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It's becoming a tradition. Every year, toward the end of the summer holiday, we head out with the kids to wild camp in the mountains. The forecast looked good. We decided on a spot we know well from day time walks. Being further away from the UTMB course and crowd we thought it should be quieter. We all met in the car park and sorted out our gear, making sure we had enough tent space, food and water between us. Basil, our dog, would join us for the day but wouldn’t stay overnight to avoid any encounters with sheep or their guardian dogs....

Rifugio Vittoria Sella, 2588m We've never spent much time in the Gran Paradiso area but had heard get things about it. On a dark winter's day we sat down at the kitchen table to plan, browsing our Cicerone book "100 Hut Walks in the Alps". Rifugio Vittoria Sella, in the National Park, Italy, looked like a great spot, at 2588m and, when we emailed them, they said we could take the dog! We booked in for two nights, mid August, thinking it would be a good place to base ourselves to explore a little more. The rest of the trip was...

On the promise of dinosaur foot prints, we packed our rucksacks for a 12.5km picnic walk starting off from the Emosson dam above the Trient valley. After lots and lots of hairpin roads the kids were thrilled to find a zip wire (and ice cream shop) at the top. Stretching all the way across the front of the dam. Only two of our group were brave enough. The younger two of course. Once we'd got that (and two ice creams) out of the way we set off to find the footprints. Walking around the track alongside the vast expanse of turquoise...

Enjoying their time together, (before the rest of the family arrived), Basil and Guy went for a 20km jaunt up from the small commune of La Palud where the old Funivie Monte Bianco station used to be just outside Courmeyeur. They worked their way up steep winding paths to join the TMB and joined the trail in peak season. Not so busy they couldn’t keep a nice distance from other travellers they followed the path to the Refugio Bonatti, stopping for a picnic lunch on a small grassy knoll with spectacular views views of Mont Blanc and the Grande Jorrasses.    As they came...

Arriving a week before the rest of the family arrived to have some quiet time in the mountains whilst working from home. Guy and Basil (our dog) thought they'd make the most of the weekend.Guy packed a bag. Supplies for one night for him and Basil, his Alpkit Ordos 3 tent, sleeping bag and a PACMAT Solo for basil, only 200g and barely taking any space in the bag, it proved invaluable.Parking at Notre Dame de la Gorge, they walked up the valley. After a brief thunderstorm, while they sheltered in the boulders below the Col du Bonhomme, they pitched tent...