glass of Welsh whisk(e?)y. We raised a toast to absent friends, especially Stephen.

We met a Scottish beggar at the top, we had no cash so we gave him a bit of food

Then it was time to start the descent, along the ridge to the South West and down what is marked as a footpath but in reality is an invitation to fall and crack your head on the rocky path. Fortunately we all got down intact and to the road which leads past the Grand Sonnailley to our designated picnic spot. This road passes within about 10 metres of the French border and there was much discussion of (illegal) entente cordiale meetings there during the pandemic.

The picnic spot was a slight rise, mostly out of the wind, and with no rain. Unfortunately there were no daffodils either, but plenty of buttercups. Fortunately we have photographs from 2 weeks earlier when they were at their best.

Lunch was washed down with an excellent red, some Scotch, more Welsh and coffee. Then we we returned via the Sonnailley au Prince hut to the Couvaloup and thereafter down the road to la Trélasse (both closed so no opportunity for a beer) and back to our cars.

Present Peter T, Mervyn, Nathan, Rob, Richard W, 2 Marks, Kobie. 14 km, 690m denivelation.

Excuses ranged from ‘only got one working leg’ to ‘going to concerts in Prague’ to ‘wife reset my priorities’.

3 day ski trip to Tignes, March 4-8, 2023

Three fearless skiers: Mervyn, Ralph Wares and Mark, left Commugny at 08:30 last Saturday morning bound for Tignes. Sensible people might ask why we were stupid enough to be out of bed at that time – after all we had no dog to walk – but Tignes is quietest at weekends and we wanted to maximise skiing time on Saturday.

Ralph drove us in his fancy large newish car with everything working, even the navigation screen!!, after Mark had pleaded that his car was too small and Mervyn had pleaded something about the scrap yard.

We duly arrived in the Grande Motte parking and were ready to ski by 12:30, Mervyn and Mark revelling in their free passes while Ralph will have to wait nearly 10 years for his. The snow was remarkably good considering there had hardly been any precipitation since January and the sky was as bright blue and cloudless as it was going to remain until the end of skiing on Monday afternoon.

We celebrated the lack of crowds by immediately going up the Grande Motte to take the télépherique to the highest point in the whole resort at 3456m.

Great view, shame about the 2 old geezers

Then back down to Val Claret, up to the Aiguille Percée and down to the lowest point, Les Brévières at 1550m.

Sunday was over to Val d’Isère via la Daille and Santons. Previous experience and uncustomary common sense told us to avoid la Face (ice) and épaule (large hard moguls). Ralph managed to get wiped out on Santons – a lunatic going too fast who claimed that Ralph had reversed into him. With no permanent damage we continued and took the Solaise lift over to the next valley which we fully explored before hopping on the Leissières lift to the col d l’Iseran. This lift is a real treat as it goes up and over the ridge leaving you feeling weightless at one point. I could spend the whole day just riding this lift.

We even found some powder in this valley then had to race back to catch lifts before they closed and left us stranded. Mark developed a new skill of not seeing Mervyn or Ralph. I often skied right past them as they were waiting for me. Best was when I missed them at the Olympic lift out of Val d’Isère so that I was waiting at the top and they were waiting at the bottom. And this was a time when we had to get to the next lift before it closed.

That’s better, Tignes le Lac, Val Claret is over to the left, Mt Blanc is somewhere there.

Monday brought the crowds. There were queues at most of the lifts. Fortunately Mervyn demonstrated his true calling, pushing to the front on a ski queue. He left Ralph and I full of admiration as we followed sedately behind but never had to queue for more than a few minutes. We again went over to Val d’Isère and filled in bits we had missed the day before so that only a small corner on the bottom left of the ski map was left untouched by us. We then had the inevitable race back to Tignes and arrived just in time for a last run down Génépy from the Grande Motte – we arrived at one lift just 3 minutes before it closed!!

We’d eaten out so well on Saturday and Sunday nights that we decided to stay in Monday and just have a bowl of soup plus a little liquid refreshment. We were exhausted but more than a little satisfied.

Our ski group coordinator planning future trips.

Tuesday was planned to be a gentle 3 hour run home but the “I don’t want to work until I’m 64” brigade closed the motorway, leaving us, and the whole population of the Savoie, crawling at snail’s pace, or slower, through the back streets of Albertville. Eventually we got on our way again, Ralph and Mervyn did not have to crawl into their sleeping bags for the night, and we got home about 4 o’clock.

All agreed it had been a good weekend’s skiing. The snow was brilliant if a little old. No idea how far we skied as forgot to turn on the tracker but we covered most of the resort.

Patek Philippe museum, Feb 21, 2023

A momentous occasion, the first ever outing of the culture group. This was organised by Mike Muller, one of our newest GINtlemen, who had not realised that the culture group existed in name only – up till now!

Mike wisely decided that a museum visit would be better on full stomachs so seven of us met at 12:15 at Le Lyrique for lunch and a good chat. We also wisely, and uncharacteristically, only chose soft drinks. We then repaired to the Patek Philippe museum for our visit scheduled for 14:30.

Mike had arranged a private guide and also somehow managed to keep negotiating the price down. We started expecting to have to pay over 40 francs each and ended up paying 23! Each time re received an email from Mike the price had reduced further – a week later and they would have paid us! The downside of this was that one floor of the museum was closed which was why they were not charging the normal 10 francs entrance fee.

The guide explained how Patek (Polish) and Philippe (French) came to be working together and also the development of the pocket watch then the wrist watch during the 1st world war. Each watch seemed to have more and more “complications” including perpetual calendars, correctly adjust date for leap years, and even one that will not count 2100 as a leap year but will count 2400 – if mankind exists that long!

Several of the watches were limited edition or even one off so adding extra value. One watch recently sold at auction for $31 million!

In 1932, during the depression, the company was bought by the Stern family who have run it since then as a family business. They have also bought back many of their watches which were previously owned by famous people and these feature in the museum.

A very interesting and educational visit, thanks to Mike for organising, despite there not being any free samples at the end of the visit.

Attending: Mike Muller, Paul Sochaczewski, Harry Leefe, Thatcher Shellaby, Drew Meek, John Burley, Mark Watts

GIN lunch, Ô château, Vesancy, November 23 2022

Stephen Long organized this lunch and chose a venue, new to most of the lunch group but already a favourite with the biking group. We all had the plat du jour of a mushroom starter, maigret de canard, and a tarte/cake dessert.

There were 19 of us; Alan Baker, Andrew Nievens, Bryan Clark, David Colledge, Gerry Swart, Harry Leefe, Mark Watts, Mervyn Powell, Mike Hempstead, Mike Price, Nathan Finkelstein, Norman Etough, Peter Taylor, Philip Jenkins, Ray Fiander, Reinier Tervooren, Rudi Pluss, Stephen Long, Trevor Davies. There would have been 22, a post Covid record, but for 2 late cancellations and one no show who will remain nameless – but we know who he is.

As expected the food and service were both excellent, the wine and the conversation flowed although it seemed to avoid the usual chestnuts of Scottish independence and the relative merits and expected longevity of Britain’s prime ministers. We did get a few who had trouble finding the venue and some organ recitals but no other complaints.

All in all a good lunch at €35 a head.

This was the last lunch of 2022. We are now planning for 2023 and need a “volunteer” for January, all other dates are already taken, see here.

GIN Sailing, May 24

This was the first outing of the season and we managed 2 boats for the very first time. Last year there were no GIN sailing outings so this was quite a change. From Crans we had Dave G, Rudi, Gary and Mark 2Ts, and from Founex: Mike H and Mervyn.

We met in the lake and it was obvious that the Founex boat was faster (or better helmed) until they tried to show off by flying their genniker and were left for dead. Then the wind, which could best be described as a zephyr, died altogether and we just about managed to approach each other to exchange some pleasantries while consuming vital fluids.

Eventually the zephyr returned and we drifted home.

Not the most exciting sail but a pleasant time together on the water.

Shame they left their starboard fenders down

Walk and Wine Tasting, May 5

A hardy band of 10 GIN walkers met in the rain at the car park in Tolochonaz, above Morges. We were not put off by a few drops of rain! The walk took us on agricultural roads through the fields to the impressive Chateau de Vufflens, and thence through vines to the village of Denens where one still sees the remains of the Scarecrows erected last year for the ScarecrowFestival.

By this time we were not only wet but thirsty. Here we headed for the Cave du Chateau de Denens where John Burley had organised a wine tasting and light meal with the owner Mr. de Buren. We tried 4 different wines which were much appreciated, especially the Chasselas (at 9 francs a bottle) and the Malbec. Then of course we had to walk back to the cars in Tolochenaz…….and it was still raining! But what an excellent outing we had, thanks to John.

John Burley(leader), Brian Allardyce (wrote the blog), Alan Baker, Wouter van Ginneken, Nicolas Ulmer, Bryan Clark, Paul Sochaczewski, Tim Goodyear, Mark Warren, Mark Watts. Plus (Ginjured) Richard Saynor for lunch.

Follow this link for other photos

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jKk2n9K42WxYTyzc9

Wine-Tasting

A convivial evening was held at the home of Martin Vaughan and his wife Fay at 7.30, February 24.

This was our opening gathering for 2022…….8 participants were able to sample and try to recognize 6 different red wines from two countries, Spain and Portugal. Highest score was 4 from Paul……very commendable …….

First annual GIN multiday ski trip

The accommodation could only have taken 4 but due to all the GINjuries and other commitments only Mervyn and Mark were able to make this outing. The venue was Tignes, a 3 hour drive away, and very empty at weekends, so we set off at 9 on Saturday morning and were skiing by 1. First off was up the Grande Motte and, since there were no queues, up the Telepherique to the glacier at 3458m. From there we skied over to Val d’Isère gaining no points for style as we negotiated the moguls of épaule which were scraped bare of soft snow. On our return to Tignes we both decided that the main problem was the lack of edges on our skis and nothing to do with our ability so we duly rectified that, but that took away our excuse!

Sunday was the end to end day. We were at the Aiguille Percée by 10 and at les Brévières, 1550m, lowest point of the whole resort, by 10:30. Then over to Val d’Isère and over the Leissières up and over lift to Col de l’Iseran. We missed out on the furthest extreme, mainly as a result of having eaten a good lunch too early.

Monday we had to correct the omission so we booked a late (14:00) lunch at the Eidelweiss restaurant, a favourite, and explored the remainder of Val d’Isère, including the Montets lift to the furthest point from Brévières. After a wonderful lunch we were even worried about connecting with the last lift back into Tignes.

Tuesday was planned as half a day so we revisited the Aiguille Percée then up the Grande Motte for a run down Leisse, coffee at the Panoramique (no lunch since we needed to drive) and a long descent down Génépi.

Restaurant at the Panoramique (we were sorely tempted)

We were home by 17:00 for tea and cakes at Mervyn’s.

Summary

Highest point – la Grande Motte (3458m)
Lowest point – les Brevières (1550m)
Furthest North – les Brevières
Other extreme – Montets
Plenty of snow but a little bit hard packed in places.
Clear blue skies every day, no sign of any clouds.
Fabulous 3 days, great snow, no crowds, good food and drink.

GIN hike, Marchairuz to St Cergue 2021-10-28

Our logistics were somewhat simpler, we needed to get six of us to Col du Marchairuz to start the walk and get us home from St Cergue. Busses only run to the Col on Saturday and Sunday.

We met in 2 different car parks at Givrins (somebody could not read the instructions) and drove in 2 cars up to Col du Marchairuz. At the end of the walk we all descended by the little red train from St Cergue to Givrins whereupon 2 kept on the train to Nyon (something about a bar serving good beers) and the rest was easy.

The valley was foggy and cold but once we got up to the Col we were above all the cloud with brilliant sunshine and wonderful fall colours.

Today’s hike was one section of Swiss National Trail #5 which runs for 16 sections and 320 km between Zurich and Geneva. As such it’s a good path and well marked essentially all the way.

We set off at a sprightly pace and soon reached Crêt de la Neuve where we stopped to top up our fluids and admire the view across to Mont Blanc.

About 1:30 we decided we were about half way so it must be lunch time. Peter supplied a good red wine and we all socially distanced ourselves (actually we each found convenient rocks for seats). Lunch was finished off with coffee and 2 types of whisk(e)y provided by Scot Rob and Irish Richard. There was naturally much discussion over the relative merits but all other than the Scotsman and Irishman thought they were both good.

Eventually we had to continue the hike and went past the ruins of Oujon with hardly a pause to admire them and on into St Cergue where we saw the 16:02 train just as we were crossing the tracks. There was mad scrambling with mobile phones as we all tried to buy our tickets and we were off down the mountain.

A great day out with excellent company and weather to match. Just under 17 km with 450 m ascent and 850 m descent.

Peters D&T, Richard W, Mike H, Rob P, Mark 2Ts.

Map of route, click to view/download

Bikers tour de France 2021-07-01

Peter D led and domestiques Mervyn, eThatcher, Mark supported, a ride almost entirely through France. In the absence of Peter T and Steve we did not have to go via Bonmont so we left Divonne and headed via Vésenex, La Rippe, Vesancy to Gex, then onto Echenevex and both Nazes: Dessus and Dessous where we stopped for lunch at the Maison Blanche. For the first time in recorded history we did not attack the golf club across the fields but rode in via the main entrance (must be without the hooligan members).

A great lunch, outside , by the 10th tee, watching some youngsters from an interclub (and international) competition. I’ve no idea how they even hit the ball, let alone make it sound so sweet.

Then into the saddle again and onto Cessy, then via the old railway line to Grilly and Divonne.

Forgot al about photos until the end

At the end, outside Charlie’s pub, firmly resisting the temptation for a final beer.

A great ride, about 40km. But missing the 2 sprinters.