After the winding, initially wooded ascent from Beaufort and its cosy neighbouring valleys the final push up to the Cormet de Roselend (1967m) feels almost like entering another country. The 800m-long Lac de Roselend has a top-of-the-world remoteness but its wild beauty is haunting. From here the Route passes through craggy and often snow-covered landscapes which bring a tangible sense of drama to this section of the Route. The onward descent through Bonneval les Bains is a more relaxed affair, however, and is eventually rewarded by the welcoming sight of Bourg St Maurice.

A skier’s paradise

The bustling town is overlooked by the family ski station of Les Arcs, now linked by the sensational Vanoise Express cable car to neighbouring La Plagne creating the vast Paradiski area. From ‘Bourg’ the Route climbs once again, this time into the Tarentaise National Park. The road threads its way through a deep valley past the very different ski stations of Villaroger and Ste Foy Tarentaise, while pale aquamarine glaciers ooze silently over the nearby mountains. Underlining the seasonal extremes is the presence nearby of ‘montagnette’ farming villages like Le Monal, constructed for summer occupation only. Things open out briefly beside the vast concrete barrage of Tignes-le-Chevril, topped by the road providing access to the twin ski villages of Val Claret and Tignes-le-Lac, part of the famous Espace Killy. The Route, however, now enters the series of tunnels before passing through Tignes’ illustrious partner ski village Val d’Isère.

On top of the world

After passing through the heart of the village the road climbs gently at first, before scaling the valley side more determinedly, adding the surreal sensation of travelling uphill between piste-markers, on a road which in winter serves as a scenic (blue-graded) ski run. The climb continues past the Belvedère de la Tarentaise, only finally relenting when we reach the Col de l’Iseran (2764m), one of the highest passes in Europe. It’s an exposed, often wind-blasted spot, and there's a real sense of achievement on the triumphant long swoop down through the Parc National de la Vanoise towards Bonneval-sur-Arc (1800m), unquestionably one of the most beautiful and best-preserved mountain villages in France. Bonneval also offers downhill skiing, and there's more in Lanslevillard and Lanslebourg, in the heart of the Val Cenis area. Just across the Col du Mont Cenis (painted by Turner in 1820) lies a vast lake set beside the old trade route to Turin. Today the valley (along with Morzine) hosts the Grande Odyssée, an annual dog-sledding event attracting professional teams from throughout the world.

Border country: the Maurienne

Pressing on down the valley past Bramans and the formidable Fort d’Esseillon, we reach the Maurienne Valley, and busy centre for local industry. Near Modane lie the trans-Alpine Frejus road and rail tunnels, the latter commenced during Sardinian territorial rule and completed in 1872. Shortly after Orelle (whose cable-car accesses Val Thorens and the huge Trois-Vallées ski area) the bustle is left behind, as we join the legendary climb to the Col du Télégraphe, a classic stage of the Tour de France, spiralling relentlessly through tree-lined hairpins to the 1566m summit (from which military telecommunications were pioneered during WWI). From here we sweep down into the ski village of Valloire, before another steady climb gradually takes on a heightened sense of drama. Eventually the route is reduced to a narrow ribbon of tarmac set between vast walls of grass-clad gypsum. The final ascent creates an eerie sense of remoteness, plus an occasional dusting (or more) of snow. Fortunately, when the summit of the Col du Galibier (2645m) is closed by unseasonal snowdrifts travellers can generally continue to pass, thanks to a 370m-long single carriageway tunnel opened in 1890 around 100m below the Col. Emerging later from the far end in fine weather brings a heart-stopping panorama towards the Parc National des Écrins, while at the roadside is a monolithic monument to Henri Desgranges, creator of the Tour de France. Welcome to the Briançonnais.

Into the Southern Alps

Below Galibier the Route joins the main road from Grenoble at the Col du Lauteret (2058m) for the long cruise down a broad valley through the villages of the Serre Chevalier ski domaine. Ahead lies Briançon, at 1326m Europe's highest city (and itself connected to the Serra Chevalier area by a modern gondola ski-lift. It's also a rich reward for the journey so far, with much to see in the historic Haute-Ville, which was fortified during the 17th Century by military engineer Vauban, who added a formidable citadel-style defensive complex.

Stage Three: From Briançon to Ubaye.