UKC

Heading out to Bourge De Osians in late August and was hoping to do some climbing/mountaineering in the Ecrins as well as road cycling however at 4 months pregnant i have had to hang up the harness for a little while. Anyone got any suggestions for good hiking routes in the area?

In reply to Scallywaggon: There's a nice little guide published by Cicerone called "Ecrins national park - 70 walking routes in the French alps" Written by Kev Reynolds it features routes that vary from gentle strolls to 2 or 3 day trips.

In reply to lostcat:To add a bit more detail many of these walks start from the Vallee du Veneon. This valley branches off the N91 road just a few km's from Bourg towards La Grave, Briancon etc. There is a bus that runs from Bourg to La Berarde, a beautiful little village that lays at the top of the Veneon valley.

In reply to Scallywaggon: I was in Alpe d'Huez for Le Tour 12 days ago and hiked up Pic Blanc to 3323m. With an ice axe I was able to cross the glacier and go up the ski runs. By the time you are there I imagine the pistes will have disappeared, but there will be a path up. Option of cable car down if it is still running. Lots of shorter walks, leaflets available to purchase from tourist office in Alpe d'Huez.

In reply to Scallywaggon: If you are still walking fine, as I would think you still will be at that stage in pregnancy, I suggest a walk up to the Refuge du Goléon

http://www.refugedugoleon.com/index.php?slug=acc%E8s&PHPSESSID=04b38134...

Which is sited just by a beautiful lake, with a superb view back toward La Meije (and you can get beer, food, etc from the refuge). You can then walk as far as you feel like toward the Aiguille du Goléon (which is fairly easy to solo, but that might not be the best thing at that stage), along a delightful remote valley.

Another option is to walk toward the Sources de la Romanche, from the Gite Pas de l'Anne above Villar D'Arene.

These 2 are both in the La Grave area BTW. From Bourg itself, make sure you go to Villard Notre Damme, though you will probably need to drive most of the way up as the road is not good to walk. It is an amazing road though, and there is good walking when it opens out at the village. Which is in an astounding situation.

In reply to Scallywaggon: The Cicerone guide is written by someone who spent only a few days in the area. Much better to buy a French guide in Bourg. However, for starters:
Taillefeur (wrong spelling?) from the Col d'Ornons. Nice little mountain, bouldery approach. Also a walk to a refuge from there. As suggested, the Goleons. Drive up the bends to Alp d'Huez and there is a delightful walk from the skistation along a chain of little lakes. Can't find the map at the moment to name them.Drive up to La Grave and walk north on the GR54 to the Plateau d'Emparis to Lac Lerie, almost like an infinity pool on the edge of the cliff reflecting the snows of La Meije. Also from La Grave, get the Meije cablecar and walk back down. Bit further, as suggested, the walk to the source of the Romanche via the Sentier des Crevasses from the Col du Lauteret is superb. La Berarde, the Tete de la Maye is the obvious panoramic viewpoint. Pic Gioberney via the Pilatte refuge is an easy mixed peak that doesn't need a rope so no harness.
If you haven't actually booked in Bourg, the Champsaur above Gap in the southwest corner of the Ecrins has a better selection of walks close at hand and definitely better cycling. Look at the Undiscovered Alps website to get an idea of the area. Not even mentioned in that supposedly comprehensive Cicerone guide to the Ecrins. Great area for mixed activities though, the Ecrins massif.

In reply to altirando: It seams like you have a bit of a downer on the Cicerone guide but it's served my pretty well over the last couple of years. Of course it wont have the benifit of the local knowledge that a French guide will have but most British visiters will prefer a guide written in English. And it doesn't claim to be comprehensive, and no, I don't have any relationship to the author or publisher! Sorry, not wanting to sound as stroppy as I may have.

In reply to lostcat: I picked it up in the library. If a publisher expects you to pay for a guide it is fair to expect it to be authoritative and comprehensive. It is actually by Kev Reynolds who knows the Swiss alps very well. But he seems to have just gone out to a hitherto unknown area for a couple of weeks in the same situation as the prospective buyers of the guide. Missing out one of the main gateways into the Ecrins - especially for walkers as opposed to climbers - is surely unforgivable. And surely a guide must be 'comprehensive' in the basic description of the area. I remember one of the suggested walks from the Bourg area involved going up a pointless circuit of a side valley, one you would never bother with unless you had done every route in the area,yet the whole of another area is ignored. French guides - I think one of the main publishers is Glenat - usually have diagrams as well as photos so the route can be traced out on a map even if your French is basic. I used to be a writer/creative director in advertising, so I am used to facing the challenge of conveying information. It just irritates me when I see a superficial job, especially of a great area I know well. If you are a walker rather than a climber, do try the Champsaur area and indeed all the routes in from the Durance valley.

In reply to altirando: Fair enough, thanks for the info. I am a climber and mountaineer but have been lacking a good partner for the last couple of years so have doing a bit of walking/trail running. I may check out the area you suggest when I'm out there at the end of August. Cheers.

In reply to lostcat: In fairness I should make a direct comparison I suppose. The Glenat guides I have, including one for the Queyras, are A5, full colour throughout, at least two pages sometimes four to a route, colour photos, diagram of route, symbols for degree etc. I seem to remember the British guide is mostly text. Of course there are far more potential sales for an Ecrins guide to French people so the publishers can invest more money. For the Champsaur, there is the Alpes Dauphine campsite just above Gap, with a restaurant, and two more at Ancelle and StLeger. ight even be out there myself. Trail running - I think there is a new Gap mountain trial in August - have a look on the Undiscovered Alps website