GR5 or Grand Traverse des Alpes

Foreword.

            This project started off as something altogether different: another �short walk in the Hindu Kush�. Towards the end of 2010, I felt that in the next year I should put together another trek in the Hindu Kush. I�d organised one there in 2000, along the Pakistani side of the frontier with Afghanistan and round the corner south of the Wakhan Corridor; and had persuaded six of my friends to come with me. It had been an amazing experience, in very remote mountain areas seldom visited by outsiders, sometimes at well over 4,000m. Since I was now about to turn 74, unless I repeated some variant of this trek now, I might never be able be able to do so again. But on second thoughts, this was obviously a mad idea: for in the intervening decade, the security situation there had greatly deteriorated, and I didn�t want to put at risk the lives of anyone who came with me.

            So what equivalent challenge could I think of among mountains closer at hand? Suddenly the GR5 from Lac Leman to Nice (also known as La Grande Traversée des Alpes, GTA) sprang to mind. I had been invited to join for a few days a former colleague (Michael Thompson, then also 74) and his brother-in-law (Dick Everard) when they did this long walk in 2010, but I hadn�t been free to do so. They, however, had completed it and were enthusiastic about the experience.

            Was I still up to this physical challenge? The entire GR5/GTA is a long walk of at least 620 kms with over 30,000m of climb and descent including about 50 cols of which half are over 2000m, and a dozen more over 1900m. So although in summer it presents no technical difficulties, it is clearly not for the inexperienced or faint-hearted. At once I borrowed a copy of Paddy Dillon�s first-rate Guide to the GR5 Trail, and read it through carefully. Yes: given that I could still run marathons and walked a lot in hills, at first sight it looked feasible. My next step was to contact Michael and Dick to seek their advice and comments. They were extremely generous with their time in answering all my questions. I soon concluded that I was up for this adventure.

            Next, I wrote out a short note on how I proposed to structure the walk. This was not in the slightest original: basically, I followed Dillon�s general approach, modified by what Michael and Dick had told me. Nevertheless, there were choices to be made. As Dillon notes, �the GR5 is not just a linear walk, but bristles with alternatives�. The first is where to start from Lac Leman: St. Gingolphe (on the Franco-Swiss border) or Thonon-les-Bains? The first route is more direct but climbs straight up into the mountains; the second allows for gentler acclimatisation, but takes a day longer. Then, where to end the walk: at Nice or Menton? The GR52 to Menton is generally considered more beautiful than the route to Nice but also takes an extra day. In both cases, I chose the more direct alternative. Equally, from Valezan/Landry after the first nine days of walking, I proposed to take the GR55 to Modane, which is not only shorter but also higher and through wilder country. The same went for the section from Névache to Brian�on where the high-level alternative (GR5C) is more spectacular, if slightly longer.  I decided to divide the walk into four sections of roughly a week, with a rest day at the end of each (i.e. three in all), planning for these days off to be on a week-day in a place where we could stock up with provisions (although in fact, there were almost no facilities at Larche for Rest Day 3). This resulted in a walk of 27 days (or in fact 25 full days, with two half-days at the beginning and end), plus 3 rest days, i.e. lasting 30 days in all. Had I been 40 or 50 years younger, I would no doubt have dispensed with all this planning and just taken each day as it came; but at my present age, I wanted no surprises.

            Timing was the next thing to settle. I decided to go for exactly the date on which Michael and Dick had started their walk a year earlier, 16 August (a Tuesday), having accepted their logic that the pressure on accommodation then would be less than in July or the first half of August, while the weather was usually quite good.  In any case, this fitted with the dates of our daughters and their families who would as usual be spending their summer holidays with us in Provence. Since Monday 15 August was a public holiday in France, I chose to start next day.

            If necessary, I reckoned I could complete this trail on my own. I certainly didn�t want to do it in a big group which, apart from anything else, would greatly complicate the logistics. But it would be much more pleasurable to have a walking-companion with whom to share this experience. In any case, at my age it was all too easy to trip over and have an accident: so common sense suggested it would be safer to walk with one or two other friends. I asked Steve Stuart (husband of my cousin Liz, ten years younger than me and an experienced mountaineer and hill-walker with whom I had trekked to Concordia in the Karakoram) if he would join me. He accepted at once. Later, Liz agreed to join us for the first six days. Also, my French friends Mich�le and Jean-Yves Chambon who live in the village next to ours in Provence (also fellow-trekkers in the Karakoram and Hindu Kush), decided to join us for the five days between Modane and Ceillac, during the third week.

            With all that settled, the next thing to think about was accommodation. Steve was keen to bivouac wherever possible; but I saw no point at all in carrying extra gear when there were refuges (mountain huts) and gites d�etape available all the way along the trail. Liz was not keen on camping either. So I spent some time working out where we could stay, and decided to book ahead for the first eight days of the walk, on the grounds that this would still be in the holiday season as well as being near or on the popular Tour de Mont Blanc trail. I would also reserve for our second rest day (at Modane). Apart from that, since we could always be blown off course by bad weather or an accident, I would try to book only two to four days ahead by phone. With one notable exception, this worked. Steve managed to bivouac nine times.

            I needn�t record my physical preparations, except to note that since I live almost at the foot of Mt. Ventoux (1910m), it was easy for me to work out there: I climbed to the summit seven times in the two months before setting off for the GR5. As for my kit, I carried an old rucksack I�d had for years. When fully packed, this weighed about 12 kgs, plus the water I carried (2.75 ltrs each day, which weighs about 2 � kgs). My one extravagance was a tub of 1 kg of sports energy-drink powder which I mixed with water to drink every evening; there was enough to last two weeks and the Chambons brought me a replacement at half-time.

            Short notes on each day of the walk follow in the �Carnet de Route� below. I didn�t take a camera with me, so am extremely grateful to Liz and Steve Stuart, as well as Michele and Jean-Yves, who took the pictures (Steve most of all).

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Carnet de Route.

NB: the numbering of the days refers only to walking days; rest days are not counted. The estimated distances, climbs and descents (mostly taken from Dillon) are just that: rough estimates only. I soon learned to be sceptical about taking them too literally. Moreover several of our days did not follow the routine set out in Dillon, going further, less far, or somewhere else altogether. I�ve left these estimates in nevertheless just to give a very general idea of what each day involved.  By a �high col�, I mean over 2,000m; but there were also at least a dozen others over 1900m. The names of the places where we stayed are in bold italics.

SECTION 1: ST. GINGOLPHE TO LES HOUCHES.

Day 1, Tu 16 Aug: arrival, and St Gingolph to Novel.  [Estimated at only about 4 kms in distance, but with 600m of climb.] The Stuarts and I had agreed to meet at St. Gingolph in the early afternoon: they were coming from Britain by air to Geneva and then by train to St. Gingolph, whilst I was arriving by train and bus from Avignon. My friend Chris Prendergast picked me up at 05.15 and drove me to the TGV station. Glimpses from the train of a dramatic sunrise over Mt. Ventoux with streaks of shocking-pink vapour trails. Pretty ride in the slow train through the hills between Lyon and Thonon-les-Bains. Bus on to St. Gingolph. Clear blue sky, with white clouds sailing over Lac Leman. Ate my picnic lunch and wandered round this border-village until the Stuarts� train pulled in a couple of hours later. We strolled down to the lakeside for foot-dipping and ritual photographs; ate a leisurely snack in a Swiss cafe; then, after crossing the invisible border into France, started trudging up the hill to Novel. A straightforward climb mostly on roads and tracks, which took about the predicted hour-and-a-half despite a tiny navigational error near the beginning. Arrived soon after 17.00 to be warmly greeted by our hosts, Alain and Claudine Debens (he a retired senior librarian in Montpellier, she a former Montessori teacher) at their gite/chambres d�hotes, Le Franco-Suisse. Hearty dinner of sausages and potato, with plenty of good red wine from Languedoc. Novel, an attractive hamlet, hanging from the steep forested hillsides above the lake at about 950m, also boasts a hotel-restaurant and a boulangerie.

Day 2, Wed 17 Aug: Novel to Chapelle d�Abondance. [Estimated at about 15 kms; about1200mclimb; 1225m descent; two cols.] Rose by 06.30; breakfast at 07.00; and we meant to be off  by 08.00 � the rhythm we were to follow, more or less, for the next month � except that in this case our departure was delayed by 15 minutes because of the surprise arrival of Stefan Meister (see below) who dropped in unexpectedly for breakfast, followed by long farewells to the charming Debens couple... A perfect blue sky; soon became quite hot. Occasional glimpses of Lac Leman behind us.             

A long, stiff climb up, mostly through pastures and woods, to our first col, the Col de Bise (1950m) for a preliminary glimpse of the high mountains ahead. Stopped for a snack. Steep, but pleasant descent to a grassy valley where we discovered why we�d been seeing so many families with small kids: there is access by road to the Chalets de Bise with their refuge and small restaurant... We didn�t stop, however, but started toiling up the hillside above, again quite steep, to the next col, the Pas de la Bosse (1816m) where we stopped to eat our picnic of baguette and p�té as we admired the view. Reached Chapelle d�Abondance, a large village at about 1,000m down in the valley, by 15.00. It must be a busy little family ski-station in winter. Settled into the Gite au Gai Soleil, quite a large place catering mainly for skiers, where the only other person staying was the ubiquitous Stefan, a Swiss train-driver from Zurich whom we�d already met several times earlier today. Explored the village before sitting down in a cafe to drink a panaché (shandy), as we gazed over the meadows to a stream in lovely evening sunlight. Excellent, copious meal � the wife of Denis Miliet, the owner, turned out to be from Alsace and served an Alsatian dish of pork, potatoes, leeks etc., plus a salad from her garden and heaps of Abondance cheese. A relief to have found this first proper day of our walk quite easy, since Michael Thompson had described it as having left him �shattered�: I now felt confident that, barring accidents, I would be able to complete the GR5 without difficulty.

Day 3, Thurs 18 Aug: Chapelle d�Abondance to Refuge du Lac de Chésery. [Est. 21 kms; 1495m climb, 545m descent; three cols]. A copious breakfast too! Set off at 08.15. Still mainly clear sky and already warm. Another pleasant day�s walk, if with rather more ups and downs than I�d imagined, as we went up and round a bulky mountain, the Mont de Grange; but not too hard. Started along the Abondance valley before crossing the river and turning uphill through woods and occasional pastures. Sometimes steep. Stopped for our picnic with brew-up somewhere beyond Col des Mattes (1930 m) surrounded by a herd of Abondance cows with their brown �spectacles�. Later stopped for a panaché at the Col de Bessechaux, surrounded this time by downhill mountain-bikers � also with spectacles!.... A rather boring track for a while after that, with (for my taste anyway) too many day-trippers who�d got up there by chair-lift. But once past that, and near the Col de Chésery on the Swiss border, we were almost on our own again. We reached this small, simple refuge (Refuge du Lac de Chésery) at about 17.00. It lies just over the (invisible) border in Switzerland, beside a small lake (Lac Vert). Being at 1972m, I�d expected it to be quite cold � and so it was.....                           

Cramped dortoir, mountain-hut style. Paid extra for a hot shower. Watched the 850 sheep belonging to the tenant farmer running the refuge, being herded expertly around the hill opposite by four sheepdogs (smaller that pastous). A good dinner of lamb cutlets (3 each!) made from their own sheep, with pasta and carrots; and we treated ourselves to a carafe of red wine. The girls who served us excused the fact that their prices had gone up because of the current sharp rise of the Swiss franc against the Euro � it was indeed a bit pricey for what it offered. Magical night-time mountain scene, with stars twinkling above the lake.

Day 4, Fri 19 Aug:  Chésery to Salvagny. [Est. 32 kms (?); climb 750m; desc. c.1800m (?) � see below; 3 cols.] I had originally planned to stay at Samo�ns. But Michael and Dick had found it hard to locate anywhere at all there, and the obvious place (Gite de Moulins) was already full when I�d tried to book in mid-May! So I�d decided to reserve instead at Salvagny, just beyond Sixt Fer-�-Cheval - which turned out to be the best part of two hours walk beyond Samo�ns. In addition, Dillon had made an error in his estimations for this day: it cannot possibly include only 194m of descent since Chesery is at 1972m and Samo�ns at 703m! (Maybe it�s a typo, and the correct figure is 1940m?). Anyway, I had underestimated the difficulty. As a result, this turned out to be our longest day; and for me at least the most tiring � not helped by the fact that the weather was rather too hot for comfort; and the descent into Samo�ns long, tedious, and often on tarmac. We started off well, with a fine sunrise over the Lac Vert, as we walked gently up to the col of the Portes de l�Hiver (2,096m � the first time we�d been higher than 2,000m) with its great ski-slopes below. Then a long traverse on a track across to the Col de Coux (1920m), our first stop for a snack � just beyond the (still-invisible) border and back into France. Great views ahead to the Dent Blanche and Dents de Midi etc. On, down and up again, to the Col de la Gol�se (1662m): another stop for our rather basic picnic. So far, so good. On the way down, however, the path became first a dirt track, and then a road leading through a forest, going on and on. We stopped to look at Les Allemands, a picturesque hamlet. But this was all taking much longer than expected. At last we trudged into the outskirts of Samo�ns, bypassing the centre, and again picked up the GR5 which now turned left along the Giffre torrent. Perfectly pleasant walking through trees beside the river: but I for one was beginning to feel I�d had enough. Then came the Gorges de Tines (and I must confess that I�d failed to do  my homework properly, since I�d expected this stretch to be next day � as it would have been had we stayed in Samo�ns). It involved climbing up several near-vertical iron ladders, as well as scrambling down a steep rocky path down and back to the river near Salvagny. Quite an obstacle-race � that would have been more fun had we not by then been definitely flagging..... Stefan, whom we hadn�t seen for 36 hours, suddenly popped up again � only to get lost somewhere in the middle of the gorge! Anyway, we didn�t reach the Gite-Auberge de Salvagny until 18.00 � by which time the now-traditional panachés were needed even more than usual! The gite-auberge proved to be a large, somewhat impersonal place, but with excellent facilities. Fairly full � since by now the GR5 was getting close to Chamonix and the GR Tour du Mont Blanc. Stefan dined with us, having eventually found his way.....

Day 5, Sat 20 Aug: Salvagny to Mo�de d�Anterne. [Est. 20 kms; climb 1800m; descent 550m; 1 high col.] A perfect day�s walk in perfect weather � and because we had walked so far yesterday, agreeably easy. Started up through forest, past the spectacular Cascade de la Sauffaz. Eventually reached the famous Refuge Sir Alfred Wills, founded by a well known 19^th-century British climber and President of The Alpine Club, lying below the massive, imposing cliffs of the Rochers de Fiz and Pointe d�Anterne. There we sat down to enjoy a �proper lunch� � i.e. a warm cheese dish provided by the refuge, able to admire at our leisure this amazing, wild mountain scenery. Blissful! Then off we set again to climb up to the Col d�Anterne (2257m) with a first, fantastic view of Mt. Blanc, right opposite us. We could also see the Refuge de Mo�de Anterne far below us � down a steep stony descent.  We arrived in good time to find that Stefan was, inevitably, there before us; he and I then sat together on the terrace outside for a while, downing a couple of beers as we gazed  over Le Brévent  towards the magnificent panorama of the Mont Blanc massif with its famous peaks. An awesome sight for ageing mountaineers like Steve and me, bringing back memories of climbs long ago! This large, classic refuge, evidently much patronised by walkers starting from the Chamonix area, has been owned by the same family (Didier) since 1906, I think; and is still run with an iron fist by the elderly matriarch who must have been in charge for decades. What an institution! When she came into the crowded dining room to announce the weather forecast, and to point out various peaks and routes to newcomers, she was greeted by the regular clients with a round of applause! Despite its size, the refuge was very full, and we shared our dorm with half a dozen earnest, middle-aged French walkers: a good thing I�d booked three months in advance!

Day 6, Sun 21 Aug: Mo�de d�Anterne to Les Houches. [Est. 22 kms; 1000m climb; 1990 descent; 1 high col]. Although we started off earlier than usual, this was another fairly long day � though again an excellent one. Mostly round, up, along and down a large, ungainly mountain, Le Brévent, right opposite Mt. Blanc. First down into a steep wooded valley. Then up and up and up to the Col du Brévent (2368m), before scrambling to the summit (2525m) � serviced, alas, by a télépherique, thus swarming with trippers. But this couldn�t take anything away from the breathtaking views of Mt. Blanc and all the surrounding peaks rising from the Chamonix valley below our feet. Incredible! Dozens of parapents in gay colours floated and soared over the void between us and Mt. Blanc. The visibility could not have been better. This view was so stunning that we decided to have lunch (offered by Liz to celebrate completing her first-ever 6-day walk) at the restaurant under thetélépherique station, where we could continue to gaze at that amazing scene before us.    

The route down wasn�t quite as easy as it had seemed from up there. It started along a rocky ridge, before dipping down to traverse a long stony slope. Further down came a �jim-jam moment� for Liz where the airy path passed under a cliff equipped with iron handrails as it curved round a torrent-bed. Then into a forest and past a huge, hideous concrete statue of Christ-Roi, before finishing down in the valley close to Les Houches. We didn�t reach the Chalet-Refuge Michel Fagot until 18.30; but my choice (found via the Web) suited our needs well. It was a very relaxed sort of self-service gite, run by the amiable Olivier Chambon � originally a school set up and run by a Belgian priest. We had a 4-bed dorm to ourselves, as well as the run of the well-equipped kitchen and living/dining room. Right next door there was an excellent bakery; and two steps further on, a small supermarket. The Stuarts at once went shopping; and Liz made us a delicious roast chicken, couscous and salad dinner.

First Rest Day, Mon 22 Aug: Les Houches. Got up relatively late. With such a good bakery next door, breakfast was bound to be delicious. Lazed around before Steve and I accompanied Liz in the (free) bus to Chamonix where she was catching her train to Geneva (then home to England by air). Sad farewells. After we�d seen the train off, we wandered round Chamonix for a while (too fashionable and touristy by far for scruffy long-distance trekkers like us!) and ate a snack before catching a bus - still free, back to Les Houches. Or so we thought: in fact, it was heading to the other end of the valley (past Argenti�re) first! However, that didn�t matter to us; on the contrary, since we were simply filling in time, we thus had an interesting ride along the entire valley.      

That evening, we had to cook dinner for ourselves. I persuaded Steve to sample my favourite stand-by: a tin of good old cassoulet washed down with some decent red wine! Time to chat to Olivier (originally a Parisian who, largely by accident, had been running this place for nine years), and to other people staying who included two Belgian teams about to compete in �Le Petit Trot de Léon�, part of a week of long-distance races round Mt. Blanc.  This one was being done in teams of two or three runners; it was 300 kms long; included 25,000m of climb/descent; and had to be completed in 138 hours!  Sleeping, eating, etc was up to the competitors who were allowed to catch some sleep in refuges/gites if they wanted, or bivouac, or whatever. At half a dozen check points, teams who were not keeping up would be eliminated. �Our� two teams called themselves �La Guinche Céleste� (i.e. the star constellation �The Dancer�) � who finished the course; and �Les Pieds Nickelés� (�Nickel� being a slang adjective used in France to denote excellence) � who didn�t. We watched the entire field run through Les Houches at about 23.00, in the dark and wearing head-torches, having started the race at Chamonix an hour earlier in a rainstorm.... Mad!  Oh yes: I should also mention that the first touch of bad weather occurred this evening: a thunderstorm which lasted four or five hours, with some quite heavy rain. Since it was our rest-day, however, we didn�t mind in the slightest; and by next morning it was but a distant memory.

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SECTION 2:  LES HOUCHES TO MODANE.

Day 7, Tu 23 Aug: Les Houches to  Refuge de Nant Borrant.  [Est. 24 kms (?); climb 1800m; 1300m descent; 1 col, 1 high col, plus an uphill finish.] The few low clouds left by the storm soon cleared away to leave another largely fine day � if anything still a little too warm for comfort.  For the second time, I had decided to make this day�s walk slightly longer than originally planned, since I hadn�t been attracted by the accommodation I found on offer at Les Contamines/Montjoie when I researched on the Web; instead, we would continue up to the Refuge de Nant Borrant. I had also decided, weather permitting, to take the high-level variant of the walk . We set off later than usual (c. 08.45) after another big breakfast � and were almost at once about to make a minor navigational error on the way out of Les Houches before being saved by a young Good Samaritan who noticed our mistake after only a few metres off-course and set us right. Up steeply through pastures, woods, sometimes past chalets or under ski-lifts. After almost two hours, reached the Col de Voza(1650m) with its large hotel at the top of another ski-lift, and cogwheel train up Mt. Blanc. Fine views back to where we�d been earlier on: Le Brévent, the Col d�Anterne, etc.; and ahead to the western flanks of Mt. Blanc. Traversed slightly downhill to pass close under the snout of the Bionassay Glacier and cross its torrent over a swaying suspension bridge. Then uphill again to theCol de Tricot (2120m) where we stopped for our picnic. Slowly down again about 1000m to Les Contamines, a small touristy town which we didn�t much take to � so were glad to continue on, at first through a large wooded area devoted to holiday sports, campsites and chalets (maybe the �Montjoie� part?), then up along an old Roman stone-paved road beside the river - always a strategic route. Reached the Refuge Nant Borrant some time after 17.00. Picturesque old chalet dating from the 1840s and always belonging to the Mattel family (present owner Patricia Mattel). Shared a dorm with a youngish Dutch couple, he a medical instrument engineer/designer, she a kidney dialysis specialist. Delicious dinner included vegetable soup, mutton, potatoes, plenty of local cheese, etc.

Day 8, Wed 24 Aug: Nant Borrant to Plan de la Lai. [Est. about 18 kms; 1200 m climb, 825 descent; 2 high cols.] Another brilliant day�s walk ! Fine weather but a bit cooler. Fabulous views; and the day a bit shorter than I had expected since we had done an extra few kms yesterday. Started by climbing gently up again through pastures and some woods until the scenery became wilder in schist and shaley mountains. Final slog up the Col du Bonhomme  (2329m) which marks the boundary between Haute Savoie, and Savoie � quite a landmark for us: first department passed, four to go! Then came the airy Cr�te des Gittes, the highlight of the day. We ate our plentiful picnic (provided by the refuge) half way along: splendid views back to Mt. Blanc and forward to the peaks of the Vanoise. On to the Col de la Sauce (2307m), then gradually down. Reached theRefuge du Plan de la Lai early (14.30) which allowed us to wash our clothes properly, etc. A Club Alpin Fran�ais (CAF) refuge, not at all bad; Steve had decided to bivouac for the first time, just behind. We witnessed the end of a cycle race (a two-day event) as it swept past on the way to the Col du Petit Bernard. Meanwhile, among others staying at the gite were three Brits in their 30s/40s (from Cambridge, Northampton and somewhere in N. Yorks;  all working with IT, and one a professor of computing) who were doing the GR5 on mountain bikes! (Or rather, approximately doing it, since in some places � including the Vanoise National Park they were about to enter, they weren�t allowed to ride their bikes at all.) We met them again next day carrying their highly specialised bikes over the first col...... Also staying were a two �parapenters� from Lyon with their wives; plus the inevitable retired Dutch couple filling in bits of the GR5 they hadn�t completed in the past, starting from Rotterdam! Another good dinner including chicken in a morille sauce.

Day 9, Thurs 25 Aug: Plan de la Lai to Valezan. [ Est. 26 kms; 1075 climb; 2120 descent; one high col.] Another really excellent day�s walk in fine weather: not too hard (PD�s warning of this being the muddiest part of the GR simply didn�t apply) with magnificent mountain scenery, including glimpses of the beautiful Lac de Roselend A gradual climb up to the Col de Bresson (2469m), ending in a rugged ascent. More great views. On for an hour, dropping  some 400m down to theRefuge de la Balme where we stopped for lunch (plus the traditional panaché!), in perfect weather. Bliss again! Then on down towards Valézan. Steve decided to camp for a second time and chose a suitable place beside a small stream in a meadow about 1 km above the village. I went on and found the Auberge-Gite Le Valézan quite easily, below the church. It turned out to be quite a large, efficient and spotlessly clean place, owned by the commune but run by an engaging couple, Boukar (originally from Niger) and his wife Anne-Laure. They have three lively young daughters , the youngest of whom kept turning cartwheels on the terrace. Beautiful views across the Is�re valley below. No one much else staying except for six young Parisians with whom I shared the dorm: in their late 20s/early 30s and apparently the product of some Grandes Ecoles, who were doing a week�s walk in the area. Excellent dinner of a gésier salad to start with, then an ample dish of  poulet-aux-écrevisses, followed by a myrtle tart.  Discussed West African politics with Boukar for a long time. I was at last able to ring Mette after a couple of days when my mobile had shown no signal.

Day 10, Fri 26 Aug: Valézan to Refuge d�Entre-le-Lac. [Est. c. 20 kms; 1950m climb ; 205m descent (I don�t believe it! Surely a lot more...) ; no real cols, just uphill much of the way......]  Steve turned up at the Auberge  just before 0800 hrs as planned. We plunged down into the Is�re valley towards Bellentre (some minor navigational problems). No need to go into Landry; so we took the more direct, steep climb up the other side to the gentrified little ski-village of Montchavin where we stopped to buy food for a picnic and eat a snack. We lost our way getting out again (much building development going on), but lost little time. Up into larch woods, along a pleasant track, before a sudden � and unwelcome � sharp descent to Moulin. Soon up again into the Parc National du Vanoise. Thereafter a steady, pleasant climb to the Refuge d�Entre-le-Lac, up at 2155m, beside the Lac de la Plagne, set in wild mountains. It is owned by the commune of Landry; and as we arrived, the current gérant Jean (a ski-instructor in winter) was just finishing milking the two cows. It turned out that these were lent to the refuge in summer in return for occasional free lodging for the cow-herd, a sensible swap. Or was the real gérant his mate, Jean-Fran�ois, of whom we saw less? Or the girl-friend of one of them who also hovered in the background? The building was, as Michael Thompson and Dick Everard had told us, unusual: a large old sheep-shelter which had been rescued from ruin and restored 24 years earlier by some local who liked to go fishing in the lake. Long and built on a distinct slope (to get rid of the sheep excrement....). Two other walkers were staying: Roef (sp?) a bearded Dutch philosopher-turned-NGO-accountant who was another one filling in bits of the E2/GR5 from Rotterdam; and a shy young man from Nantes. Soon after we arrived, it started to rain lightly � and apparently continued to do so all night. Strong wind too. So we huddled indoors until dinner was served: vegetable soup followed by blanquette de veau plus rice and veg, then a cream-and-jam desert. Followed by a free genapi offered by Jean who stayed to chat. There was a primitive hot shower in an outhouse which both Steve and I used. But a major drawback of the refuge was the smelly squat-loo next to the shower-room � even less inviting when one had to tramp out into the cold, wet, windy, muddy  night to reach it. Nevertheless, slept like a log as usual.

Day 11, Sat 27 Aug: Refuge d�Entre-le-Lac to Refuge d�Entre-Deux-Eaux. [Est. 27 kms; 1205 climb; 1240m descent; three high cols.] The light rain during the night had turned to snowy sleet, and at dawn a light white-ish layer was still lying, although by then it had stopped snowing, when we set off next morning up to the Col de Palet (2652m). There we found a smart, modern refuge, complete with clean, modern sanitary fixtures! Steve availed himself of these since his stomach was badly upset all day � which he put down to badly prepared food the evening before. By then, and for the next half-hour, the �snow� had started falling intermittently in the form of tiny frozen balls, which melted almost at once. But by the time we had got down through all the ski-runs to the outskirts of Val Claret, it had eased. Val Claret is a modern sort of suburb of Tignes: horrid, like all big ski-stations out of season! We had no hesitation at this point about quitting the GR5 for the GR55 to avoid any more of the same! Skirted Val Claret to the west, and climbed as fast as possible up the other side to escape this unwelcome intrusion of �civilisation�! To start with, still in very light �snowfall�; but this soon stopped, giving way to quite pleasant, cooler weather, with the cloud only a little lower than for the last few days. Increasingly dramatic scenery as we approached the Col de Fresse (2531m) and then the bleak Col de la Leisse (2758m). Down the other side for an hour-and-a-half to the high Refuge de la Leisse where we stopped for a sandwich andpanaché served by two youngsters running the place. Then on down into the Leisse valley and the heart of the Vanoise � more magnificent mountain scenery. At a fine old stone bridge, turned off from the GR55 for nearly half an hour to reach the Refuge d�Entre-Deux-Eaux (2120m), a pleasant and quite simple place run by the same family (Burdin) for over a century. Almost completely full. Good meal: vegetable soup to start with as usual; then a slice of lamb plus rice and veg; followed by local cheese and a desert. We sat next to three women from Paris on a walking holiday. It soon became cold and actually froze overnight outside.

Day 12, Sun 28 Aug: Refuge d�Entre Deux Eaux to Refuge du Roc de la P�che. [Est.24 kms ; climb 950m ; descent 1750m ; one high col.] Another terrific day�s walking through wonderful scenery. Up quite early � still freezing outside, but fine and clear.  Retraced our steps to the stone bridge before climbing up into more wild, dramatic country; then as the slope eased, past some small lakes. Beside one of them we spotted one lone chamois. Gently up to the Col de la Vanoise (with its large CAF refuge Edgar Faure � rather ugly, but no doubt a great place from which to explore these imposing mountains).  Then down the other side, past the beetling cliffs of the Auguille de la Vanois to the Lac des Vaches, where the water was so low we scarcely had to use the rock-slab stepping-stones. As we drew nearer to the little town of Pralognan with its modest ski-station, started meeting Sunday walkers out for a stroll. Reached the shops just in time for Steve, who�d walked ahead, to buy a baguette and some p�té which we munched sitting in the shade on a bench beside the (closed) mairie. We set off again uphill, now changing direction to head south, to reach the Refuge du Roc de P�che (1911m), a large, modern, comfortable place, more like a hotel than a refuge, and certainly the grandest we�d encountered so far. It had been another warm day, so we soon downed two panachés each. A good dinner which included four different types of sausage each served on a skewer, and a cr�me brulée. Sat next to the lady with who we were sharing our 4-person dorm (Mme Belhomme) and a lively family from Dijon (mum, dad, and two small boys Thomas and Matthieu, with whom we had a hilarious conversation in Frenglish).

Day 13, Mon 29 Aug: Refuge du Roc de la P�che to Modane. [Est. 21 kms ; 950m climb ; 1750m descent ; 1 high col.] Another great day. After a more ample breakfast than usual, we started the climb up to the highest point on the whole trek: the Col de Chavi�re (2796m). Very fine weather still. At first quite a gentle gradient, getting steeper as it entered strange schist formations which included a �sculpture park� made by people who had piled the stones into weird shapes. A rugged, crumbly final ascent. The view from the col was simply incredible: backwards to the Mt. Blanc massif and forwards to the Barre des Ecrins, and closer by to Mt. Thabor etc on the other side of the Arc valley below. Then came an extra prize: Steve spotted a lone bouquetin quite close to the col! There turned out to be a herd of about a dozen only a little further away, which we were able to inspect through binoculars lent by a British fellow-walker who arrived soon after us. Only the arrival of several other people persuaded us to move on... The route down to Modane  proved very agreeable all the way too. We ate a late picnic sitting under a rowan tree in the garden of an elderly couple � who then turned up to open their chalet - but proved hospitable and friendly. Modane, an urban strip along the bottom of the valley, whose function now is to service both  rail and  motorway tunnels to Italy, is indeed as dreary as everyone had warned us; and we had some initial difficulty in finding the campsite where I�d booked. However, it turned out to be fine for our needs: Steve was able to bivouac right next to La Sapiniere, the so-called refuge I�d reserved . This turned out to be no more than a wooden chalet  about twice the size of a garden shed, with 10 bunk beds, standing all on its own in a small clearing, with a fine view northwards over the valley to old military fortifications.  Luckily, I was the only occupant! Meanwhile, we could use the sanitary block of the campsite proper (confusingly called Les Combes), only 200m away; and a Casino supermarket was only 10 minutes� walk distant. We went up and down to it several times that evening to buy the ingredients for several panachés, as well as an excellent meal. Slept soundly in our odd perch between the railway and the motorway � and could scarcely hear any noise from either.

Second Rest Day, Tu 30 Aug: Modane. Got up late (08.30...) Heavy dew overnight, and chilly until the sunlight reached our little clearing. Mich�le and Jean-Yves Chambon arrived at 11.00 to discuss plans about how they would join us tomorrow for the next five days. After they left and before we started our domestic chores (i.e. washing our clothes etc), Steve and I decided to locate and follow the GR5 from the centre of Modane to Notre Dame de Charmaix, a pilgrim site far above us. The reason was that the Chambons� friend, Martine, was proposing to give us all a lift tomorrow morning right up to this point, some 400m up-hill; and we did not want to miss out any part whatever of the GR5, however short. It turned out to be time well spent since the route was not easy to find, and quite tedious: so we were spared that next morning. Later we went down to Casino one last time to stock up for dinner and the days ahead. Still no-one else sharing my �palace�, thank goodness.  And hurrah!  We�d reached just about the half-way point of our walk without problem.....

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SECTION 3: MODANE TO LARCHE.

Day 14, Wed 31 Aug: Modane to Refuge de Mont Thabor. [Est. at only about 13 kms, since some already done yesterday; 1200m of climb; 50m of descent; 1 high col.] The Chambons arrived as planned at 0900 (we weren�t in a hurry because yesterday Steve and I had already done more than the first hour). They drove us up to just before Notre Dame de Charmaix where, in a change of plan, they left their car to be picked up by their friends before it was driven on to Ceillac. As a result, it turned out to be quite a short day, and we reached the Refuge du Mt. Thabor by 13.30; in fact we ate our picnic lunch there. The weather started well, but the sky clouded over somewhat in the afternoon. The fine Sanctuaire Notre Dame du Charmais is perched on a cliff beside a torrent crossed at this point by a stone bridge. It took a good hour and a half more climbing to reach Le Lavoir � where most local walkers going up to Mt Thabor or beyond, leave their cars (les feignants� see below!) After that, it was easy climbing up to the Col de la Vallee Etroite (2434m) where we didn�t linger since we�d be passing by again next day. The CAF Refuge de Mont Thabor (at 2502m, the highest place we stayed overnight) may have been enlarged and improved in the last year, for it seemed a much better-equipped place than that described by Michael Thompson and Dick Everard. 

We were given a dorm by ourselves (although it could have slept 8). I promptly benefited by taking a siesta after lunch, the only time I did so during the whole month! The others went on walks of varying lengths - Steve climbed right up to the ridge above to get an idea of the whole Mt. Thabor massif; when I woke up, I followed suit though only as far as the first two lakes above the refuge, to glimpse this savage scenery. A very different clientele from last night: quite a number of serious climbers and walkers were staying at this refuge. Despite its remote location, an excellent 5-course dinner (vegetable soup, cabbage salad, sausages and rice, local cheese, desert) was served by a couple of energetic young women. Steve bivouacked for the fourth night � during which two separate thunderstorms broke, with some heavy rain. He survived.....

Day 15, Thurs 1 Sept: Refuge de Mont Thabor to Refuge Buff�re.  [Difficult to estimate, since our route was not listed in Dillon or Topoguide: maybe about 27 kms, with over 1000m of climb and 1500m of descent; two high cols.] Yet another outstanding day. We departed from the planned route along the GR5, which would have ended in Névache. This was first because when Mich�le Chambon (who had undertaken to do this part of the booking ahead for accommodation) had rung the Auberge  les Melezets near Le Cros, it was already full. The Chambons had then thought that anyway, a better alternative might be to stay at the Refuge Buff�re, some way up the valley above Névache, which they had visited in winter only a few months earlier. I had agreed, not least because we already planned to taking the higher, more sporting GR5C route on to Brian�on the day after, rather than the GR5 further east: so this fitted well.  Once that decision had been taken, it then made good sense not to follow the GR5 all the way down the steep-sided Vallée Etroite towards Névache, only to have to turn west and climb all the way up again, but instead to take an entirely different route: the GR57A. This little-used path over the Col du Vallon west of the Valleé Etroite, was for some reason not even mentioned by either Dillon or the Topoguide. It passes through much wilder, remote country with far finer views. Started walking in cloudy but by now dry weather, crossing the Col de la Vallée Etroite again, and then on down for about 30 minutes on the GR5. Then turned right (west), and climbed a long way uphill, often quite steeply, following a small but fairly well-marked path to the Col du Vallon (2645m). Then gradually down, past the pretty Lac Blanc bounded by rocky crags. Met no one. Picnic very much on our own. Near the bottom of the valley above Névache, we might have taken a variant of the GR57A to take us further above Névache and thus spare us some trudging along a tarmac road: but later we learned it was in any case closed for now because of a landslide. The final steep haul up to Refuge Buff�re(at 2076m) was mercifully fairly short! Arrived at c. 16.30. Another excellent private refuge, which was almost full with a group of 22 hikers from Gap. Steve again bivouacked, while the Chambons and I shared an amusing little up-and-down dorm. Rather a noisy supper; but good food again, with pork stew cooked in ginger with rice, as the main course.

Day 16, Fri 2 Sept: Refuge Buff�re to Brian�on. [ Again difficult to estimate since part of this route as not even shown as a path on the TOP25 map! But maybe about 25 kms; 1000m climb; 1825m descent; 4 high cols plus an airy ridge-walk.] At the risk of repetition, another really excellent day�s walk. Some scattered cloud later; but good visibility and dry throughout. We started off rather adventurously. Having consulted the owner of the refuge, instead of taking the obvious route to connect up with the GR5C south of Briancon (which would have been to take a GR Pays �la c�te rouge� with yellow marks, contouring eastwards round the hillside in a forest), we climbed up the well-marked GR57 track northwards for about 20 minutes. Then came the interesting part! Following the advice we�d been given, we plunged off eastwards into boggy ground without any path at all. Nor was there any sign of one on the TOP25 map we�d glanced at in the refuge. The ground soon sloped up towards an obvious rocky ridge (l�Echaillon, at about 2600m I guess) which we reached in about 40 minutes, leading towards a peak above the Porte de Christol � this is clearly an area well-known in winter for raquette and cross-country skiing. We walked southwards along this ridge for a while until we reached the remains of some concrete bunkers (Italian? French? From WW2?), searching for some way down to the Porte de Cristol, a col at 2453m and the GR5C which we could see below us. Eventually we scrambled safely down a tiny exposed path� only to find we were now not only back on the GR5C trail but also on some sort of hikers� highway: for three large guided groups of day-walkers were plodding up from the Brian�on direction! We hurried off along a former military track which wound diagonally eastwards to the Col de Granon (2413m), and later the Col de Barteux (2380m). Now came the major challenge of the day: the steep and rugged limestone ridge of the Cr�tes des Peyrolles which is several kms long, mostly over 2000m. The first peak, the Croix de la Cime is at 2606m; and the Serre des Aigles at the other end is still at 2567m. Amazing views in all directions: down to Brian�on far below, to the Ecrins towards the west; and right at our feet on the other side, the Val Clarée (written about with such passion by Emilie Carles in Soupe aux Herbes Sauvages). We ate our picnic in this extraordinary place. Getting down from the ridge was quite a sustained scramble and in some places rather exposed. Eventually we reached a more ordinary sort of path that turned first into a track then a small tarmac road. Brian�on lay below us, we were walking fast, so we must soon be there � or so we thought. But at this point we made a navigational error � the only significant one during the whole month�s walk: for we missed a turning to the left (south) down to the old part of town with its famous Vauban fortifications.  By the time we realised this and fortunately found a track lower down leading to the same place (where we rejoined the GR5 at last), we had lost perhaps half an hour. Annoying, but not a disaster, though this made it rather a long day. Moreover, we found that where we were staying was right at the bottom of the long main street leading downhill from the fort to the commercial town-centre. But what good choice! The Hotel de la Chaussée, turned out to be an old-fashioned family hostelry, owned by the same family for a century, and apparently recently restored. After a long, luxurious bath, we were served a delicious dinner too, in an amusingly decorated dining room. The menu at E23 provided fantastic value for money, with canard aux griottes; and the Chambons offered a 2005 Corbi�res red which slipped down extremely easily!

Day 17, Sat 3 Sept: Brian�on to Bruinissard. [Est. 22 kms; 1426m climb; 860m descent ; 1 high col.] During the next two days, we encountered the only really poor weather during the whole trek. After a good breakfast, we bought fresh bread and charcuterie, and set off in cloudy weather. First diagonally up through woodland up one valley; then down through chalets and a village; then steadily up into a second valley further west, through prairies towards the Col des Ayes (2477m). Soon after noon, however, it started to rain, though not hard nor for long. So we put on our waterproof kit � which of course caused the rain to stop..., ate a rather hurried picnic by some rocks and started off again, trudging up towards the col which was by then well within sight. But it started to rain again. There was no sign of the rain letting up, so we covered up again and continued to the summit of the col, and over the top. By then soaked! Cloud  now right down, so we could see rather little � a pity since the Col des Ayes is reputed to have particularly fine views. Down by a shaley path, then into larch woods. At last (in 7 hrs 15, minus breaks, rather than the 5hrs 30 predicted by PD � he must be wrong!) we reached Bruinissard, a largely new village meant for Nordic skiing in winter. The Gite d�Etape des Bons Enfants, a restored farm, was fine: so our morale soon restored. Not to be discouraged by some piffling rain, Steve bivouacked again nearby! Soon a group of eight French hikers plus guide arrived who told us they were doing the GR5 from Brian�on to Menton. Aha! But how? With a Sherpa minibus, it transpired, which transported most of their luggage from one overnight stop to another, as well as taking them along any roads/tracks at the beginning and end of their day..... So although they proved friendly and good company, I privately called them �les Feignants� (the slackers) � totally unfair since they were simply taking a different kind of holiday to us masochists! The gite, run by an efficient lady, was full so it was just as well we�d reserved ahead. Another good meal which included lamb again as well as local cheese. I offered a litre of red wine to share between us four and a British couple at our table (Stuart and his wife from Bury, he a physics teacher for 30 years, she a retired primary school teacher).

Day 18, Sun 4 Sept: Brunissard to Ceillac. [Est. 25 kms; 1305m climb; 1410m descent ; 2 high cols.] Disappointing weather for our last day�s walk with the Chambons, in the heart of the Quéyras. It rained on and off, though only lightly, for much of the day; and the cloud was often quite low, hiding the fine views. We put on our waterproofs to start walking down the road to La Chalp, then struck off to the left along a path contouring round the wooded flank of a mountain. Eventually reached the Lac de Roue, hidden in forest. Then down towards the extraordinary Chateau-Quéyras, with its impressive old fort (reworked, inevitably, by Vauban!) guarding the strategic road along the narrow valley carved by the Guil torrent. No time for tourism, alas. Instead we pressed on and up the other side of the valley in forest again. Ate our ample packed lunch using the veranda of an uninhabited rustic chalet for protection.  But the countryside was changing, for when we reached the Col des Prés-des-Fromage (2121m) we were still surrounded by trees, and the mountains and valleys ahead of us were still mainly covered by forest � much softer and less wild than what we�d left behind. By then the rain had stopped though there was still some cloud around. Turned left to contour along behind the mountain we had been climbing up, and over the top of strange, eroded rock formations (with gullies carved out of gypsum). Reached the Col Fromage (2301m), a grassy area with sweeping views over the two valleys it separated (Riou-Vert and Cristallin). From there it took only an hour and a quarter to descend to Ceillac, which we reached at about 16.00. We soon found the Auberge-Gites Les Baladins, quite a large, modern place probably mainly catering for ski-ers. The Chambons� car had duly been left there too: all in order! The delicious dinner included a main course of veal served in cooked celery with potato fritters; the Chambons offered a nice bottle of Fitou red as a farewell. Earlier on, Mich�le, Jean-Yves and I had wandered round the village: an odd mixture of a quaint, old, slightly dilapidated centre (with a highly original bell-tower over the 13^th-century church) and a small modern family ski-resort. Bought myself a sturdy plastic mug, which I�d been lacking for mixing my energy-drink, at a sports shop. At 18.30, as visitors we unexpectedly found ourselves given a free glass (or two...) of rosé wine offered by the commune. This took place between the mairie and church � apparently a tradition on Sunday evening, a nice way of welcoming tourists. We discovered that a previous mayor, Philippe Lamour, had been the main pioneers of the GR5/GTA, created in 1971. (Why, I wondered, had not more been made of this 40^th anniversary?)

Day 19, Mon 5 Sept: Ceillac to Maljasset. [Est. 17 kms; 1100m climb; 865m descent ; 1 high col.] Weather slightly hazy to start with, but soon became fine again. After farewells to the Chambons, Steve and I set off alone again, climbing gently up the Mélézet valley before a much steeper section brought us up to the beautiful Lac Miroir. Then up again into barer mountain country, mainly schist, until after another hour or so we reached the even more stunning Lac Ste Anne � bright blue among these severe, grey, rocky peaks. From there we had to zig-zag up a steep shale slope to the Col Girardin (2706m), one of the highest on the GR5, and the boundary between thedépartments of the Hautes Alpes, and the Alpes de Haute-Provence; also the frontier for the Parc Regional du Quéyras, which we now left. Fantastic views both forwards and back. Descent at first steep but then gave way to a good path through grassy pasture-land. We ate our picnic (provided by the auberge) enjoying the views from the hillside just after the GR5 had split from the path leading to Maljasset. The latter turned out to be no more than a hamlet down in the steep valley � but with three places to stay. I had preferred to reserve at the Auberge La Cure rather than the CAF refuge: and we were delighted by this choice. When we arrived (about 14.00) no one was around, so we just sat in the sunshine the garden with the river running past. Half an hour later, the owners appeared: Hubert and Klyte Longeron, an attractive young couple: she Australian, he a local whose parents had restored this old farmhouse, with their small daughter Aurelia (2 � years). Only three other people staying: an elderly couple from Essex (he a former Alpine climber), and a single man from northern France. A Marseillais who worked in the port there, popped in for meals (was he bivouacking, or in a camper-van?). Meanwhile, �les Feignants�, who were staying in the CAF refuge, looked in for a drink and chat � agreeing that we had the easily best deal over accommodation. Dined in an old, vaulted room downstairs that must originally have been a farm-cellar or barn. Hubert who had been a chef around the world,  made us a tasty onion soup, followed by �allouettes sans t�tes� (stuffed beef rolls) served with peas and shell-shaped pasta. We treated ourselves to some red wine...

Day 20, Tu 6 Sept: Maljasset to Larche. [Est. 27 kms ; climb 1170m ; descent 1395m ; 2 high cols.] Fine, clear weather all day. Had to start by plodding along the road towards St. Paul-sur-Ubaye for several kms � but this was enlivened by chatting to yet another Dutch couple gradually doing the long GR5 from Rotterdam in sections over several years. Turned off to cross the extraordinary old stone bridge le Pont de Ch�telet, spanning a gorge between near-vertical cliffs, 108m (354ft) above the Ubaye river! Shortly after, we branched off the road at last, to climb steeply up through woods to reach the village of Fouillouse (where, we later learned, our friends �les Feignants� had been dropped by their Sherpa bus to start their walk.....).We passed over the two cols (Col de Vallonet (2520m) and the Col de Mallemort (2558m) in a strange lunar landscape, meeting a lone elderly Frenchman heading for another col. This is very close to the Italian border: so not surprisingly, the area contains many remains of military buildings, old barracks, forts, bunkers, and so forth. We ate our picnic, again provided by the auberge, somewhere between the two cols. From the second, we could see Larche down in the valley from quite a long distance away. During the often steep descent, sometimes stony, sometimes hummocky grass, we overtook �les Feignants�. Reached Larche at about 17.00:  a small sleepy village near the col of the same name leading to Italy. TheGite-Auberge Le Lauzanier where I�d booked proved functional and clean rather than cosy, but perfectly fine for our needs. No one else seemed to be staying, though a few people did drop in for dinner. �les Feignants� also looked in for a drink and chat with us again, though this was the last we saw of them since they were not about to take a rest day as we were. A leek tart and cuisse de canard were on the menu that evening.

Third rest-day, Wednesday 7 Sept, Larche. Weather cloudy with sunny spells, and the temperature down to 22C. As Messrs Thompson and Everard had warned, although Larche features prominently on maps, it offers neither a cash-dispenser nor shops. Nothing, in fact, except a small hotel, the auberge where we were staying, the GTA Gite d�etape where �les Feignants� had stayed, and a campsite � plus a surprisingly well-arranged tourist information office which was quite helpful to me. The only minor exception was that the campsite about half a km beyond where we were staying did have a tiny �shop� with a very small amount of food as well as a little bread: so we stocked up there as best we might. The fact that the villages had been razed to the ground by the Nazis at the end of WW II didn�t quite explain the fact that the population seemed to be shrinking again now. So in a way, it was a curious place to take a rest day. But there was really no sensible alternative. In any case, the lounge of our auberge was equipped with a large TV screen: so we spent a good deal of the time watching tennis (Flushing Meadows) and golf  � which was perfectly restful. Also, the signal for our mobile phones was strong, so I was able to ring the family. Otherwise, we lazed and snoozed, eating a primitive picnic-lunch gleaned from the campsite on the grass beside our lodgings, and virtuously washing our clothes. I also spent some time trying to tie down accommodation for those nights of our last week ahead which I�d not already booked;  the two places where I could get only  recorded messages were St. Dalmas-Valdeblore and Utelle (see below).....  Dinner included melon and smoked-ham as a starter, with chicken and polenta as the main dish. Our host, who seemed to run the place single-handed, and had been helpful over ringing Bousiéyas, offered us a genapi on the house.

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SECTION 4: LARCHE TO NICE.

Day 21, Thursday 8 Sept: Larche to Bousiéyas. [Est. 21 kms; 1240m climb; 1035m descent; two high cols.] Another fine day � in terms of weather as well as the walk. Started gently up beside the river towards the Col de Larche, before turning right into the Réserve Naturelle du Lauzanier and on up towards the Pas de Cavale. Increasingly wild country � infested by marmottes since they are protected here. Past the pretty Lac de Lauzanier. A final tough haul yet again up a steep bouldery scree to the rocky and aptly-named Pas de Cavale (2428m), the fourth and last col marking a frontier between two départments, this time the Alpes de Haute-Provence and the Alpes Maratimes. The view ahead suggested that we were now really reaching the south � subtly different. A steep, tricky descent through ledges, boulders and stones until we reached meadows being grazed by sheep, in the Salso Moreno valley occupied by Spanish troops in the mid-18^thcentury. We stopped beside a stone shelter for our picnic (and were soon overtaken by two young women � running, and later to become known to us as �les Li�vres� � see below). Then another climb, this time somewhat easier, to the second col, the Col des Fourches (2261m) with abandoned concrete fortifications on top. A little further on we passed through a whole abandoned barracks (Camp des Fourches) built in the 1890s on a commanding ridge to house Les Diables Bleus, French soldiers who patrolled the border with Italy. Rather spooky! Down the other side, first gently, then diagonally along the flank of the mountain, then steeply into Bousiéyas, a picturesque little hamlet whose few houses had wooden or tin roofs. As described by Michael Thompson, this refuge was indeed an extraordinary place! The Gite  de Bousiéyas itself, containing the dining room and roadside café, was a modest building belonging to the commune of St. Etienne-de-Tinée. The dorm, however, was a large old farmhouse some 50m away and higher up, a fine old timber-frame structure on four floors, simply but tastefully furnished with objects reminiscent of its former vocation. Most atmospheric! I wasn�t clear if it belonged to the young lady running the outfit or not. She was Régine Brun, an original person. Another girl helped her prepare and serve dinner which, as we�d been warned, was strictly vegetarian but copious and delicious, including hummus, tapenade on toast, Lebanese-style tabbouleh, plenty of local cheese, etc etc. Memorable! Also at our table were two young women from Brian�on, ski instructors in winter, who were walking from their home-town to Nice: we privately dubbed them �les Skieuses�.

Day 22, Friday 9 September: Bousiéyas to Roya. [Est. 33 kms (?); 1650m climb; 1535m descent; 3 cols, two of them high.] This was bound to be a tough day. For I decided that rather than stay at Auron, a modern ski-station, we would push on for over two hours more, over another high col, to reach Roya: so what was already going to be a long day would become even more so. We left as early as possible (about 07.30) only to remember some twenty minutes later that we�d forgotten to collect the picnics we�d ordered and paid for! Too bad: we could waste no time, so pressed on. Pleasant climb, gradually up through larch forests to open ground and on the Col de Colombi�re, at 2237m one of the highest left. Then down 700m uneventfully to the picturesque village of St. Delmas-le-Selvage, at 1500m said to be the highest village in Alpes Maratimes, where we found some bread and p�té to replace the lost picnic. On up the next climb, quite easy this time, to the Col d�Anelle (1739m), and down the other side to St.Etienne de Tinée an attractive little town near the head of the Tinée valley. By then it was shortly before noon, so Steve stopped at a bank to withdraw cash. We decided to stay right where we were to eat our baguette, sitting on a bench in the main square under a canopy, after we�d bought nearby the beer and lemonade needed to mix refreshing panachés. The colourful weekly street market was just drawing to a close, and the whole atmosphere of the place was cheerful and welcoming. We had to get on, however. Started along the road towards Auron which is perched on the side of the valley almost 500m higher up.  After a while, we began to climb, persistently steeply, up the hillside, mostly in woods: tiring.... When at last we reached the outskirts of Auron, we knew at once we�d been right not to stay there: like most ski-stations of any size out of season, it looked hideous! Luckily, we�d been warned by Mike Thompson and Dick Everard that the GR5 marks were hard to find (not helped by all the building activity going on): so although we proceeded cautiously through the middle of town, and sometimes hesitated, in the end we avoided making any navigational errors. But there was still a long way to go, and a high col to cross! Up under several ski-lifts into interminable forest, emerging eventually at the Col de Blainon (2014m). The other side of the mountain (south-facing) was quite different with largely abandoned dry grassy sheep-pastures and bergeries taking the place of ski-slopes and trees. It seemed a long way contouring the hillsides down to Roya, another pretty little hamlet nestling in the valley far below, where we were soon installed in theGite d�Etape Ma Vielle Ecole. It had been rather a long day (we must have arrived at about 17.30), though with not a cloud in the sky: so we soon followed the example of some locals already installed on the terrace and downing beers � though in our case, it was two panachés apiece... Dorms rather cramped: there were six sleeping in ours (meant for eight) but there was still little space for our gear. Copious dinner, however, including filet de porc. Sat near two more young women from near Brian�on (this time colleagues in the Brian�on Tourist Office) who were running/walking from there to Menton and whom we�d already seen rushing past us the day before. We dubbed them �les Li�vres� (i.e. the Hares � you can guess who were �les Tortues�, the Tortoises!.....)

Day 23, Sat 10 Sept: Roya to Refuge de Longon. [Est. 22 kms; climb 1400m; descent 1000m ; 3 cols, one high.] Another very fine day although a few cumulo-nimbus clouds rolled in at about 17.00. Another very agreeable day�s walk too � and not too long since we�d had such a hard slog yesterday. Started with a slow, steady climb up to the Col de Crousette ( 2480m)  This seemed to be the last really high point left � except that the path proceeded to traverse on up to a monument (St�le de Valette) on the flank of Mt. Mounier, at 2587m! The GR5 still had a kick left in it... A pleasant path down, first through shale, then scanty grass, past a flock of goats and sheep. We picnicked at the Col des Moulines (a mere 1982m!), not far from �les Li�vres� who had set off from Roya earlier than us  - but since they were running, they had soon overtaken us again...). Then pleasantly down an easy path towards the Portes de Longon, only to climb again, through weird limestone rock formations, up into a high plateau with grazing for both sheep and cattle. Gently down to the Refuge/Vacherie/Alpage de Longon, which we reached at about 14.30.  As Michael Thompson and Dick Everard had told us, an extraordinary place: until fairly recently a real cow-shelter. Although now belonging to the commune of Rour, it is actually run by Manuel and Sandrine Rogeri who still apparently make their living mainly through their herd of cows and flock of sheep. The wife was away selling cheese down in the valley; but their three children helped serve dinner. Steve and I drank a beer (no lemonade left at the end of the season...), and chatted to the two pairs of young ladies from Brian�on walking or running to the coast, �les Li�vres� and �les Skieuses� who had apparently never met before: it took two elderly Brits (plus the GR5) to effect an introduction..... The picnic tables outside where we sat were soon invaded not only by cows and sheep, but also by two donkeys, a horse, three grand white pastous and a couple of other dogs � quite a menagerie! Dinner was equally singular. It started with an appératif outside (although it was by now getting chilly) consisting of rose wine (lots!) and two tin trays of a local dish I�d never tasted before (socca?) consisting of a sort of pastry made of chick-peas and cut into ribbons on the tray: delicious! Then we all trooped indoors for a copious meal of soup, tartiflette, cheese and plenty of red wine. Slept well after that in the rough bunkhouse (mattresses on a wooden plank floor). Steve bivouacked nearby. Interesting that when I got up during the night for a call of nature, one of the pastous keeping guard over the sheep and cows, at once came barking up to me - although once it had identified me as non-threatening, it then wanted to be stroked. A favourite cow had been killed here by wolves only a few years ago, we learned. Moreover, a fortnight later Le Monde reported that over 60 sheep had recently been killed by a wolf pack in two separate attacks not very far away.

Day 24, Sun 11 Sept: Refuge de Longon to Saint-Dalmas-Valdeblore. [ Est  27 kms; 1080m climb; 1670m descent ; no real col, though you might say that Rimplas itself (1016m) constitutes one.] After things had gone so smoothly for over three weeks, this was the only day where we came unstuck! The weather was fine; and the walk started that way too. The descent from the Longon Vacherie down into the steep-sided valley of the Tinée was varied and interesting. We encountered �les Li�vres� several times, for by then one of them had twisted her ankle and was limping. My first- aid kit contained nothing she thought would help her. In Rour, a charming village hanging precariously to the steep-sided hillside above St Saveur-sur-Tinée, she tried soaking foot in the cool water of a fountain. Later, when we got down to St. Saveur, a surprising little town on the floor of the valley, we met �les Li�vres� and �les Skieuses� conferring together as Steve and I munched a snack in the main street, sitting beside another fountain. By then, the damaged ankle was so painful that �les Li�vres� had decided to hitch-hike on to Saint-Delmas, though we did encounter �les Skieuses� a couple more times � see below. The walk up from St. Saveur to Rimplas was along an old mule track through a forest, so the gradient was easy (not at all well-marked as the GR5, though we managed not to lose our way).  But along the way we were buzzed and showered with dust by off-road motor bikers no doubt connected with the event being held in Saint Delmas all weekend.  Stopped to picnic shortly after Rimplas, a perched village; �les Skieuses� overtook us again..... Then, frustratingly, the path plunged once more down into a valley (the main road would have been shorter and lost much less height!) and up the other side past, but not into, La Bolline, a village mainly consisting of modern chalets. Thoroughly tedious. By the time we finally reached Saint-Dalmas-Valdeblore (which seems somewhat schizophrenic as to whether it�s called �Saint Dalmas� [not �le Selvage.�....] or �Valdeblore�, I was beginning to get tired. Moreover, there was still uncertainty about accommodation.  Two days earlier, I had at last been told over the phone that not only was the gite d�etape where I�d hoped to stay full, but so was the only chambres d�hotes as well as the only hotel-restaurant (where Messrs Thompson and Everard plus their wives had stayed last year). This was put down to the fact that a national motorbike competition of some sort had been held there over the week-end. As a last resort, a camp-site whose telephone number I found had agreed that Steve could bivouac there and they would lend me a tent and sleeping bag. Fine. Just before we trudged wearily into Saint-Delmas, Steve spotted a private camp-site called Camping � la Ferme.  Forget it, I said: I�m sure I �phoned a municipal campsite. So we plodded on up through the village to the municipal site, at least 1 km further. It was full of caravans, and perfectly horrid! The manager was distinctly unhelpful too... So we decided that it must have been the first place after all, and plodded back again. Indeed it was; and the owners (M. et Mme Le Duff) were most welcoming. Steve put up his bivouac yet again, while even I managed to cope with my easy-to-erect tent. Things were looking up; but we still needed something to eat. We walked back into town. The only grocery had closed; the pizzeria/restaurant ditto; the cafe-bar would serve us no food; and we were told the only place to eat would be the hotel-restaurant at the top of the village near the municipal campsite. Back we went, only to be given a summary and admonitory brush-off (�Why didn�t you book?�). So back we went to the cafe-bar where the surly barman seemed loath even to serve us a panaché! But that is what we had to put up with for dinner, although Steve managed also to scrounge an ice cream and two small Mars bars .... Back at our tents, I found a bit of chocolate and an energy bar, whilst Steve cooked himself a pack of quick rice with cheese. He offered to share this but by then I'd lost interest in food. With that, we turned in. Problem: the inflatable mattress I�d been lent had a leak and deflated every 15 minutes: so I spent most of the night pumping it up again. After I�d mocked �Dosser Steve� for the last three weeks for his camping tendencies, it was game, set and match to him! Valdeblore, I should note, means �Vale of Tears�. Very appropriate, we felt:  in our book, it deserved a black mark as a most inhospitable place, containing � with the honourable exception of the Le Duffs who ran our campsite, the only unhelpful people we encountered at all during our whole journey. Thank goodness we hadn�t been tempted to take an extra rest-day there!

Day 25, Mon 12 Sept: Saint-Dalmas-Valdeblore to Utelle. [ Est. Est. 29 kms; climb 1055m ; descent 1525m ; 8 cols! -  3 of them over 1900m]. Campsites in France don�t provide breakfast (any more than they do loo-paper!) � and we had no food left, so were keen to get going. At 08.05, the mini-supermarket of the �Vale of Tears� still seemed reluctant to serve us. However, we bought enough food to get through the day, and set off up the hillside until, after about half an hour, we reached a picnic table in the woods where we could at last sit down to a spartan breakfast of bread, jam � and water. Better than nothing! Thereafter things improved: the weather was fine and the route soon became splendid. Before we had finished munching our baguette, we were overtaken by a large party of middle-aged day-walkers  (no doubt the very dastards who had booked all the available places at the Gite d�Etape last night!.....).  They were already showing signs of flagging and we quickly sprinted past them as they puffed uphill. Eventually we reached the Col du Varaires (1710m), still in the forest; and later the Col des Deux Ca�res (1921m) from which there was a fine view ahead of the Mercantour country. Since there was a phone signal there, I anxiously tried to ring the Utelle gite d�etape yet again, since the Hotel de la Madonne d�Utelle perched high above the village was already booked up; but still got only a recorded message.... Thereafter followed a most enjoyable walk, along a high path leading under several ridges, yet over 2000m for the last time. La Baisse de la Combe was the next col (1910m), followed by the Collet des Trous (1982m). Thereafter, it was mainly downhill and through woods, before reaching the Col d�Andrion after almost 2 kms on tarmac. We decided not to stop for our picnic there (though would have been wise to have topped up with cool water from a spring) ��les Skieuses� whom we hadn�t seen for two days, were eating their picnic there and chatting to a German walker who had come all the way from Trieste and was aiming for Seville. Instead, we plunged on down through forest to the unremarkable Col de Fournes (1356m) and along the ridge to the Col de Gratteloup � where we didat last eat our picnic, troubled by flies, and were soon overtaken by the other three walkers. The route then only got better and better. Along the ridge to the Br�che de Brec and Col de Brec, both rocky cols in fact on the same rugged, limestone mountain, followed by quite a lot of scrambling, sometimes needing hands and quite exposed. There should have been great views down to the sea at some points, but by that time cloud was swirling round us making this part seem more baroque and adventurous. Next we reached what was clearly a fine old mule track cut into the rocky hillside and twice held up by small metal bridges, leading to the Col du Castel Gineste. Soon we could see below us the beautiful, historic hilltop village of Utelle. As we approached it, I looked round nervously for places where we could bivouac if the communal gite d�etape was full. But there was no need to worry. We soon located the smartly-dressed lady (a primary school teacher, apparently) who looked after the gite part-time, and she showed us the way the Gite d�Utelle. It was in a fine location, right next to the mairie with a stunning view over the Vésubie valley towards the Mercantour and Italy � and only two other people were staying, a congenial British couple on a week�s walking holiday. What a relief! Since the gite was self-catering but with good dining and cooking facilities (at €12 a night, it was remarkably cheap...), we returned at once to the one and only épicerie (small and old-fashioned) in the village to buy something for dinner. I persuaded Steve to try a tin of chile con carne, which he gallantly cooked. Raspberries and cream for desert. What a contrast from �The Vale of Tears�! Utelle was truly delightful village in an amazing setting, where everyone we met, without exception, was friendly and helpful � a completely different atmosphere from yesterday.

Day 26, Tu 13 Sept: Utelle to Aspremont. [Est. 25 kms;  900m climb; 1220 descent ; no real cols.] I had expected this to be a dull day, going through dormitory villages in the arri�re-pays of Nice. But except for a slightly disappointing section in the middle, it exceeded my expectations. Made ourselves breakfast, and still managed to be on our way by 08.00. The first section, leading gently down to the Vésubie river, was along a lovely old mule track � for Utelle had once been a prosperous little town on the route linking Nice to the Upper Tinée hinterland. Fine views back to the village. We stopped at the little Chapelle St. Antoine (open; colourfully decorated inside; and still lovingly maintained by someone). Through one or two hamlets to a grand old stone bridge over the Vesubie: we could have swum in clear pools there, but preferred to press on. Up the other side of the valley to Levens � just the sort of Mediterranean dormitory town I�d feared, with its suburban sprawl and lotissements. Some minor navigational problems getting through it; but at last emerged on the other side in dry pine woods and maquis. The next section proved longer than I�d expected, much of it along roads and tracks � and by now it was getting quite hot. We stopped to eat our picnic in the shade of some evergreen oaks beside the road. At least we were still in the hills, with extensive views over the valleys below. Somewhere just above Aspremont we made a slight navigational error (our guide books were not much help here), but soon got back to the GR5. Aspremont is an unexpectedly pretty perched village with views down to the Mediterranean and the outskirts of Nice. And the modest hotel where we�d booked, run for the last 8 years by a German lady, proved absolutely fine. Showered and washed clothes as usual, before sitting in the garden for a traditional panaché. Then Steve had a swim in the hotel�s pool, whilst I wandered round the narrow streets of the old village (fortified in the Middle Ages, like Utelle, against the Saracens). Nice, simple dinner. As Steve and I indulged in nostalgic chat about our walk, as we sat on the terrace looking down on the Var valley in gathering dusk and all the twinkling lights around Nice, we shared a last bottle of red wine!

Day 27, Wed 14 Sept: Aspremont to Nice. [Est. 13 kms; 210m climb; 720m descent ; 1 col] This was planned as only a half day of walking to enable us to get home. That worked well for me, since I only had to catch a train back to Avignon. But by the time it became clear that we would be able to reach Nice precisely as planned, the flights back to Liverpool had quadrupled in price since Steve originally enquired: so he decided to spend an extra night in Nice and fly out next morning. Instead of this last section being entirely through the streets of the city and its suburbs, the GR5 sprang a final surprise. On leaving Aspremont, we had one last time to climb up to a col, the eponymous Col d�Aspremont , over a bare hillside showing signs of having suffered a few years back from one of those terrifying forest fires that regularly ravage the hinterland of the Cote d�Azur. We even passed three hunters with their guns folded over their arms; they didn�t seem to have had any luck! From the col, there was still a long descent along a spur of scrubby hillside until we reached the first houses. The rest must have taken us less than two hours � though we had to be very alert for GR signs once in the streets. The official GR5, however, doesn�t go right.to the sea, but instead ends abruptly at 31 avenue de Castellane � which just happens to be Nice�s Maison de l�Environment. We didn�t need Dillon to tell us where to go next because it had been obvious, looking down from the hills above, that from that point on we should simply head for the sea, past the railway station, along a long and completely straight street mostly called Avenue Gambetta. This we did. And so we finally reached the Promenade des Anglais (bien sur!), and stepped down onto the pebbly beach, littered with bronzing bodies in bikinis, feeling distinctly out of place in our well-worn trekking clothes, complete with rucksacks and walking poles! Ritual photograph taken, Steve insisted on swimming; I couldn�t muster the enthusiasm to do so. We had reached the finishing line, in fine shape and precisely on time; so it was time to celebrate. We spotted a bistro beside the street leading back to the train station; however corny, I couldn�t resist a Salade Ni�oise, and Steve had tasty omelette � and inevitably we both savoured a final panaché of course. It was an unfamiliar sensation to watch the crowds of people swirling past. I soon managed to book a train ticket and see Steve installed in a very modest hotel nearby. And so, home in time for dinner after my friend Brian Collins had kindly fetched me from the Avignon TGV station. A great end to our adventure....

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Afterword.

            It�s hard to sum up such a major walk, or to convey any impression whatsoever of the absolutely magnificent scenery we passed through. The GR5 provides a whole visual geography lesson on the French Alps.  It not only passes through the five different administrativedépartments, but also many regions, however defined, including  the Chablais, the Abondance valley, the Mont Blanc National Park, the Beaufortain, the Vanoise, the Brian�onnais, the Tarantaise, the Maurienne, the Ubaye, the Quéyras, the Lauzanier, the Tinée and Vesubie valleys, the Mercantour etc etc. So many regions, so many cheeses, many of which we tasted with pleasure!

            Steve Stuart and I were experienced, fit, and well-enough trained not to have any physical problems at all. We could usually stay comfortably ahead of the times predicted. Steve could � and did! �charge downhill twice as fast as I was prepared to do (although I could usually keep up with him uphill), so would have gone significantly faster on his own. Moreover, we were incredibly lucky with the weather. It was an extra bonus to have had Liz with us for the first six days (a big achievement for her since it was the first time that she�d walked that far, day after day, in mountainous terrain). As for the five days with Michele and Jean-Yves Chambon, not only did we enjoy their company, but they were most helpful over booking accommodation ahead as well as being able to suggest a whole new section of the route which turned out to be far better than the one originally planned. The only problem we met over accommodation was at �The Vale of Tears�. Otherwise our hosts were generally most welcoming; and several of the places we stayed were truly memorable.

            What we ate for dinner takes up disproportionate space in my notes above This is partly because by the end of the day we were generally very hungry (I lost 4 kgs during the 30 days!), but also because gastronomy is such an important part of life in France. So even in quite remote mountain huts our hosts did their best to feed us well, if simply � and generally succeeded.

            If you complete the whole GR5/GTA in one go, you are bound to meet many other walkers and become interested in their stories.  We certainly did � and again, I have mentioned a few of them. However, we encountered no one else who was in fact walking the whole GR5/GTA in one, except just possibly Stefan Meister, the Swiss train-driver mentioned several times early on in my narrative. There were the three British mountain-bikers we met at Plan de la Lai: but they could not stick to the GR5 route in places � and anyway, their sport is something completely different. Otherwise, fellow-walkers we met fell into four categories:

            �           those doing the GR5 for a week or ten days (e.g. from Brian�on to the sea) who might or might not see this as part of a larger project to complete the whole trail, which might take them several years;

            �           those doing a walk of several days (e.g. the Tour de Mont Blanc, de Mont Thabor, de l�Ubaye, etc) whose route happened to coincide for a while with the GR5;

            �           day-walkers;

            �           and finally a few doughty Dutch people who were filling in parts of the E2 they hadn�t already completed during the several years they had already devoted to this project. I should explain that for them, the GR5 starts in Rotterdam where it is considered part of the European E2 trail which passes through Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Jura before it reaches Lac Leman!

            Navigation wasn�t much of a problem for us: for usually, the GR5 is well marked. But the walker must always remain extremely vigilant to spot those vital little white-over-red signs! On some stretches, especially in the Vanoise, the GR marks disappear almost completely, to be replaced by signposts. Otherwise we relied on Paddy Dillon�s guidebook; the four Topoguides covering the GR5 (produced by the Federation Fran�aise de la Randonné Pedestre (FFRP) in conjunction with the Institute National Géographique (IGN) and the five départments through which the GR passes); and the four relevant IGN  TOP-100 maps. If you�re sticking to the GR5, there�s fortunately no need to lug around the twenty one IGN TOP-25 large-scale maps needed for the whole walk!

            Finally, my thanks to those who contributed to making this great experience possible. They include, in chronological order: Michael Thompson and Dick Everard who (via our common friends Patsy and Jeremy Ainslie) originally alerted me to the allure of the GR5 and then gave invaluable advice; Paddy Dillon whose guidebook was so useful both in planning the walk and then in finding the way, that Steve and I referred to him in reverence as �Saint Paddy�; Steve Stuart for agreeing to join me and then proving (yet again) such a stalwart companion; Liz, Mich�le and Jean-Yves for coming along with us and being such good company; scores of people along the way for providing excellent service and sometimes their friendship too; and especially to Mette, my wife, for putting up with my absence for a whole month when she was not at all well. Last but by no means least, I pay tribute to that army of anonymous FFRP volunteers who had spent hours of their time in painting or fixing the essential GR marks to rocks, trees, posts and buildings along our way. Without their efforts, we would have been lost, quite literally, many a time. Whenever we spotted one of their white-over-red signs, Steve and I soon adopted the habit of saying �Merci!�. Whoever was leading in front would shout this out to indicate that we were on the right track; whoever was behind would also express or mutter our thanks. We must have repeated this ritual thousands of times � and passers-by who heard us may have concluded we were probably harmless lunatics! No, we were simply grateful to all those unknown folk who helped us reach the end of our journey safely.

Christopher MacRae.

10 December 2011