You can swoop up from the village of Pralognan on the Teleferique to Mt Bochur and traverse a slope to Le Refuge des Barmettes. From there, you can continue on the ancient Salt Route up to Le Lac des Vaches.

It’s like walking through a continual rock garden. We’re early enough in the last week of June to still have all the alpine flowers blooming freshly and the butterflies floating and bouncing around us.

The path initially drops gradually and then rises to pass through some pines before emerging onto the grassy ski slope at the Refuge des Barmettes. That takes about forty minutes.

As we approached the Refuge, we noticed a little dog barking furiously, jumping up and down on the spot. We got closer and saw a small snake backed up against the wall of the building. The manager came out, grabbed the dog up and called for the chef. It was a viper, dark grey with beautiful black markings. It was powerless against the chef who emerged with two walking poles and pincered it off into the grass below the Refuge.

After that, off course we needed refreshments.

Rain and thunder threatened so we walked only a short way up the ancient walled Salt Route before turning for home.