TOUR Des ECRINS--AN ALPINE ESCAPE (PART 1)

 

A fortnight booked off work. A 12 day hike on one of the toughest GRs in Europe and a decent weather forecast. What could go wrong?.

Monday June 15th;

After doing my usual "sleep" in Dublin airport I was all set for my 6am flight to Lyon from where I would get a bus to Grenoble followed by another one to Bourg d'Oisans where my adventure along the GR 54 would begin. Everything went perfect and I alighted in the pretty (but hot) village at 13:50. A quick visit to a nearby supermarket and another to a nearby outdoor store (which amazingly was open at lunchtime) and I was on the move by 14.00. Everything was going great, well except that my charging cable for the phone was playing up and the security bands on my Suunto sports watch strap had broken. A rubber band from the outdoor shop made the watch more secure. 

As is usually the case, the heat came as something of a shock. Leaving Ireland where the weather had been a succession of cold wet weeks (with one exception), suddenly being immersed in unremitting 30 degrees plus is tough. However it is also glorious and only adds to the sense of being somewhere new and different. After a walk along the main road (very busy with cyclists who I guess were going to, or after doing, the Alpe d'Huez climb) and after crossing over the river, I walked to just beyond the campsite on the right from where the route was supposed to turn right before climbing a rocky buttress. A sign said private property (and rather bizarrely no urinating) and a fence blocked the way. I walked into the campsite to see if I could access the trail from there but to no avail so I returned and just climbed around the fence and was on my way. It was hot so I took things steady as the trail wound its way up through the rocky steep ground. In places some chains aided possibly exposed places but overall it wasn't too bad. After gaining nearly 300 metres in height I reached a tarred lane which led to a lovely fountain (gratefully used) before it entered the woods and climbed until another lane is reached and you walk through three hamlets. Out here in the open you can see the ski resort of L'Alpe d'Huez across the valley and you have gained almost 800 metres. Unfortunately, soon after the trail drops steeply and loses one hundred of those hard earned metres until it reaches the river.

This was a lovely cool spot to rest a while and have a bite to eat before I continued on my way towards Col de Sarenne (1999mtrs). From here the going is decidedly easier. Over the next two kilometres the trail runs near the river and gains just 150 metres. After this you reach open country and the valley widens and you rise through open pastureland. Before too long I reached a junction of valleys at Le Gua where plenty of places for a possible bivouac were to be found. It was at around the 1650 metre contour but I passes it up as I was hoping to get nearer to the col. Ahead the valley narrowed and the gradient steepened a little. I worried that I would have to go all the way to the col and as I didn't know if it was allowed or possible to bivi there I resolved to use the next likely spot I found as my home for the night. Thankfully before too long, at around the 1800 metre contour I spotted a nice level grassy spot amongst the scrub and made for it. There was even a trickle of water nearby so I was sorted. I revelled in blissful solitude and relaxed, ate and enjoyed my rugged surroundings. Before long the rigours of the restless night and travel caught up with me and I retired to a good nights sleep.

So, just 14 kilometres covered, almost 1200 metres ascent in 4 hours 45 mins. I was content.

Tuesday June 16th;

I had a good night and slept most of the time. I was wide awake well before 6am but I lazed in my sleeping bag and just listened to the birdsong. it was a beautiful morning when I emerged from my tent and the sun was lighting up the upper slopes of the surrounding mountains. I was in no hurry and I didn't have a set target for today. I would just see what the day would bring. It didn't take long to reach the Col. A short walk along a ski road and the trail reached the tarred road from Alp d'Huez and it rose gently to the wide verdant pass. There were a couple of people camping  there and a couple of camper vans as well. All were still asleep as I dropped over the other side and began my descent to Clavans le Haut. So far the scenery had been great without any real wow factor. That changed now when I got my first view of The Meije. OMG, what a sight it made. A wonderful wall of soaring rocky peaks, blanketed in places by glaciers was a joy to behold. My biggest problem now was trying not to stumble as I was constantly looking up to soak in the view. The trail dropped steeply until it reached the woods and before long I reached Clavans. Easy walking through the forest saw me reach Clavans le Bas and a short sharp drop followed and I reached a road and there the climb to Besse started.

A steep climb up through the woods gained over 100 metres before things eased back and the trail emerged from the woods and rose more gently towards the village. Besse is a delightful place. A jumbled collection of old well loved stone houses line the narrow lanes. I had thought to buy a baguette here but things were late opening so I just continued on through. The trail stays on the road until it reaches a basic camping area and then it rises up the right flank of an impressive valley. It was hot out here on the open hillside and as I had forgotten to refill my water bottle in the village I was hoping to reach a water source soon. On the map the trail went near a torrent on the steep hillside so I hoped to be able to refill there. I was disappointed to find that the water had carved a deep gully and it would have been too dangerous to try and reach it. I continued on and hoped for the best. Thankfully after I passed Col Nazie I was able to top up my bottle. Eventually I reached Col Saint Georges (2237mtrs) and I has reached the Plateau d'Emparis. This was a delightful undulating grassy landscape filled with wildflowers and backed by rolling mountaintops. It was a joy to walk through as I headed towards Col de Souchet (2365mtrs). I had been on the move for over six hours by now and I was on the lookout for somewhere to bivi. The plateau is off limits as there are signs all along the trail forbidding any camping.

 I paused at the col and when I was able to draw my eyes from the stunning view of the Meije I surveyed what lay ahead. Basically it was almost all downhill from here to La Grave but I hoped to find a bivi spot long before there. The trail dropped to the south and contoured around the mountainside. As I walked I saw a wide spur drop gently to my right and near its end there seemed to be a flat grassy area near a stream, I wasted no time and headed straight for it. It proved perfect. I soon had my tent up and I lazed away the sunny afternoon in wild camping heaven. I was well away from any trail and I basked in blissful solitude  and gazed in wonder at the stunning view. At around 5pm the breeze picked up and I heard a rumble of thunder. It came as a surprise as there was not a lot of cloud on the high mountains but when I looked back to the lower mountains surrounding the plateau there was a wall of darkness. I gathered everything into the tent and awaited the storm but it never arrived and just an hour later it was all blue sky again. All in all it was one of the best camping experiences I can remember.

Literally the view out the door of my tent.

Wednesday June 17th;

After a lovely night I was on my way again by 8am. It was a gentle easy start as I dropped slightly to a trail that crossed the spur and re-joined the GR54 trail at Chicot. This trail dropped down to the village/town of La Grave. After getting a few supplies here I left and followed the route that went alongside the river to Villar d'Arene. While it isn't flat it certainly has less climbing than following the "official" route that climbs over 150 metres through the woods only to drop down to the river beside Villar again. Once I joined the trail again I followed it easily as rose very gently alongside the river. After a couple of kilometres it crossed to reach a road. A few hundred metres later it passed a pretty little lake and then traversed above the valley floor until after a kilometre or so the valley narrows and the trail climbs steeply above a gorge until after gaining 200 metres in height things ease back and you head for Alpe de Villar d'Arene. The scenery all around is wonderful and and becomes more spectacular and complex as you go on. Below the Romanche river turns southeast into another valley at the back of which mighty peaks rise to over 3600 metres. 

Stunning view from the refuge. The Romanche in the valley below.

I was feeling quite good but I decided to head to the nearby refuge and see if it was possible to bivouac near it. As I got nearer and nearer there seemed little likelihood so I opted to stay. It was just 14.15 but I had been on the move for over six hours and it felt like a reasonable effort for today. I had decided to only go as far as Monetier les Bains the following day. That would make it almost like a rest day as it shouldn't take more than a few hours to reach it. I would then follow the required schedule for the remainder of the trek. There was a lot of people milling about and as the dorms wouldn't be ready until 16.00 I found a shady spot and relaxed. Later, once settled in the dorm I took a nap and cooked my dinner and whiles away the evening reading and gazing in wonder at the views. I tried to charge my battery pack but the cable wasn't connecting . When I tried to pull it out of the connection it was stuck fast and eventually broke. I managed to borrow one from the refuge and got everything charged, but I would have to try and sort something out in Monetiers the following day.

Thursday June 18th;

I slept quite well despite the heat in the dorm and it was another lovely weather morning when I went down for breakfast at 6.45 the following morning. The guardian requested that we eat early as they were  expecting helicopter deliveries quite early. I had decided to pay for breakfast so as to conserve my own supplies for the more remote following days but I was less than overwhelmed by the fare. The coffee was good but I wasn't in the mood to eat much. I tried to eat a decent amount but it was all too stale or too sweet. I was on the move by 7.20. The refuge is at 2071 metres and the high point of the day was to be the Col de Arsine at 2348 metres so there wasn't a lot of climbing to do. The going is easy as the trail rises gradually towards the col. Straight ahead there are ever improving views of a spectacular cirque of glaciated peaks rising to over 3600 metres. I reached the pass easily and looked forward to vistas new. Just below the pass there was an enchanting area where small blue pools and cascades glistened in the sun. It was a truly beautiful place. The trail continued into the narrowing valley until it reached the small Lac de la Douche where it entered the trees.

It was at this point that I took out my phone to take a picture and I was alarmed to see welcome scrolling across the screen in various languages...WTF. I tried to get it working by re-starting and it was still the same. Now here is the problem, I had taken my work phone because it takes better pictures than my own and when I re-started I had to log into the company system. Normally not a problem if you can remember the password but of course I couldn't . I had no choice but to continue to Monetier and see if I could contact home from there and get the password etc. I went to the tourist office and was met with a somewhat uncooperative lady who presented a series of nons. I walked to a nearby Italian restaurant and there I met a delightful woman who lent me her phone and allowed me to call home. I was eventually able to try to log in again but the next obstacle appeared when a verification number was being sent to my own phone, the sim of which was in my work phone. Goosed again. I waited a couple of hours (during which the heavens opened in a thunder storm) and caught the but to Briancon where I hoped that a phone shop would sort me out. The "Orange" shop was the first to present itself and the staff were wonderful. They too my sim out and used an unlocked phone so I was able to get the verification and finally log into the phone. I had thought to buy a phone as well for my sim but the cheapest they had was over 500€. 

I resolved to stay in Briancon that night and return to the trail the following day. Once settled in my hotel I set about putting all the apps back into the phone, especially Mapy.cz who I had a subscription with so I could use it for all my navigating needs. I was also gutted to discover that all my pictures were wiped when the phone had done a motherboard re-set. Bollocks to it. 

Friday June 19th;

It was another clear sunny morning when I emerged from the hotel  after a restive night. I was having severe doubts about continuing the hike. I was gutted to have lost all the pictures and another issue was the fact that the next section was over some high passes, some of which were closed due to snow. I had  thought that  I could continue along the GR 50 but from what I could see it travelled at lower levels and I was struggling to see what possible route I could take to cover the remaining 8 days I had left. I was stressed and struggling. I set off out of town and with each step my spirits got lower and my feet more leaden. I made a decision then and there to return home. I did a search and saw that there was a flight to Cork from Carcasonne the following day so I rang my wife and she booked me on it. I secured a hotel in Carcasonne for tonight and headed for the train station. A butt numbing 5 hour slow train to Marseilles was followed by another 3 hour journey to Carcasonne. My phone troubles were not over however as just after leaving Marseilles I went to check the name of the hotel in Carcasonne only to discover it was after doing a re-set again. A fellow passenger searched the hotels for me and it was just a few minutes walk from the train station when I arrived at nearly 11pm. I was glad I had decided to end the trip.

Monabrack, Knockaterriff, Lyracappul and Galtymor

Wednesday May 27th;

After the disappointing weather of the previous week Ireland was now enjoying record breaking temperatures of May. Just a week before I had "enjoyed" wind and rain and temperatures that struggled to reach the low double digits. Today the temperature was forecast to reach 31 degrees. What a contrast.

I wanted to get a decent round in so I parked in Kings Yard and decided to head in the glen under Monbrack and go from there to Knockaterriff and possibly even Temple Hill before heading to Lyreacappul and then along the ridge to Galtymor. Wow it was warm verging on hot when I left the car at 10.45. I was glad I had four litres of water in the bag. The walk into the glen is always a joy. It feels wild and you know that you are entering a different world. The 300 metre climb to the top of Monabrack looms above and once I was across the river (no footbridge anymore) I began the climb. Nice and steady was the mantra but I was pleased with my progress and before long the expanding views towards the Knockmealdowns provided ample reason to pause and drink some water. Eventually the broad top was reached and there was now a bit of a breeze to enjoy as well as the glorious views. I wasted no time in dropping into the deep glen under Knockaterriff and began the steep 200 metre climb. I was feeling good and it felt wonderful to be out in such glorious weather. 

Fine and lonely stand of trees

Galtymór a fair ways above Monabrack

I enjoyed a bite of lunch at the top and surveyed the route ahead. I decided that for today, in the heat, I would give Temple Hill a miss and instead head directly to Lyracappul. The normally super boggy stretch to the base of the climb was easy to cross today as things had dried out a lot in the few hot days we had had. I was also delighted with how I felt on the 200 metre climb to the 830 metre top. Lyracappul has I think the best views in the whole range. The views to the north, where the ground sweeps steeply down for 2000 feet to the farmland below is wonderful. I set off along the airy ridge and before long I reached the final climb of the day, the near 200 metre pull to the summit of Galtymór. I hadn't seen another person all day until until just below the top I was met three other hikers. From the summit cairn I turned and descended directly to the conjunction of three streams and then returned easily to the car. It had been a lovely outing. I had covered 17 kilometres, climbed 1200 metres in 5 hours 30 mins.

Camping for a few days in Cahersiveen

 I took the plunge and booked a week off work for the third week in May and set off west to one of my favourite campsites, Mannix Point in Cahersiveen. I booked in for four nights and I must say I was looking forward to it. All I needed now was some decent weather. Well as luck would have it the forecast was rubbish and stiff winds and mostly rainy days were to be my lot.

Tuesday May 19th;

My plan was simple, pack in some cycling, running, hiking and fishing. Basically all I like to do. My first order of business was to get some bait for the fishing so I stopped in Rossbeigh and dug some lugworm and collected a good few peeler crabs, which when added to the frozen bait I already had meant I was set fair. I even managed to get my digging done in between squally showers so I was happy and relieved as I drove through the rain to Cahersiveen. Now all I had to do was get the tent up. Once again I was lucky and the rain stayed away until about five minutes after I had everything done. Result. It was now after 3pm so I didn't really have the time to do anything other than a run. I have been nursing a knee injury to my right knee. I don't know if it is a hamstring or ligament problem but it has definitely curtailed my activities of late. I had taken a fortnight off running until a few days before I left and the few runs I had done went well, much to my relief. I didn't want to overdo it so I decided that a gentle 8 or 10 kilometres would be fine. I set off into town and crossed the bridge and headed towards White Strand. Not that I had any intention of going that far. By the time I reached the junction above the playing field I had covered four kilometres so I reckoned a kilometre further would be enough. As it turned out I went as far as the spectacular stone ringforts and turned for home from there. I was well pleased with myself to have done a reasonable 12 kilometres on day one and thankfully the knee wasn't too sore afterwards. The weather was showing some signs of improvement so I headed to the lovely beach at Reenroe to try a spot of surfcasting. It was high tide by the time I got there and the big swell was crashing right to the back of the beach so I stayed on a grassy platform near the road and fished hard for over two hours without any success. At least it stayed dry while I was at the beach but it rained heavily into the night and the wind ensured that the tent was given a stiff test. Still the forecast for tomorrow was a little better.

Wednesday May 20th;

After a windy rainy night it was a relief to wake this morning and find that at least the rain had stopped. There was more of a breeze than I would have liked and the cloud still hung low on the hills. The plan for today was to go for a cycle and the route I had planned wouldn't be too big (about 70 kilometres) and had a reasonable amount of climbing . I was hoping that the stretch beyond Ballinskelligs would offer amazing views, especially in the St Finnans Bay area.

I set off through the town shortly after 10am and I must say I was regretting not wearing more clothes. I just had a t-shirt inside my rainproof jacket and a long sleeve top would have been better. I reckon it was struggling to hit 10 degrees. I hoped that the long drag to the pass at Coar would warm me up and it did to a extent, but the long descent on the far side meant I was again chilly. Once I reached the Waterville road I turned into the breeze. It was about 16 kilometres to reach the ring of Kerry road so I didn't push too hard and stayed in a gear I could easily manage. Of greater concern was the fact that there seemed to be a mist coming inland from the sea and by the time I reached Dromid it was drizzling steadily and this soon turned to rain  Now I really regretted not having that extra layer on.  Add to this the fact that the cloud was now very low so this meant my hoped for views around St Finnans Bay  wouldn't be seen so it was an easy decision to cut the outing short. Instead I cycled most of the way to Ballinskelligs and then turned towards Cahersiveen. It ended up being a 55 kilometre outing so it wasn't too bad. I arrived back at the campsite chilled and soaked but the warm shower and fresh clothes made me feel good again. A decent lunch in the excellent kitchen of the site and I was ready for the rest of the day.

The weather improved and the rain stopped and patches of blue sky appeared as I drove towards Waterville where I planned to fish the golf course beach for a few hours. Conditions looked excellent and the weather was actually quite nice but I didn't get a nibble. Disappointed, I packed up at 6pm and decided to try Reenard Pier on my way back. The wind out at the end of the pier was really strong and when you add in the return of the rain I decided to retreat back to my tent. Once again it rained and blowed into the night.

Thursday May 21st;

After a fairly wild and wet night I rose to a less windy but still wet morning. It was a day for a run. I wouldn't go up any hills as the cloud was still down to about 200 metres so I decided to do the Laharn Bog Trail, a waymarked route around Bentee that was about 15 kilometres long but as I was starting a kilometre off the trail it should be 17 kilometres.

Oh dear but I felt rough at the start of the run. My knee hurt and as it was uphill for the first kilometre I struggled badly. Thankfully things eased after a while and once I reached the trail road things levelled off and my knee started to feel okay as well. I didn't know what to expect from the route but at least it was something new to me so I was looking forward to it. After six kilometres of running on quiet country lanes the trail turned onto a green road that crossed wild boggy ground before it reached another road. After a few hundred metres this road became a forest track that was a delight for the next couple of kilometres before it ended when it reached the road I had earlier left. Now I was once again on tarmac but the going was easy. The next four kilometres the road descended gently and traversed under the slopes of Bentee and a wide expanse of bog was on the right. I knew that the trail joined the Kerry Way as it neared Cahersiveen but I managed to miss the turnoff. I stayed on the road until it reached the busy main road outside the town and followed this back to the campsite. It added a little distance to the outing but avoided a little climbing so I was just as happy. Once again I was soaking wet when I got back but well pleased to have completed an 18.5 kilometre run. The longest I had done since the start of February. In the evening I went to Reenard Pier for another attempt at fishing and once again the wind made it hard work. When heavy rain arrived after a couple of fruitless hours I called it a day.

Friday May 22nd;

Finally the forecast was for the day to be mostly dry. After the run yesterday my knee was quite tight but I was determined to get a hike in. There was a fair bit of cloud about but I could see Drung hill in the distance and it's summit was clear of cloud so I decided to head in that direction. I drove up to the place where the Kerry Way meets a country lane and I parked there. I decided that I would climb Been Hill and go from there as far as Drung Hill and return to the car on the Kerry Way. I walked along the trail for a couple of kilometres until I reached a spot where I could easily gain access to the south-westerly spur of Been Hill. This rises fairly gently to the broad top and doesn't present any difficulties. Once again the wind was strong and I had my hat and coat on the whole time. The highest tops of Terromoyle and Com Na Charria where covered by the cloud but thankfully I was able to enjoy views almost all the time. I was pleased that my knee had loosened out and it didn't present too many issues on the way up. I hoped that the descent would also be okay.

Looking back towards Cahersiveen

As luck would have it a veil of cloud swept across the summit when I arrived so I wasted no time in heading to the next top Beenmore. The gentle descent to the col went well as did the climb to the summit and as I was once again free of cloud I was able to enjoy the views down to Comnacronia lake, the first of a total of six lakes that nestle in the Glenbeigh Horseshoe. Once on top I walked the kilometre to Drung hill and then dropped steeply to the Kerry Way some 350 metres below. I followed the way for the six kilometres and finally reached my car. When I started driving back the rain once again arrived with a vengeance. It was just that sort of week. I had really enjoyed the outing. 15 kilometres, almost 1000metres ascent in just over four hours.

Towards Rossbeigh from Drung Hill

It did clear up again in the evening so I ventured to Coonana pier for a couple of hours fishing. It wasn't great but at least it was sheltered enough to fish easily and a couple of Ballan Wrasse obliged. This basically ended the adventure as I returned home the following morning. I also returned minus my tent as the wind had rent a one foot tear in the flysheet and I could see another area that was about to go as well. It was a not very expensive one from Decathlon which I had used a fair bit since Covid and had served me very well. I shall get another one.