FRENCH NEWS

24 March 2010

150th anniversary of Savoie joining France

On the 24th March 1860 the Turin treaty, officialised the joining of Savoie (Savoy) to the French republic. The independent Duchy of Savoy was formed in 1416 and ruled by the Duke of Savoy. This duchy incorporated parts of north west Italy which were all part of the House of Savoy, which became the longest surviving royal house in Europe. Later in the 18th century the Duchy of Savoy became part of the Kingdom of Sicily and then Sardinia. The treaty that annexed Savoy to France also bought about the unification of Italy.

Today the Savoy is devided into two administrative departments in the Rhone-Alpes region of France: Savoie and Haute Savoie. The Savoy includes much of the French Alps and pre-alps including the Mont Blanc and Vanoise mountain ranges. Take a look at our guided walking holiday in the Vanoise National Park (the first to be designated in France in 1963).

19 March 2010

French Trekking Show in Lyon

From the 19th - 21st of March, Lyon hosts its 4th annual "Salon de Randonnée" - a show dedicated to walking, trekking, cycling and horse riding. Regional and local French tourist offices are well represented presenting activities and accommodation in their respective regions. As you might expect there is a large representation from agencies and association from the local regions such as the Beaujolais, French Alps, Burgundy etc. A sizeable number of specialist French tour operators are also present.

9 March 2010

More Snow

It seems that winter has not given up on us quite yet. A 4th wave of cold weather has gripped France. And with the cold has come yet more snow. Large areas of southern and south west France were paralyzed by 20 - 40cm of snow, cutting motorways, closing airports for a time and even blocking a train between France and Spain. Although the cold weather is unusual, it is far from exceptional for early March. In 2005 the north of France was covered in 50cm of snow and temperatures in the Doubs (Franche Comté) of Eastern France reached as low as -25°C. As way of comparison, and, as a way of looking forward to a lovely summer, temperatures in March in 1955 reached a scorching 31°C in Pau!

Storms hit France

2 March 2010

During Saturday night, the storm named Xynthia hit France and left a trail of devastation in its wake. The latest figures estimate a death toll of 52, mainly due to drowning as sea defences gave way in the western coasts of the Vendée Department. A combination of strong winds (upto 160kmh) and extremely high tides caused large amounts of coastal areas to be submerged by the sea. Elsewhere buildings were damaged and trees felled by the strong winds. Although this was an extremely violent storm, it did not reach the level of intensity of the two storms which hit France in December 1999 and left 92 dead.

No High Point Holidays customers or local holiday providers were affected by the storms.

Mont Blanc moves towards Italy!

25 February 2010

Last September the latest GPS measurement of Mont Blanc, the roof of Europe, took place. These latest measurements have revealed that the Mont Blanc has lost 45cm in height compared to previous measurements dating from 2007. The mountain now has an altitude of 4810.45m or 15,782ft. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that its summit has actually moved towards Italy by an amazing 26m!

These changes are mainly as a result of the relative thickness of the ice that covers the mountains summit as the glaciers move and resulting from relative accumulations of snow which feed the ice. In fact the thickness of ice at the summit is an impresive 28m. The rock summit, however, does not correspond to the ice summit, with the two being 40m apart when measurements took place in 2004.