18/03/2026
We drove out of the Aosta valley along the SS26 rather than taking the toll road. On the way we stopped to pick up a few final provisions and gifts.
The price of fuel
In Aosta, we stopped to refuel and top up our AdBlue. We’ve obviously been keeping abreast of the situation in Iran and the impact on fuel prices. Fuel was now at £1.83 a litre (€2.12) compared to £1.62 last time we filled up, and around £1.42 before the conflict started. This is obviously going to have an impact on the cost of the remainder of our journey. We’ve decided to ignore it for now, we don’t want it to dictate our plans. I’m obviously writing this blog post a few days later and we’ve seen prices as high as £2.13 a litre (€2.459) on the French motorways.
This relatively minor symptom of war is something which I feel slightly uncomfortable writing about. There are obviously much more significant impacts on people. We are just a couple of ordinary people at the end of a chain of consequences started by a decision made by people who seem to have forgotten they needed an objective.
Driving out of Italy
I don’t know why it felt different this time, maybe the position of the sun in the sky, the views of Mont Blanc, the endless forts and castles.
Castello Saint Pierre, now home to the Regional Museum of Natural Sciences. Somewhere we have earmarked for our next visit
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- Approaching Mont Blanc
As we drove along the road we were starting to plan our return in the autumn. Looking at the villages we have never visited, the walking and cycling routes along the valley, imagining the downhill mountain biking options. So maybe it was the feeling of anticipation rather than the usual disappointment of leaving.
Into the Mont Blanc tunnel. Leaving Italy… for now.
We’re looking forward to being back.