Around Embrun

27 September- 3rd October 2013

We met Léo through Warm Showers, an organisation that welcomes travelling cyclists into private homes. Leo stayed with us in Wellington, as he passed through with Yannick, who we will catch up with next time. Eager to show us his fabulous region of France, he invited us to stay with him at his parents’ home in Embrun, as he was freshly back from NZ. 

His parents are great walkers and accompanied us on Day 1, when we parked at a ski station (Réallon 1560m) and walked up a ridge route (past cows chewing away) to the viewing point a little beyond the top of the ski lift at 2146m. 

Great views of mountains and lake. A little like Queenstown/Wanaka region. 

It was more sheltered for our picnic nearer the lift and we made the descent by a more direct route, following the ski slopes - rather steeper as well. We saw a large marmot hole on the way down, but no marmots! Such is life!

Rain the following day (Sunday) sent us off in another direction, again with Léo’s parents, to a restored abbey, Boscodon, 12th century Romanesque, settled in a pine forest under the mountains at about 1150m. After a period of decline and abandonment, the abbey was bought by a religious community in 1972 and restoration was begun. This took 25 years to complete and the abbey is now once again inhabited by members of the community who manage the site. 

Embrun itself has a stunning cathedral, built on foundations from the 9th century, largely Romanesque (1170-1220)  with a Baroque high alter and an outstanding organ donated by Louis XI and still in working condition. Although it is relatively dark, the dimensions and the detail are quite overwhelming, especially since this is not a large town (between 6-7000 people).

An hour or so of driving from Embrun takes us into a totally different area, equally beautiful, the valley of Mélezet (mélèze is a mountain larch). From the parking at Pied de Mélezet (1700m) we climbed up to Lac Sainte Anne at 2415m. 

The lake is a clear turquoise, very pretty, with a small chapel alongside. An excellent lunch spot with views both up and down the valley. We followed a different route down, coming across ski lifts and a mirror lake. 

The car was parked at Pied de Mélezet (1700m). This whole area is devoted to skiing, both downhill and cross-country, in the winter; in summer, hiking is the preferred activity. We were late-ish September and saw few people, though we had a great conversation with a couple of locals in a small village on our way out (by car). The village of Ceillac is well set up for summer and winter tourism. we were between seasons, so not a lot going on then, but a pleasant atmosphere and nice to walk around. We even saw some sheep! 

On our return, not far from Embrun, we explored the fortified town of Mont Dauphin, masterminded by the genius of defensive engineering for Louis XIV, Vauban. Constructed from 1692 to block entry into the Durance valley from Italy, the fortress, constructed on a hilltop with the walls extending the natural defences of high cliffs, lost its advantage and usefulness when the border moved east to Briançon in 1713; thus no battle destroyed the ramparts nor the military buildings and they, together with the village within the walls, still stand today. 

With either steep cliffs or high ramparts on all sides, the fortified town stands separated from the valleys that surround it. With the withdrawal of the army in 1975, the fort came into the hands of the Ministry of Culture, as a National Monument and since 2008 has been a Unesco World heritage site. We found it a stunning place, and far removed from the present day, even though people live there. 

When I taught in Besançon in 1971-72, the Ecole Normale (teachers’ college) I taught in was a Vauban fort, overlooking the old part of the city of Besançon, with a Vauban citadelle on the other side. Somehow, these were both incorporated into the present day in their own way. Mont Dauphin isn’t incorporated into anything. It stands alone, still essentially military-like and seeming to belong to the past.

Chapelle des Seyères - 2056m, under Mont Guillaume. By driving uphill past Léo’s parents’ home you reach a convenient parking area in the larch forest at 1537m. From there several tracks lead in various directions through the forest. The one we took led us up through the forest to alpine meadows with grazing animals. 

We stopped at the Chapelle des Seyères, where there is a chapel, a sheltered fountain and picnic tables, with a great view over the valley below and to the ridge line above.The track continues up another 500m to the summit of Mt Guillaume but we have left that for another day.

Risoul was our next destination. This is a large ski resort dating from the 70s, with a purpose-built village and large parking areas. From the village there are many paths for summer hikers. 

We followed a fairly steep ridge up to the top of some of the lifts and ate lunch with a fantastic view up the valley. We came down by a different route, also with great views. Five and a half hours there and back.

Our warmest thanks to Léo and his parents for all their hospitality.