Category: Hiking

Our hotel is located next to the the stream Torrent du Bouchet. The embankment that is meant to protect the town from the flooding is right at the front of the hotel. Its top is at the same level as out balcony. The embankment is a promenade for people and dogs. The walk by so close it is easy to imagine that we could touch them from where we are. Just behind the couple of meters wide Torrent du Bouchete there is a petanque square – it is occupied every evening. There is a highway just behind the square and on the other side of the highway a slope of the opposite mountain starts – a couple of rows of houses there and the meadows behind. Right opposite to our windows the path goes uphill to the old church by 12 little chapels of cross stations. The church and the chapels are illuminated lightly at evenings. Our track to the lakes and summit of Malrif starts by this path.

No mountain hiking today – we are going to explore Briançon. One has to drive about 40km across the col d’Izoard pass to get there. The road to col d’Izoard goes by Arvieux and Brunisard (we visited it two days ago already).

The zigzags to the pass starts right behind the Brunisard. Just before the pass we stop at the parking in rather wild looking place. The road further squeezes by the 50m wide 100m high and very steep loose stone slope. Does not look very safe. Group of French tourists asks us to take a shot of them. Hands full of all kinds of cameras.

Recreation day. Driving to Melezet valley to experience Cascade de la Pis waterfall and Lac Sainte-Anne.

The waterfall is located near Ceillac – the largest village of the valley. One has to drive a couple of km to Le Pied du Melezet. The waterfall is next to the parking place. The water falls from a gap in a rock – one can imagine somebody has split the rock with a knife and then pushed the sides slightly apart. The viewpoint is some hundred meters from the waterfall – one has to climb uphill by the stream to get closer. Full service is there though – a rainbow, a shower and a roar 🙂 .

Driving a mountain road in direction of Briancon to Brunissard. Turning off there we take a narrow road to the parking place. Sun shines as usual.

The track takes us to the lake Pra Premier (it has partly disappeared, there is only a kind of a tiny pool), then by the mountain road up to the village Clapeyto.

Close to the Agnel pass is located an observatory – it stands at the height of 2900m – probably higher than most of the French observatories. Our track starts about km after Fontgillarde next to the bridge over the stream.

We cross the stream and proceed by it’s left bank uphill to the pass Col de Longet. Larch forest at the beginning and then a meadow full of marmots. The sun throws its heat at is again, luckily the wind comes to rescue when we come closer to the pass.