carpenter’s cross, Ceillac (Stage 2)
In the Queyras the typical architecture is houses built of half stone and half wood, with high haylofts (or greniers). Many of these were built in the 17th and 18th centuries. There are good examples to be seen in La Rua near Molines-en-Queyras and in Saint-Véran and Aiguilles.
The Catholic religion has always been strong in the Queyras, and there is ample evidence of this to be seen on the walk, in the form of numerous shrines, chapels, ornate churches and ‘carpenter’s crosses’. There was considerable religious intolerance here in earlier centuries, leading to the emigration of many Protestants to the more tolerant German states in the north.
The Queyras is famous for its honey (miel) – it is now a minor tourist industry – and numerous beehives will be seen on the walk. Woodcarving is another speciality of the region. There are plenty of examples of local handicrafts in the shops in the villages and hamlets along the Tour.
Further information on places to visit in the Queyras, and events and activities in the region, are available at local tourist offices (syndicats d’initiative, maison du tourisme or office de tourisme). There are tourist offices in Guillestre, Ceillac, Saint-Véran, Molines-en-Queyras, Abriès, Aiguilles, Château-Queyras and Arvieux.
Walking in the French Alps
Walking in the French Alps is well within the capabilities of the average British hill walker, and this section is included to encourage the potential first-timer to take a walking holiday in the Alps. This Tour in particular is ideal for those contemplating their first walking trip outside the UK – the majority of walkers return many times.
Following an old country track on the GR58 near Les Escoyères (Stage 2)
It is a fairly common misconception in the UK that the Alps can only be explored by the experienced mountaineer or alpinist, or that these mountains are the playground of the package-holiday skier. However, there are many well-trodden and clearly waymarked paths beneath the permanent snowline, threading through valleys, ascending to high cols and traversing ridges. There is a tradition amongst the people of central western Europe, who live far from the seaside, to take their family holidays in these mountains, and the paths are used by young and old alike, so British hill walkers or ramblers should not consider the Alps to be beyond them. If you can manage a walking holiday in the English Lake District or the Highlands of Scotland, then an Alpine Tour will be within your capabilities. Indeed, many of the Alpine trails are easier to negotiate than the rough, often pathless terrain of the Highlands, where there are few waymarks, and where Arctic-like conditions, even during the summer months, frequently occur.
However, there are also significant differences between walking in the Alps and in the mountains of the British Isles. Firstly, the Alps are at a considerably higher altitude. In Britain we are used to thinking in terms of 3000 to 4000 feet for the major peaks. In the Alps this figure is 3000 to 4000 metres, i.e. over three times higher. The highest point reached on the Queyras Tour is 3208m (10,517ft) on the Pain de Sucre, and even the lowest col is at 2251m (7379ft) above sea level (the Col de Bramousse). However, very few people are affected by altitudes below about 3000m (9840ft) – it is usually only above this height that altitude sickness and associated problems are experienced – so there is generally no cause for concern at spending a holiday at these relatively modest altitudes. Furthermore, although heights of 2950m (9000ft) and above are regularly attained on the Tour, remember that in the Alps even the major valley systems are at a significantly higher altitude than those in Britain. The village of Saint-Véran, for instance, at 2020m (6622ft), is over twice the height of Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England, so the total amount of climbing in any one day is often no more than in the Welsh, English or Scottish mountains.
On the route between the Col de Saint-Véran and the Col de Chamoussière (Stage 4)
The mountains of the Alps rise steeply from the valleys, so climbs are often longer and more sustained than those in Britain. However, in many cases the ascent of a very steep mountainside is rendered relatively easy by a well-made path constructed of numerous zigzags. For example, the ascent to the Col des Thures (Alternative Stage 8) is greatly facilitated by a seemingly endless zigzagging path.
In most of the mountain areas of Britain, the nearest valley can be reached from the highest hills within two or three hours. The scale of the Alpine mountains, however, is such that it is often not possible to travel on foot from one mountain base to another within a day. To overcome this problem an elaborate network of mountain refuges has been developed, offering comfortable, albeit spartan accommodation in the most isolated areas of the mountains. The refuges are very popular – a tradition of travelling in these mountains – and making use of this type of accommodation is well established. There is no equivalent system in Britain, so the British hill walker on a first visit to the Alps will find the mountain refuges a novel, and hopefully enjoyable, experience.
The French Alps, and particularly those to the south of the country, in the Hautes-Alpes and the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, tend to enjoy warmer and more settled weather than the Swiss or Austrian Alps. This can present problems during the main summer months for the unwary walker who is unused to climbing steep mountainsides under the intense heat of a southern midsummer sun. Heat exhaustion and dehydration are problems that are not often encountered on the British hills, but they are not uncommon in the French Alps. Common sense and an appreciation of the danger are all that are usually necessary.
A word of warning must be given nevertheless. The Alps have claimed many thousands of lives over the years. They are large-scale mountains with plenty of natural hazards, and although the weather tends to be generally good in the Queyras, severe weather conditions can and do occur, often with very little warning – always keep an eye on the weather and take care where placing your feet. Most of the paths on this Queyras Tour present no particular problems under normal conditions, although some of the routes, particularly those on some of the optional excursions (for example, Le Pain de Sucre, Monte Granero, Tête du Pelvas), are very steep, and should only be attempted by those with suitable experience.
Any particular difficulties are discussed in the introductory summary to each stage and in the route description.
Grandes Randonnées
France has a very extensive network of long-distance paths, called Grandes Randonnées (literally ‘big walks’), commonly abbreviated to GR. Each GR route has been designated a number, for example GR7 or GR20. The principal long-distance trails, like the GR4 and GR5, usually carry a low number while shorter circular routes, variations or link routes, have two- or three-digit numbers.
Summit cairn, Pic de Foréant (Alternative to Stage 5 and Stage 6)
Trails in a particular area or in the vicinity of a one-digit GR all carry the same first number. For example, the major GR trail in the French Alps is the GR5 (a significant part of the 4850km/3012 mile European E2 route from Ireland via the UK, Netherlands, Belgium and France to Nice), which enters the Alps at Lake Geneva and continues south to the Mediterranean. The Alpine part of the GR5 is also known as La Grande Traversée des Alpes (and is the subject of a Cicerone guidebook – see Appendix 2).
There are several other GR paths in the French Alps, and these all begin with the digit 5, for example the GR54 (Tour de L’Oisans, which is also covered by a Cicerone guidebook, see Appendix 2). Other GR routes in the Alps include the GR52 (a variation of the GR5, from Saint Dalmas-Valdeblore to Menton through the Mercantour national park) and the GR58 (Tour du
