Two hours previously we were unbuckling our seatbelts at the airport, and now I was strapped to the side of a mountain, one hand grasping a metal cable while the other hovered over the abyss, and suspicious-looking insects inspected my arms and legs.

It’s a world away from what a lot of people would consider a holiday experience, and likewise it’s not what many would expect from the French Alps.

There can be few more stunning sights than looking across a huge valley to row of spiky-topped mountains in the blazing sunshine (and don’t worry, the exhaustion and dizziness only make it more impressive).

Climbing clipped to a safety cable, the Via Ferrata, based near La Clusaz, is certainly a different activity to start a holiday – and that’s the point. This is a hiking trip with a difference.

For many the region is a place for skiing, eating, drinking, and not a lot else.

In the winter months its visual appeal is pretty basic - the sky is blue, the snow is white, the rocks are grey.

But in summer, the landscape comes to life.

Cows graze while their bells echo around the green valleys and the monochrome snow is replaced by a variety of vividlycoloured flowers. Paragliders and eagles soar through the sky and Chamois graze gracefully on near-vertical mountainsides.

The surroundings are so beautiful that it might seem like a waste to do anything other than stand and stare but there are a range of activities to help you snap out of your reverie.

Perhaps the most awe-inspiring is the option of taking a plane trip around the jagged rock faces and snow caps of Mont Blanc.

The plane is buffeted about by the wind and the pilot weaves his way through the crags so skilfully it feels like you could reach out and pick up a rock from the mountainside.

Afterwards he claimed that we were never closer than 200 metres to the ground, but I knew the truth.

Fortunately not everything in the Alps is so exhausting and one of the more relaxing afternoon escapes took us to Gregory Dieu’s Chalet de Paccaly.

Previously I had never considered flowers part of a meal, let alone a meal itself – but how wrong I was.

Greg forages for all of his ingredients and even gave us a taste of his génépi, a liquor made from plants that grow in the Alps.

Hotels provided accommodation for the most part but one night we decided to try an enormous tipi.

After a gentle hike up a trail we found the remote tent hidden in a secluded area and got to work cooking and setting up.

Normally I am asleep before my head hits the pillow but even I found it difficult drifting off in an eight-person tipi on a bed of straw.

Thankfully the chance to see the valley bathed in moon and starlight was more than enough to make up for this.

After a late-night expedition, an earlymorning walk seemed only natural, to watch the sun rise.

And we were rewarded for overcoming our exhaustion by an incredible panorama over the Mont Blanc massif.

At first the mountains resembled monolithic blocks of stone but the rising sun brought the entire valley into relief, as well as Mont Blanc and the surrounding peaks.

After such a stunning show it seemed a shame to leave, but at least the stroll down the hillside was easier than on the way up.

Fact file:

Light aircraft flight over Vallée Blanche

  • Megève Altiport +33 (0)4 50 21 03 21
  • 105€ adult / 53€ child (<12 years)

Via Ferrata:

  • Access free for those already familiar (equipment can be rented in La Clusaz)
  • Guided sessions bookable at laclusaz@guides-des-aravis.com (or in Tourist Office)
  • Prices from 58€/person

Guided hiking: guides-megeve.com/en/

  • Christophe Mongellaz +33 (0)6 13 63 54 58 mongellaz_ch@hotmail.com