It was at the point that I’d crossed my 27th tree to fall across the path – yes I had counted every last one of them – that my brain voiced the question, “why did I come to La Thuile in June?”

I had attempted to do one of La Thuile’s most popular walks across three waterfalls from the hamlet of La Joux and culminating in a stop at a Rifugio and amazing views across the Alps. Except the Rifugio was closed. That wasn’t the main problem, as I hadn’t even seen the three waterfalls. I hadn’t reached the first one since the path itself was closed and, though I don’t condone it, in frustration I had ignored the barriers and the “Ordina” from the mayor that the path was shut for safety reasons due to falling trees and here I was crossing my 27th tree.

In fact, I hadn’t even been able to drive to the start point of the walk in La Joux with my car because, you guessed it, the road was closed off to traffic. The path was closed, the road was closed, I was surrounded by a forest potentially going to fall on me at any moment, and then it started raining.

Earlier that June morning I had set off on a completely different walk to the Colle San Carlo, a pass 5km away from the village centre, to hike up to the Lake Arpy nestled at 2000 metres above sea level. I’d been reliably informed this was the first place the locals walked to in Summer, and would be the best place to start.

At 1800 metres, an hour into my trek, the path had disappeared and become a mountain of snow. I was faced with the decision to go on wearing summer walking shoes when the terrain demanded winter boots, crampons, and poles (and maybe an ice axe would be nice too) or to turn back. Stubbornly, I decided to continue on and after a few steps was clinging to the side of the path on my behind, my boots having slipped out from under me. I decided it wasn’t worth the risk.

I’ve never had two failed walks in a day, so this was both a learning curve and a record. Checking into the hotel the previous evening, I’d eagerly asked about my favourite restaurants.

“Pepita, is it open?”

“No that’s last two weekends in June, then every day from July”.

“What about Coppapan?”

“No the same”.

Surely Lo Tata just around the corner from the hotel would be serving dinner that evening? Again, not till July. My three favourite restaurants were closed for business and I was informed most of the rest were too. Out of roughly 50 in the village and surrounding area, four were open. I was also the only person staying in the hotel that evening, so at least I’d get a quiet night’s sleep.

At this point, you’re probably thinking where is La Thuile and why would I want to go to it anyway. La Thuile is a small village nestled on the Italy-France border in the region of Aosta Valley, and you’ve probably never heard of it. It’s pronounced to rhyme with “wheel” and is home to just 900 residents. In Winter, it’s an underrated ski resort with 155km of piste linked with its neighbour La Rosiere in France, and in Summer it’s a destination for mountain bikers and walkers.

After a heyday in the sixties, people started to focus and ski in Courmayeur instead just 15km down the road, and this resort became home to designer shops, cars and stars. From there, it’s a short but expensive journey through the Mont Blanc tunnel into France to experience the household name that is Chamonix. All of which has left La Thuile as little more than a passing glance on a road sign on the way to other places, and due to its remoteness largely untouched.

It’s a great place to ski during the months of late November to April due to an almost perfect snow record, lack of queues, interesting areas, friendly locals and fantastic food. In July and August it’s a demanding place for mountain bikers and walkers alike with stunning views across to Monte Blanc and also hosts a few cycle tournaments – this year and over the last few years it’s hosted the Enduro Cycle Challenge in July.

But in May, June, September, October and November, it’s a lost cause. It has an exceptional late and short summer, and between April and July most of the locals leave for cosmopolitan Milan or for the seaside of Italy, and it becomes apocalyptically quiet. And from September again the restaurants and hotels close down and the town goes into slumber until the Winter Season.

So if you like good skiing or good trekking, put La Thuile on your travel list – just make sure you time it right.