Wild things

BEAUTIFUL places, I've decided, attract beautiful people. . . and especially beautiful men!

At the Arc Adventures water sports centre, an hour's drive from Grenoble in the southeast region of France, I was met by Christophe - you know the type, bronze as a statue, twinkle in his eye, teeth as white as snow. No wonder his tuition in all things wild and water are so popular.

Eighty million travellers flock here during the winter season, but summer leaves the Rhone Alps quiet and undiscovered. Now the French Tourist Board is looking to promote the area as a summer destination for hiking, cycling, mountain biking and water sports. With or without Christophe.

As the snow retreats, the landscape is transformed from cool stark peaks to a lush hive of activity with every shade of green in the valleys below.

After a short flight from Stansted to Grenoble, my girlfriends and I were ready to try out some of the water sports that are on offer when all the ski tourists have finally fled.

Surrounded by scenery reminiscent of the Scottish highlands with snow-capped peaks glinting in the summer sun, I suddenly felt panic as the thunder of the Isere river rapids became louder and louder.

Our first venture was white water rafting and we hadn't counted on just how white the water would be. Having squeezed into my wetsuit, I grabbed a paddle, lifejacket and helmet and signed a bit of paper renouncing the centre of all responsibility should I be lost to the current. I wondered what I had let myself in for but, after a practice run on dry land, we headed with gusto down to the river.

"Don't be a swimmer!", Christophe shouted at us, which loosely translated meant "Don't fall out of the boat!"

"Which is the safest place to sit?"

I retorted. "There isn't one!" he laughed.

Some of my friends who had been rafting before were cunning and sat at the back. Eager not to miss out on the action, I sat near the front and soon understood their tactics - the nearer the front, the wetter you get. Panic turned to screams of delight as we paddled frenetically down the first rapid. It's a bit like being on the waltzers but with buckets of icy water thrown at you from all directions.

Our first overnight stop was at the charming village of Piesey Vallandry, nestled between the popular ski resorts of Les Arcs and La Plagne at the edge of the Vanoise national park.

Three friends, two English and one Australian, all with a passion for the Alps, run a traditional Alpine chalet with views to die for.

Our home-cooked evening meal was a feast for the eyes too. After dinner, we took a gentle ramble through meadows bursting with wild flowers and the sound of cowbells rang out like a steel band across the valley below.

For our second night, we drove to the spa resort of Uriage and the three-star Grand Hotel, created under the reign of Napoleon III and surrounded by pine forests of the Chamrousse national park. A glimpse at the visitors' book revealed an encouraging comment from folk singer Joan Baez, it read, "J'aime bien le luxe", a good sign I thought.

A net canopy covered my kingsize bed bedecked with faux leaopard skin covers. The leather furniture and striped drapes gave a modern twist to the 19th century grandeur. Some of the rooms are decorated in honour of their many famous visitors. If you're feeling flush you can even stay in the Coco Chanel suite.

We eased our aching muscles in the outdoor pool, fed by the nearby thermal spa.

There's something about being in the outdoors that makes you enjoy your food a whole lot more and where better to dine than the hotel's two Michelin-starred restaurant. My taste buds screamed with pleasure at every course and we lost count how many we'd had as the waiters attended to us expertly.

Next day, feeling as stuffed as a goose we realised more exercise was called for. We had planned to do parapente - paragliding - but sadly the unpredictable June weather had turned to storms, so that was cancelled. Instead we took La Mure train - nicknamed the "most beautiful line in the Alps", which winds precariously up the side of the Vercors mountains with stunning views of the Monteynard lake below.

The ride in 1930s wooden carriages takes about two hours and from the top a bus takes you to the lakeside where you can board a boat and take a river cruise with lunch included.

At the Trefort water sports centre on the opposite side of the lake our next equally handsome instructor, Gael, sized us up once again for our wetsuits and lifejackets. We had signed up for lessons in wakeboarding, the snowboarders' version of waterskiing.

Determined to carry on despite the rain and chill in the air we sped off in a motor boat to the middle of the lake. You strap your feet on to a board, jump in the water, grab hold of the line and wait for the boat to go. The trick is to sit with your legs close to your chest like a frog in the water for as long as you can and when the board comes to the surface of the water you stand up - or not as in my case!

Back on dry land we warmed up with a welcome glass of Ti-Punch, a 59 per cent proof combination of rum, lemon and sugarcane syrup, it numbs the lips and burns on the way down.

At the restaurant Les Mesanges later that evening in St Martin d'Uriage we discussed the antics of the day. Sitting beneath mulberry trees high above the valley on a rose-scented terrace we sipped Walnut wine, another local delicacy, and the rains had cleared to reveal a perfectly still warm summer's evening. Mmm, where were Christophe and Gael now, I wondered, flashing their pearly smiles at the next round of tourists perhaps.

Fact file

France Tourist Information Tel 09068 244 123 (calls charged at 60p per minute) or visit www.franceguide.com Book Your Flight With Ryanair Stansted to Grenoble Visit wwwryanaircom Prices from £30.95 incl tax.

Seventy3 Chalets, Piesey Vallandry Tel 0033 479 072229 or visit www.seventy3chalets.com Prices from £199 per person for one week, short stays negotiable.

The Grand Hotel, Uriage. Tel 0033 (0)4 76 891080 or visit www.grand-hotel-uriage.com Prices from 95 Euros per night, gourmet breakfast 20 Euros Water sports can be booked through Tourist Information Centres on arrival or in advance.

Tel 0033 (0) 4 79 07 41 28 or visit Arc Aventures www.arcaventures.com