Ecrins National Park. Kev Reynolds

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INTRODUCTION

      Variously known as the Massif des Écrins, Oisans, Haut Dauphiné or Massif du Pelvoux, the area covered by this guidebook is arguably one of the most visually spectacular in all the Alps. Hung about with glaciers, more than 100 peaks rise to well over 3000m (the Barre des Écrins, which gives its name to the area, is 4102m), while in several valleys rock walls soar to jagged summits too steep to contain either permanent snow or ice. Not surprisingly, for well over 100 years the Massif des Écrins has attracted climbers at the top end of the sport with its wealth of routes – both rock, and snow and ice – of the highest standard.

      But as that great Alpine connoisseur R.L.G. Irving once noted: ‘The Dauphiné Alps have things to offer besides glacier and precipice. Some of the pastures that surround the central chaos of high peaks have long been celebrated for their flowers, especially those behind La Grave and around the Col du Lautaret.’

      He should also have mentioned the walks, for despite the severity of the mountains and the depths of the valleys there are hundreds of kilometres of well-marked trails that lead to open plateaux sprinkled with tarns, or to valley basins caught in rocky horseshoes of impressive grandeur, to mountain huts or waterfalls or walkers' passes inking valley systems, Alp hamlets, villages and Irving's pastures celebrated for their flowers. No one who enjoys wild mountain scenery, and has the energy and inclination to explore on foot, could possibly grow tired of the Écrins, and this guidebook is a celebration of the savage beauty revealed by way of its footpaths.

The Valleys of the Écrins

      Located southeast of Grenoble and unequally split between the départe-ments of Isère and Hautes-Alpes, the Parc National des Écrins is the largest in France, covering an area of 92,000 hectares (227,332 acres), with a peripheral zone nearly twice that size. This is mountain country par excellence, with the highest peaks forming a block at the very heart of the range, and a diverse assortment of valleys surrounding or spreading from it. Beginning in the north, and travelling clockwise around the National Park, the most important of these valleys are as follows.

      Vallée de la Romanche

      One of the region's main access routes between Grenoble and Briançon via Col du Lautaret journeys through the Vallée de la Romanche along the Park's northern rim. At its western end Bourg d'Oisans makes a good base, for it's conveniently situated close to a junction of valleys (the Vénéon lies to the southeast) and has good public transport connections. However, the best walking opportunities lie further east, in the vicinity of La Grave and Villar d'Arène at the foot of the Lautaret pass, with the Meije bursting out of the valley to the south and an impressive group of high mountains clustered nearby. Trails lead among and below these peaks, visiting remote huts and wild inner glens inhabited by marmot and chamois. The more gentle country north of the Romanche, whilst lying outside the National Park, also has countless walking routes, with glorious views to the big mountains on the far side of the valley. The multi-day Tour de 'Oisans, which follows GR54 on a circuit of the northern and central Écrins, begins and ends in Bourg d'Oisans, travels along that northern hillside and comes down to La Grave before heading southeast across Col d'Arsine to gain Le Casset in the Vallée de la Guisane.

      Vallée de la Guisane

      Descending from Col du Lautaret to Briançon (claimed to be Europe's highest town), the Guisane skirts the northeastern ledge of the National Park and gives only a few distant hints of its glacial heartland. The upper part of the valley is bounded by some rugged rock scenery, the middle section is more broad and open, while in the lower third the resort of Serre Chevalier (which encompasses several small resorts) is the largest winter sports complex in the Southern Alps. Created in 1941 it is now equipped with something like 70 lifts which edge close to the Park's eastern border, but these lifts are happily restricted from straying over it. In summer, when there is no skiable snow, the Serre-Chevalier téléphérique, which rises to 2491m, can be used to gain access to a series of high trails that follow ridge crests or descend into neighbouring valleys. Downstream from the Serre Chevalier resort Briançon, on the other hand, is an historic attraction situated at a confluence of rivers in the valley СКАЧАТЬ