ACTIVE TRAVEL
When you imagine Méribel, hot chocolates and snow-capped mountains probably spring to mind. But the summer season brings out a whole new side to this Alpine playground, writes Lily Smith, who enjoyed a sunny trip in the great outdoors, filled with hiking, yoga, horse riding and more…
The sun was shining as I touched down at Lyon airport, ready to begin the lengthy car journey up the winding roads into the mountains. After a couple of hours spent gazing out the window at endless scenic views, I arrived at Hotel Le Savoy (hotel-savoy-meribel.com) in the heart of Méribel Centre. Once I had unpacked, I grabbed some ice cream from the bakery next door – Boulangerie les Glaciers (maisonbraissand.com) – and headed out to explore the town, which was still haloed by blue skies and warm sunshine.
The enchanting streets of Méribel are lined with pictureperfect chalets and log cabins (which look as beautiful bathed in sunlight as they do blanketed in snow), alongside an abundance of shops selling discounted ski gear ahead of the winter season and a plethora of restaurants and cafés. I also investigated the free bus service, the Méribus, which runs seven days a week during the winter and summer seasons, and is super handy for travelling between Méribel Centre and the surrounding areas.
MOVEMENT, MOU NTAINS AND ME-TIME
The next day began with a private outdoor Pilates session with Dal Zotto Christelle, a local osteopath and physiotherapist. Although I’m a yoga-lover I had never tried Pilates before, so I appreciated the opportunity to stretch and strengthen my body with the help of someone so knowledgeable. Exercising with the sunshine and gentle breeze is always a bonus, too.
Next up, it was time to put my lift pass to use with a gondola trip and chair lift ride all the way up to the Tougnète summit, where I was greeted by spectacular views across the surrounding mountains and valleys. While a chair lift ride up or down a mountain might be seen merely as a necessity in between destinations, these gentle journeys were some of my favourite memories from the entire trip: there is something so all-consumingly peaceful about being sat on a slowly swaying chair lift, completely alone, surrounded only by the quiet background melody of nature and the beautiful, expansive views before you.
With a few hours of free time before me, I gratefully took my time at the summit, soaking up the scenery and enjoying a leisurely hike with me, myself and I, before heading back down the mountain. Prior to this trip, I hadn’t done much solotraveling or solo-hiking before. But, as I came to realise, spending time
