The holiday was based in a village high up in the alps, at about 2000 metres. ... Michael Curtis, 2019 See more reviews
Itinerary Include flights Expand all Day 1 Fly to Turin airport; transfer to Sain Véran. Fly to Turin airport; transfer to Sain Véran. In the evening the leaders will hold a welcome meeting to discuss the week ahead and give advice on the local area. Meals included: Dinner Day 2 Level 3 - A wonderful loop walk on the south face of Saint Véran. Today we enjoy a loop walk on the south faces of Saint Veran. We discover the valley of the Aigues Blanche river stream. We start walking from the hotel and follow on and off tracks along an old irrigation canal designed to water the numerous fields around. This is a perfect way to see the place from different angles. This walk is close to Saint Véran and we take tracks where we see hardly anyone. We come back to Saint Véran through a different track, where we can stop for a drink on the high part of the village and strech our legs. Ascent: 480 m Descent: 480 m Distance: 9 km Level 5 - Loop walk through Chateau Renard peak (2989 m). We also start the walk from our hotel and climb up to the ridge of Chateau renard, from here we can see Longet valley as we look at the on the other side. The end point of the walk is the Chateau Renard peak (2989 m) where a star observatory centre is established and from where scientists can benefit from the clarity of the alpine sky. From here we walk back to Saint Véran. Ascent: 910 m Descent: 910 m Distance: 11 km Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 3 Level 3 - Walk through delightful variety of landscapes of the Aigue Blanche valley and the alpine village of Molines. Today we take another walk with some sections of track offering delightful views of the Aigue Blanche valley, the superb village of Molines, with its typical alpine architecture. We descend to Moline ski resort first through the lovely larch trees forest and continue the walk along the river Blanche, before climbing to Sommet Buchet, a relatively low altitude mountain but with a fantastic panoramic view. After this climb, we walk down to Molines to catch the bus back to Saint Véran. Ascent: 631 m Descent: 910 m Distance: 11 km Level 5 - Beautiful walk with views of the Aigue Blanche valley; to the Col des Pres Fromages. We descend to the Pont du Moulin before climbing up to the Puy barns, an old farmer's house. From here we carry on walking north and off track following nice meadow and animal tracks. The balcony walk offers some fine views of Saint Veran and Molines all the way to the Col des Pres Fromages. It is also a great place to observe chamoix, a species of goat-antelope native to mountains in Europe. Heading back to Saint Véran we take the track in the forest of La Chalp and Molines. Ascent: 1150 m Descent: 1150 m Distance: 16 km Meals included: Breakfast Day 4 Level 3 - After a short transfer explore the north end of Queyras. Trek on GR58 to the village of Ville Vielle. After a short transfer by public transport to Aiguilles we explore the north end of Queyras and some unspoiled parts of the regional park. Today is an easier day than the day before. We visit first the lovely village of Aiguilles before taking a balcony walk to the old Sheppard house of Borels. Then we follow the GR 58 track (tour of Queyras track) down to the village of Ville Vielle. Ascent: 450 m Descent: 511 m Distance: 7 km Level 5 - Walk to the Croix la Creche ridge then down to Ville Vielle on GR58. After a short transfer by public transport to Ville Vielle we also explore the north end of Queyras and some unspoiled parts of the regional park. Then we climb relatively steeply to the Croix la Creche ridge and admire the 360 ° views from there. From here we leave the track and walk down to the valley of Peas through the meadows, before finding the easy and comfortable GR58 track down to Ville Vielle. From Ville Vielle we take the shuttle back up to Saint Véran. Ascent: 1200 m Descent: 1200 m Distance: 12 km Meals included: Breakfast Day 5 Free day. Optional activities include rafting, mountain biking and self-guided walking. Today is a free day to relax or enjoy some optional activities. There are many options available, including self-guided walks, white water rafting, mountain biking or road cycling with some famous climbs of the tour de France like Col Agnel or Col Izoard. Meals included: Breakfast Day 6 Level 3 - Travel by bus to Chapelle Clausis; climb Caramantran peak (3025m). In the morning we take a shuttle bus to the Eastern side of Queyras, to Chapelle Clausis (2399 m). We explore the old copper mines of the valley before climbing to Caramantran peak (3025 m) an impressive summit on the Italian border with views of Monte Viso (3841 m) in Italy. Ascent: 720 m Descent: 720 m Distance: 9 km Level 5 - Loop walk around the Tete des Toillies summit (3175 m) with 3 cols (Col de la Blanche, Col Longet and Col de la Noire). Today we take a shuttle bus to the Eastern side of Queyras, to Chapelle Clausis (2399 m). We enjoy a fantastic loop walk around the Tete des Toillies summit (3175 m) with 3 cols (Col de la Blanche, Col Longet and Col de la Noire). It is a fabulous challenging walk, with half of it in Italy. Ascent: 1150 m Descent: 1150 m Distance: 13 km Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 7 Level 3 - A day trekking the ridges of Saint Véran on the south side of the Queyras, walking the Curley ridge. For the last day, we explore the ridges of Saint Véran, the south side of Queyras. Never exposed, they offer an amazing vista of the Ubaye valley, the last mountains before the Mercantour national park. We walk the Curley ridge (very wide and comfortable) with fabulous views of Saint Véran and walk down through the meadows. Ascent: 650 m Descent: 650 m Distance: 8 km Level 5 - Saint Véran ridges – pointe des Marcelettes (2900m). On our last walking day we follow the track on the Jacquette and Blavette ridge on the south side of the Queyras where we enjoy fantastic views of the Ubaye valley. Ascent: 1100 m Descent: 1100 m Distance: 14 km Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 8 End Saint Véran; fly to London. Following breakfast we say our goodbyes. Those on the group flights will transfer to Turin; fly to London. Meals included: Breakfast
France No visa required for British passport holders. For further Brexit travel advice please visit https://www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/brexit-advice-for-travellers Visa regulations can change without notice: please check the current regulations in good time to obtain a visa if one is required.
Italy No visa required for British passport holders. Please note in Italy it is compulsory to carry ID with you at all times. For further Brexit travel advice please visit https://www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/brexit-advice-for-travellers
Hotel le Grand Tetras 2* This small, friendly 2 star hotel is our base for the week. With wonderful panoramic views of the Queyras from the restaurant and the terrace, a cosy lounge with a fireplace, a small library/book room and a sauna, it is the perfect place to relax after the walks. All the rooms are en suite and have a balcony or terrace. Wi-Fi available at reception. Single accommodation (double for single use) available on request.
July 5, 2019 Views from the Path: The Best Hiking Trails in Europe Sometimes travel is about sticking to the main roads, but bold explorers know the excitement that comes from hiking o
Reviewed July 2019 Michael Curtis Trip: Walking in the French Alps Excellent walking holiday. The holiday was based in a village high up in the alps, at about 2000 metres. There were two guides, one leading a moderate-grade walk and one leading a challenging-grade walk and each day clients were able to choose which one to join. Some stayed with the same group all week, others switched between groups. The weather was very good except for one day, and we were able to see snowy mountain peaks many miles away. There were patches of snow at higher altitudes on one of the challenging walks. We saw marmots on some of the days. Most walks started from the hotel, but on two days local buses were used to get to the walk start point. There was plenty to do in the village, with restaurants, shops, cafes and a couple of small museums. St Veran is a small ski-ing village in the winter and there were a few closed-down ski-lifts, but nothing to spoil the views. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? I think this was reaching the pic de Caramantran at 3025 metres in the moderate-grade group (bear in mind that the walk started at 2340m that day). There were excellent views of mont Viso in Italy, which still had some snow on it. You could walk over the border into Italy for a few minutes. It was windy there. Everyone shook hands on reaching this point. What did you think of your group leader? I walked with both group leaders on different days. Both were very competent and spoke English very well. Both had a good knowledge of the history of the local area and knew the routes well. Yves led the challenging walks and Isabelle led the moderate walks. Both guides ate with the group in the evenings. On the free day, they gave us an informal tour of the village, explaining its history. On the challenging walk on the last day, there were some difficult stretches near the top and Yves made sure everyone was safe. The leaders provided marked-up contour maps of the walking areas, something I have not experienced before on this type of holiday. This helped clients to make up their minds which grade of walk to go on. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? It's a good idea to have walking poles if you are going to do the challenging-grade walks. Is there anything else you would like to add? There is a long bus journey of over 3 hours between Turin airport and St. Veran. The scenery is nice and there is a stop about half-way. The walking footpaths were un-crowded. We only came across a few locals and no other large groups.
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