In the Queyras Regional Park, we have previously explored some trails
to mountain passes bordering Italy. From Valpréveyre above
Abriés, we had earlier climbed to
Col d’Urine.
Using Valpréveyre as a starting point, we now wanted to climb to
Col de Malaure (2536 m) north of the abovementioned Col d’Urine and in
a different valley.
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Leaving Valpréyvere
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Following Torrent du Bouchet
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Crossing Malaure Torrent
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Sheep flock by the trail
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Some sources say that Hannibal may have used the Malaure Pass when crossing
the Alps. True or tale, the Italian side viewed from the col was very steep
and rocky so hard to believe that elephants could negotiate this terrain!
We started from the parking in Valpréveyre, crossed the Bouchet Torrent and
then headed east following the torrent in the woods. A bit higher, we
crossed a stream again. The incline became steeper, and we came to a
crossroads at 2230 m where the left-hand trail went to Col de Bouchet and
Col de Valpréveyre. We forked right as planned. After climbing 300 m and 1.1
km including some steep stretches, we reached the narrow col where an
Italian signpost with several destinations was erected. A narrow and steep
trail descended on the Italian side. The Italian lowlands were not far, and
typical fog and clouds (nebbia) were clinging to the relief.
We met nobody on the latter part of the trail. Many walkers preferred to
enjoy the sunny and warm weather by the stream. Some went up to the Bouchet
Pass with a small refuge on the Italian side.
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Above tree line to Malaure
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Viewing Bric Bouchet
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Col de Malaure 30 min Away
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| Col de Malaure |
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Initial descent Col de Malaure
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Climb: 720 m
Distance: 9,6 km
Duration: 4h 15
Map: 3637 OT Mont Viso St-Véran Aiguilles PNR Du Queyras
This recipe is a tasty gazpacho variation which is easily made when the peaches and tomatoes are in season. Served with some good country bread it makes a nice light lunch during the heatwave.
2 servings
300 ml tasty gazpacho such as the Spanish Alvalle
4 tbsp. fromage blanc 0%fat or thick Greek yoghurt
2 mini burratas or 1 regular burrata, halved
2 peaches
Olive oil
8 black olives
1 oval tomato, cut into small pieces
Chopped basil leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
Cut the peaches into sections and grill them in a pan with some olive oil.
Whisk the fromage blanc into the gazpacho and divide into two bowls.
Divide the peaches into the bowls. Add the burrata, tomato, olives, and basil. Sprinkle with a little olive oil and grind over some black pepper. Serve at once.
We found out that the Tronchet Mountain Pass (2347 m) above
Arvieux could be reached easily by doing a loop hike from the village
of Brunissard.
We located a signpost at 1770 m elevation where the GR58 trail crossed D902
road. We headed east first along a country road before reaching Ravin du
Partus where the GR58 ascended in a forest.
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| Brunissard |
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View north of Brunissard
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Near Ravin du Partus
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GR58 above Brunissard
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Only at about 2100 m, the forest gave gradually way to verdant alpine
meadows where flowers were still blossoming in late July. We passed a trail
on our right-hand side to La Chalp (our return itinerary) then another path
on our left-hand side leading to the Souliers Lake before reaching the col.
We could enjoy our break south of the col on the beginning of the Glaisette
ridge.
After descending to the abovementioned crossroads, we left the GR trail and
continued along a very nice yellow-marked forest trail. Near Torrent du
Grimaud we forked right towards Brunissard. Most of the trail still ran in a
forest, and the trail was soft, easy on your feet.
We passed Les Aiguillettes, came to a dirt road and soon back to the GR58
trail, closing the loop just before Brunissard.
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GR58 nearing Col du Tronchet
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Alpine meadows before Col du Tronchet
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View east of Col du Tronchet
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Descending back to Brunissard
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Climb: 610 m
Distance: 7,8 km
Duration: 3h 50
Map: 3537 ET Guillestre Vars, Risoul PNR du Queyras
Sometimes the peach season is late but you are tempted to buy half-ripe
peaches anyway hoping that they soften in your kitchen. Well, they don’t but
frying them in olive oil is a good technique to soften them.
The sweet flavour of peaches goes very well with the acidic taste of tomatoes
and the saltiness of Parma ham.
Serve the salad with some good country bread for a balanced light lunch.
2 servings
2 peaches
2 tbsp. olive oil
8-10 slices of Parma ham
1 large green tomato
About 6 red cherry tomatoes
About 6 yellow cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp. vinaigrette
2 tbsp black olives
Basil leaves to decorate
Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat in a frying pan. Remove the
stones from the peaches and cut them into quarters. Fry them, stirring
occasionally, until nicely coloured and soft.
Cut the green tomato into sections and halve the cherry tomatoes. Place the
tomatoes, peaches, and black olive into a bowl. Add the vinaigrette and mix.
Divide the mixture on 2 plates and fold in the Parma ham. Scatter with basil
leaves.
For day hikes, the numerous mountain passes in the French Alps offer good and
safe options. Many long distance (GR) trails cross the cols.
We chose to drive to Les Fonts de Cervières (2040 m) at the end of
the D89T road. We have previously used this popular starting point for
our hikes. The GR 58 runs via the hamlet.
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| Les Fonts |
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Start of GR58 Les Fonts
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GR58 along Cerveyrette Torrent
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| Pic de Rochebrune |
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Col de Péas 15min away
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Almost at Col de Péas
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Rocky steep stretch of GR58
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| Back to Les Fonts |
Our goal was Col de Péas (2629 m), south of Les Fonts. It was a
straightforward itinerary along the GR58 with white/red markings. After
having crossed a wooden bridge in Les Fonts, we reached the GR58 and headed
south. With such a high starting point, we soon reached a high alpine
environment where Pic de Rochebrune (3320 m) dominated the landscape
on our right-hand side.
We reached an intersection where a trail forked right to Lac des Cordes. We
continued straight and came to a steeper section of the trail where some
surefootedness was required when climbing, and especially during the
descent. Some patches of snow were still present by the trail in late July
near the col.
The mountain pass comprised wide alpine meadows notably on its southern
side. It was a great stop for our picnic. Several other hikers were
recuperating there as well.
We used the same trail back to our starting point.
Climb: 650 m
Distance: 8,3 km
Duration: 4 h
Map: Briançon Serre-Chevalier Montgenèvre 3536 OT
Sometimes in the South of France The spring lingers before suddenly turning into full summer. Tomatoes and paprikas are still not in season but we have plenty of courgettes.
The following recipe makes a nice and flavourful lunch and does not require much effort. Serve it with some good country bread and a green side salad for a balanced meal.
The culinary roots in Nice are almost half Italian so Italian products are widely available in our shops. I have used the sweet and sour Toscoro Crema con aceto balsamico di Modena as a flavouring. If you don’t find it in your shops you can use balsamic vinegar di Modena and add a bit of sugar.
2 servings
2 regular long courgettes or 4 small
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp. Toscoro Crema con aceto balsamico di Modena
½ tsp. Piment d’Espelette or other mild chilli powder
250 g ricotta
Fresh basil leaves to decorate
Warm 3 tbsp. olive oil in a sauté pan over medium- high heat. Wash and slice the courgettes. Fry them for 4- 5 minutes on both sides until golden brown. Then remove with a slotted spoon on to a plate.
In the same pan, fry the red onion for about 10 minutes. Remove the heat to medium- low and add the garlic. Keep on stirring and frying until the onion is soft.
Add the courgette slices back to the pan. Season with Toscoro Crema and Piment d’ Espelette and stir.
Divide the courgettes and onion on the plates. Divide the ricotta in the middle of the plates and sprinkle with the remaining olive oil. Scatter with basil leaves and serve.
We wanted to explore the GR6/56 trail between the two villages. St-Paul sur Ubaye (1430 m) is the gateway to the upper Ubaye River Valley. Fouillouse (about 1900 m) is a popular starting point for hikes in the Chambeyron region. In fact, the highest peaks of the French southern alps (excluding the Ecrins Massif) are located here.
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| Near St-Paul sur Ubaye |
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| Bridge over Ubaye River |
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| GR56 near Ubaye Valley |
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| Larch woods above Ubaye Valley |
We followed the D25 road a bit, then forked right and followed the Ubaye River to the l’Estrech bridge, crossed the river and continued on the other side about 1,2 km. We reached a crossroads where we forked right and started to ascend in the woods. The markings were white/yellow for the GR trail all the way. After about 1800 m elev. the trail levelled out, and we reached a large alpine meadow. The village of Fouillouse was visible on the other side of the Fouillouse River, the peculiar relief of Brec de Chambeyron (3389 m) a bit further away. But the scenery across the Ubaye River was impressive as well, with several 3000+ peaks. In 1878, two alpinists from Fouillouse managed to climb to the summit of Brec de Chambeyron. But the next year, the famous alpinist Coolidge arrived in Ubaye and in a week conquered six 3000+ summits!
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| View northwest from GR56 |
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| Fouillouse in sight |
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Footbridge to Fouillouse
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To reach the village, we descended a bit to a wood bridge, and passed the village church. There were a few places serving simple meals, and there seemed to be quite a few visitors given that it was early in the season. In St Paul sur Ubaye, everything was closed. We stopped at the first cafe/restaurant/grocery store for an omelette before hiking back.
Map: 3538 ET Aiguille de Chambeyron
Celebrity chefs are creating more and more recipes from lentils and beans. These are super healthy, help to prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and have always been a part of Mediterranean diets. But they are still fairly new to gourmet cooking.
The following recipe is my twist of a recent TV-clip shown on the French TV’s evening news.
2 servings
About 120 ml dried green lentils
1 large burrata
For the sauce:
1 red paprika
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
200 ml white wine
1 tsp. tomato purée
Freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of salt (optional)
Wash and halve a red paprika. Remove all the seeds. Roast in 210° C for 20- 25 minutes until the skin is somewhat blackened and easy to peel. Set aside to cool, then peel and chop.
Meanwhile cook the green lentils according to the advice on the package. Cover and set aside.
Warm 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan and sauté the shallot and garlic for 5 minutes. Pour in the white wine and continue cooking for 5 more minutes until somewhat reduced. Add the red paprika, tomato purée, and some black pepper. With a handheld mixer, purée the sauce. Press it through a sieve into a smooth consistence.
Divide the lentils into a bed on the plates. Halve the burrata and place on top of the lentils. Divide the red sauce over the burrata. Serve with some green salad and good whole wheat bread for a balanced meal.
The Gordolasque Valley was less affected by the storm Alex in October
2020. Pont Countet at the end of the M171 road is an important gateway
to the Mercantour National Park. Because other valleys remained closed
or restricted, the rather limited parking of Pont Countet became over popular.
Pont Countet (1690 m) is also the nearest starting point for hikes to
Refuge de Nice (2232 m). On the day of our hike in late
September, the main parking was already largely taken by camping vans, leaving
less space for hikers.
We planned to hike to the refuge and beyond. On our earlier hikes years ago,
the upper Gordolasque Valley was occupied by numerous chamois, ibex and
mouflon. Sadly, today we were able to spot one sole skinny chamois!
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| Pont Countet |
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Start from Pont Countet
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| Cascade by trail |
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| Gordolasque Valley |
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Wall of the Italians
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Starting from signpost #411, we headed north using the trail on the eastern
side of the river. There’s a trail on the other side, too. Both merge after
about 1,3 km (footbridge). We passed signpost #414 and the trail to Lac
Authier. After this, our trail became steeper and rockier. Some stretches
felt rockier than before. We passed the Wall of the Italians (Mur des
Italiens) dating from the 15th Century when the trail functioned as a
secondary salt route to Piemonte. It’s hard to understand which trail they
took after this. None of the options were easy.
After the wall, a short easier and flatter part followed, but soon we were
climbing steeply again. In fact, we had never before climbed this
trail, only descended a few times after having done the loop via Lac
Authier.
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Trail after wall of Italians
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Another rockslide in Gordolasque
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Lac de la Fous and Refuge Nice
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Submerged trail to Refuge Nice
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Above Refuge de Nice
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The dam of Lac de la Fous became visible. We merged with the GR52 trail at
signpost #416. The old trail followed the shoreline of the lake. It now
disappeared under water and there were apparently new rockslides. The new
route followed the rocky slope a bit higher before turning towards the
refuge. We continued a bit further, about halfway to Lac Niré for our break
and picnic. We were under Mont Clapier (3045 m), the southernmost 3000+ peak
of the Alps.
Climb: 610 m
Distance: 11,7 km
Duration: 5h 30
Map: Vallée de la Vésubie 3741OT
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