Rupert Parker finds out what it's like to take a break in a high mountain refuge, a popular stopover in France, and climbs a glacier to reach an altitude of almost 3600m...
I’ve always wondered what it would be like to spend the night in those high altitude French Refuges, which look so cosy, tucked in close to the mountains. Better yet, when I hear about a Tour Gourmand, or gastronomy tour, walking between them, I’m even more interested. So I pack my rucksack and set out for the Ecrins National Park, about a 90 minute drive east of Grenoble. It’s the largest National Park in France and features some of the wildest and most dramatic scenery in the Alps. Perhaps because of that, it remains relatively unknown, its paths less travelled than those famous trails further north around Mont Blanc.
I’m told that the walking is quite strenuous and it’s better to take less rather than more. I whittle down my load to a change of clothes, a sheet sleeping bag, toiletries, sandals and of course a large water container.
The trail starts at Gîte du Plan du Lac, near St Christophe en Oisans, and I settle down to a hearty lunch with a glass of wine to give me courage, before hitting the trail. The weather isn’t looking particularly promising but at least it’s dry and the first few kilometres follow the valley floor alongside the River Vénéon.
Take a hike in the largest national park in France
ECRINS