Walking

1. The Peace and Tranquility. Unlike the honey pots of the Savoie, like Chamonix and Annecy, the Hautes-Alpes is not really that well known. The result is that you can walk here even in the busiest summer holiday months and see very few other people. Outside July and August you probably won't see see anyone else for the whole day.

 

2. The Great Weather. As you may have read elsewhere the Briançon area of the Hautes-Alpes has an average of 300 days of sunshine each year. From a walking perspective this is good for obvious reasons, but also as the weather is reliable your rarely have to consider lugging around a set of waterproofs and extra clothes just in case.

 

3. The Changing Seasons. The Hautes-Alpes benefits from neighbouring with Provence. Its dry climate and altitude results in the region having very defined seasons. For walking this is great because you can do the same walk 4 times a year and get a completely different experience. In winter you are on snow shoes or even cross-country skis. In spring there are fast flowing streams feeding down to the lakes from the snow melt, masses of wildflowers and vivid green landscape topped off with snow capped mountains. In summer it's warm, often hot and it's nice to pick the shadier woodland walks and take a dip in the river to soothe those tired feet. Finally in autumn the deciduous trees show their end of season colours in spectacular fashion and the mass of meleze pine trees turn a vivid yellow.

 

4. The Wildlife. The Ecrins national park is the largest park in France, and it prides itself in the protection of its flora and fauna. There are 64 kinds of mammals in the park and 210 different types of birds. The park is also home to the largest population of golden eagles in France (37 pairs).

 

Although rarely seen, the Ecrins national park is also visited by lynx and bearded vultures too...so keep your eyes open.

 

5. The Flora. More than 1800 different flora specimens have been identified here in the national park. The reason for the vast variety is the mini climates created by valleys that run in many different directions and also the big variation of underlying substrates. 800 of the 1800 species are protected, 40 of which are extremely rare like the Chardon blues "the blue thistle". As you walk through the forests and up beyond the tree line you will be continually fascinated with the ever changing plant life.

 

6. The Lakes and Rivers. It might be a dry climate, but there is plenty of water around. The Hautes-Alpes has around 2000km of rivers and 47 significant lakes more than 1800m above sea level. There is also the 2800 hectare lake Serre-Ponçon too, the largest man-made lake in Europe. For walking we find that a lake gives us something to aim for during our walk and it is usually a great excuse to stop for lunch. Waterfalls are also often a focus of walks in this region.

 

 

In our apartments you will find laminated maps and instructions for our recommended walks in the area. We have documented walks for variety of standards, so you will find itineraries to suit all abilities and ages. Many of the walks start right from the apartments and the famous GR50 is right on your doorstep too. We are very keen walkers ourselves, so if you want help to make the most of your holiday time, then we can provide you with plenty of information on which walk to do and when to do it.

 

To start walking in the Alps you don't have to be super fit or a navigation expert. There are plenty of walks starting right from our accommodation with gentle gradients. The signposting of walks and trails is excellent. The signs not oonly give you the direction of the path to follow, but also an estimate of how far you to go in hours and minutes. Obviously you should carry a map too, but you probably won't need it for many of the more popular walks.

 

Being the largest national park in France there is plenty of wilderness here for the more experienced explorer too. In the back country, amongst the 4000m summits the signposts disappear and you can put your navigation and fitness skills to the test. There are also big multi day walks with the odd scramble or mountaineering section thrown in if that's what you are looking for. The mountain refuges here not as busy as in the Northern Alps too, giving you a more convivial atmosphere to enjoy the mountains.

 

To give you an idea of the kinds of views that you can expect from walking in this area we have included below three panoramic photos taken from the high points of three separate walks nearby.

 

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