Day 85 Tuesday 28 July 2026
Wow what a magnificent drive it was today to the Cime de la Bonette (2802m alt). As previously stated the scenic loop makes it the highest paved through-road in France and among the highest in Europe.
The weather was great although it was a bit hazy and cloudy looking out across the border to the peaks in Italy. Arriving early we had no problems in parking up and going for a short walk up to the panoramic lookout. A highlight of our trip.
The drive down towards Nice was lovely offering more great views.
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| View of the Cime de la Bonette |
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| Formations from ancient glacier |
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| Another fort |
We stopped a few times to look at various information panels along the way.
As well as old barracks.
We had a walk around the colourful village of St.Etienne de Tinee. We had a peek in the church too.
We continued down via the Gorges de Valabres. Then turned off towards the Col de la Couillole… we weren’t prepared for the narrow road in the section to the pass, but we made it unscathed, thank goodness.
We then drove through the busy ski resort of Valberg.
The shady spot in Guillaumes was a good place to stop after a challenging 105km. It was definitely time for a refreshing drink.
The village was founded in the Middle Ages (10th century) by William II, Count of Provence, who was waging war in the area against the Saracens and had recognized the site’s strategic value. A true castle was built on a spur overlooking the village at the beginning of the 13th century by his descendant Raymond Berenger, and a keep was added by King René in the late 15th century, before the fortifications were reinforced by Vauban in the 17th.
A market and pastoral town, annexed to France along with the County of Nice in 1860, Guillaumes experienced a new boom in the 20th century with the creation of the Valbergwinter sports resort, part of whose ski area lies within its territory. The first ski runs date back to 1936, but Valberg grew significantly from the 1960s onward.
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| Lots of verses |
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| 105km |
