UKC

Hi everyone, we are hiking the TMB over 9 days starting on the 1st August. Driving over from UK on the Eurotunnel so hopefully the queues calm down by next week! We are staying in a range of rufuges and hotels along the way that we have pre-booked ourselves.

We have visited Chamonix before and hiked the section between Lac Blanc and Brevent which was beautiful, so looking forward to doing the full TMB this year, starting in Les Houches.

Really keen to get some final advice before we leave, any hints or tips from anyone who has already done the TMB?

We are staying in Chamonix for 3 nights when we finish so would also be keen to hear from you on any restaurant recommendations - ideally traditional and local rather than touristy.

Thanks all

Hi there!

Just wanted to say have fun - we're off to do the TMB in late September and looking forward to it. 

Tracy

Hi, Tour Du Mont Blanc Facebook Group has over 25k members and has all the info you may require including daily updates from TMBers on it . Have great time. It’s very hot here just now!

Thanks Tony, I've joined a couple on your suggestion!

Hope you enjoy too Tracy when you get there in September. 

You too. I don't have Facebook, so I'll keep on looking

Done the TMB five times and its lovely, the large refuges have been taken over by the walking groups and can be unpleasant and food quality not great, the family run ones are still superb, the main route is great and first time worth sticking too it, people rave about the Fenetre d' Arpette which is a rocky path up and a picnic mass at the top following a slippery decent, i prefer the bovine path as it takes in one of the nicest lunch spot at the top.

Pack light is the one tip i would give.

I've done it a few years ago and its an amazing hike, you'll have a great time! The Facebook group is indeed very resourceful but if you don't have access to it I would say.

Pack light. If you're staying in refuges you won't have very much to carry but try to stay light. It's very easy to have regular access to water along the way so no need to carry loads (except sometimes the last stretch where I had to use water tablet sanitiser). Food is also easily accessible, between the small villages you cross and the cheese farms, you won't starve. I also didn't bother with waterproof trousers, just wore shorts the whole time, fine under rain.

Keep your footwear light and change socks often. The terrain is not technical but you do walk a lot, so keep comfy in the heat and you do occasionally cross a stream.  

I used walking sticks for the first time on it and absolute game changer, cant hike without them now! Use the cicerone guide which was very complete in my opinion, and rip off the pages you don't need to keep the weight down. Don't bother with a map either, its good for preparation but on the trek, the mini maps of the guide are enough and it's so well marked its impossible to get lost.

You can pay in euros everywhere. It's not as busy as it sounds, never had to slog up paths and you meet fun people along the way.

Have a great time! and for after in Chamonix, I recommend getting your celebratory meal at La Tablée, on Avenue de l'aiguille du Midi, its delicious

9 days seems a bit quick, I think we took 11 plus a 'rest' day in Courmayeur, (though we ended up going for a walk anyway!) The 'high level' route from Refuge de Bonhomme didn't seem to be any quicker than the low level via le Chapieux (sp.) The new refuge at Lac Combal was (in 2016) great, and well worth walking past the crowded Elizabetti hut for. There was an undocumented bar at the bottom of the Fênetre d'Arpette, which was really welcome!

That is terrible advice. Why ruin a good book to save less than, what, 50g at most?

Also, doing a multi day walk without a dedicated map isn't a great idea either. Yes, the TMB has signs and flashes all the way around but what happens if you do go off route, you then have a much bigger headache trying to find your way again. 

Much bigger weight savings can be made by taking a water filter and only carrying a litre of water at any one time.

That was just my personal experience. Half of the book describes the tour in the opposite direction that the one you're walking it, it was fairly easy to neatly remove that half. As I was backpacking in full autonomy and had to carry quite a bit of gear, I was keen to shave 150g here and there.  As for the map, I guess it's down to personal preference and comfort, I found the extracts of the guide sufficient and at the appropriate scale. 

I also needed to carry more water for cooking and I drank quite a lot on those heated trail. I found that the combination of camelback for walking and Nalgene for the rest to work quite well. 

This article could be useful - How to Walk the Tour du Mont Blanc: https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/destinations/how_to_walk_the_tour_du...

you look at your phone- navigation without tears

Sounds about right, folks take everything from 3* days to 2 weeks. We met plenty of people doing it over 7 days.

* I know it gets done quicker but not often outwith the race.

Hi Elodie - thanks for the advice and the restaurant recommendation. I think we will be staying in Chamonix near there when we finish so looks ideal Great reviews too!

Thanks everyone else for the tips too - only a few days now until we start! Just need to weigh the backpack as conscious we need to keep it light!