Contained within a fortnight’s holiday, this tour would make a splendid introduction to the Alps – and to the joys of Alpine trekking – for the keen hillwalker. Isolated and unspoilt, villages and valleys of the Queyras region will be as memorable as peaks and passes as the route weaves a meandering course, nudging against the Italian border in the French département of Hautes-Alpes. Of the many tantalising peaks on show, spectacular Monte Viso (Monviso to the Italians) entices the trekker across the border to give an optional diversion, while several summits accessible to walkers add further excuses to stray from the basic tour. But it is the fine scenery and unique cultural heritage of this comparatively remote area that makes the Queyras truly special and worthy of its status as a Regional Nature Park, and this multi-day tour unearths its essence.
Tour of the Queyras
The view from Col de l’Eychassier
The 7 Degrés Est gîte d’étape at l’Echalp
Where to go for a first Alpine trek?
If you are unsure of your abilities you wouldn’t want to plunge in at the deep end by choosing a very demanding and exposed trail. But several areas of the Alps would fit the bill, and I always advise first-timers to look seriously at an area of the French Alps that lies adjacent to the Italian border – the Queyras. Although in sight of Monte Viso, one of the most dramatic and iconic giants of the Alps, the quiet, unassuming, seductive Queyras, despite being very popular with the French, is largely unknown to outsiders, and is one of the Alps’ best kept secrets. Sheltered to the west by the high peaks of the Écrins, it is one of the sunniest areas of the Alps, with a mass of Alpine flowers early in the season. And what a thrill it would be to explore this magical wonderland for the very first time! The Tour of the Queyras requires little or no scrambling ability, and no more exposure than might be expected on an average walk in the mountains of Britain, although some of the route is over areas of schist which can be rather loose and slippery, particularly in bad weather conditions.
Not only is the Queyras a good area for an Alpine walking novice to explore, but as there are no glaciers and most of its summits are at a relatively low altitude, it’s a great place for competent hillwalkers and non-technical peak baggers who want to climb a summit or three without the necessary climbing equipment, experience or guides.
I’ve known the Queyras for well over 20 years, visiting it many times, but rarely have I seen other British walkers, for they flock to the popular regions further north and west, and miss out on one of the true gems of the Alps. The great beauty and allure of the Queyras, the friendliness of her people, the abundance of her charming hamlets, villages, gîtes and refuges, make it an extremely special area, and I feel a deep love for this land which, as a foreigner, I am quite at a loss to explain.
I hope you will choose the Queyras for your next walking holiday, and embark on a special journey through an enchanting region, over high cols, up remote summits, through scented pine forests, along lush Alpine valleys, across high pastures and flower-strewn meadows. To see the region at its best there’s nothing to beat a refuge-to-refuge, or gîte-to-gîte, walking tour. On such an adventure you will be sleeping each night high up in the mountains, where gorgeous sunsets can be enjoyed, or in one of the many tranquil, age-old hamlets and villages in the Alpine glens of the Queyras.
The main Grande Randonnée trail here is the circular GR58, and for the most part our trek follows this, although on the first and last day we make use of the excellent GR541, which offers two alternatives to reach the high ranges of the Queyras from the deep trench of the Durance valley to the west. To visit three of the most dramatic of the nearby Italian valleys, the Tour takes a two-day excursion over the border, allowing a close-up view of the mighty Monte Viso. But there are several alternative routes to explore on the way around this spectacular region, depending on your whim, whether you want to climb a mountain peak or visit a particular gîte d’étape renowned for its cuisine and homely welcome. The Tour of the Queyras offers high-level, but generally moderate-grade mountain walking, and includes the crossing of the highest point reached on any GR trail in France. In all, 24 cols above 2000m are crossed, with options to climb up to 17 summits of varying difficulty, five of which are above the magic 3000m altitude.
The Durance Valley to Furfande
The start of the Tour is easily reached by mainline train from Nice or Marseilles on the Mediterranean, from Geneva or Lyons, or even from London via Eurostar to Paris and TGV from there. It is therefore quite feasible to reach Montdauphin-Guillestre within a day from the UK, and enjoy a night in a comfortable hotel before setting out refreshed for the mountains on the following day.
All forms of transport are left way behind on the long, slow but gradual climb out of the Durance valley, following a variant of the GR541. Those who haven’t kept in shape before the trip may realise their folly on this first day, but take heart, for with perseverance the first col of the trip will be reached. The world is different on the other side of Col de Moussière, as the scenery changes abruptly from woodland and grassy hillsides to austere rocky ridges and rough scree slopes.
The serene Lac du Lauzet is a good spot for lunch, before the short pull up to the second col of the day, the 2458m Col Saint-Antoine. The descent from here leads to the verdant summer pastures of Furfande where, at the Granges de Furfande, a number of buildings are now used as holiday homes. The trail wanders amongst these to arrive at the first mountain hut of the Tour. Refuge de Furfande is situated in a magnificent spot below the Col de Furfande, with widespread views of the surrounding high mountains. On my first visit decades ago, the hut was rather basic; all I was presented with for food were some burnt sausages, and an extremely thin mattress poked through the hard, unforgiving springs of my iron bed! But refurbishment and a greatly improved cuisine nowadays ensure a pleasant and memorable stay.
Furfande to Ceillac and on to Saint-Véran
The GR58 is encountered at Furfande, and is then followed in an anti-clockwise circuit around the region. Those who have stiffened after the exertions of the first day will be relieved to learn that the trail south to Ceillac is a relatively easy one, climbing to the lowest col of the Tour, the 2251m Col de Bramousse. But this is not tackled until the delightful hamlet of Les Escoyères, with its fine church and refreshing water fountain, is passed, and certainly not before a stop at the café-restaurant of the splendid gîte in Bramousse.
Ceillac is the first of two places where the GR58 and the GR5 meet and cross (the other being Brunissard later in our Tour), and is situated on a level plain where two valley systems merge, the Mélezet from the south and the Cristillan, a steep glacial hanging valley running east-west. During the late 20th century, the village expanded considerably to accommodate the growing ski trade, the speciality of the region being ski de fond, which uses long, narrow skis. Ceillac is the main centre for this. Despite expansion, the village retains its original character as a small farming community; there are many fine old buildings, and the 19th-century church of Saint Sébastien makes a perfect setting for the music recitals that are occasionally held there. Ceillac is a major centre for traditional and modern wood carving, and two large carved ‘carpenter’s crosses’ will be found there. A Queyras speciality, these crosses are adorned with articles relating to the life and death of Christ (carpenter’s tools, the Roman soldier’s spear and the crown of thorns).
