Accomodation in La Grave/Valloire/Le Bourg d Oisans area

[Chris249]

Hi all

This isn't a racing post, but I'm putting this here because it seems that there may be some forum members who have travelled this region while watching the Tour.

I'm trying to work out the availability of accommodation in early September in the region of the Galibier, Alpe d'Huez and Maurienne valley. I'm a bit pressed for time so I want to do as much riding as I can in less than three days, so I'm planning to do a loop from Modane to the Telegraphe, Galibier, Alpe d Huez, Glandon and St Croix, then back to Modane and perhaps Col d'Iseran before catching the train from Modane to Italy.

The issue is that if I book ahead of time, I'm locked into a schedule that may not work out due to weather, fitness or other reasons, so I want to be flexible. It worked really well in the Italian Alps, but from what I can see on Tripadvisor etc there are not as many cheap places to just rock up and stay at in the French Alps.

Has anyone had experience with just riding into a village and getting a cheap place? As an alternative, since I'm looking to get some lighter camping gear, would it be possible to do some stealth camping under a fly? From looking at Google Earth etc it seems that there could be plenty of places to pitch the fly in the bush overnight, and there is a camping ground at La Grave, but has anyone got any experience around the area?

I really enjoyed being able to be flexible in Italy so I'm not into the idea of being tied down into a rigid booking, but the idea of being stranded with no sleeping gear and no bed isn't very attractive either! Any info would be appreciated.

[Daccordi Rider]

Try a company called More than 21 Bends.