"Another Trip to France" France by Craigellachie

The first time I left my native Scotland was at the age of 11 when I went on pilgrimage to Lourdes with my primary school. I've been back a number of times - on twinning visits to St. Denis when I lived in Coatbridge, on youth hostelling tours by rail in my student days, on short breaks to Paris and most recently (albeit three years ago) walking in the Alpes at Tignes.

A steep descent

For the people of Tignes, the end of the second world war was a bittersweet experience, for having survived the threat of Hitler their village was destroyed by their own French government. The nation's energy needs postwar meant that the village was flooded to make way for a massive hydroelectric scheme, and the people had to move up the mountain to the Lake and find a new livelihood in tourism.

In these pictures, taken on the downward section of a mountain walk, you can see the Lac de Tignes (focus of the modern Tignes) and also, further back (and much further downhill than it looks) the artificial Lac de Chevril where the village used to be.

Views of the Glacier in summer

...but Tignes is primarily a ski resort, and even in July ski-ing is possible as well as walking if you go high enough.

• Pros:Walks from all fitness levels in a pleasant Alpine environment
• Cons:Ski facilities look ugly when there's no snow
• In a nutshell:A budget-friendly summer walking resort