of the Western Alps with Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa.
Around a couple of rocky corners is an 800m drop to the ‘St Peter’s of the Alps’, the mammoth sanctuary of Oropa. This sports a huge domed church and cavernous premises catering for the thousands of pilgrims attracted by its reputation for miracles, but is rather too busy a place for walkers to linger at length.
The peaceful Valle Cervo which follows has Alpine attraction in the shape of pretty villages. It was put on the map by an ambitious well-intentioned senator in the mid-1800s, who gave his name to Rosazza, a model village with ornate turreted palaces, mock villas and fountains, once a popular mountain resort for the well-off.
An aided stretch after leaving Rifugio Coda in the Pennine Alps
At the head of this charming valley and lively Piedicavallo, a stiff climb of 1050m leads relentlessly to Rifugio Rivetti (2150m), an eyrie back up in the clouds again. Meals are provided by an energetic team who race each other up the access path (the one you’ve just slaved up!) bearing loaded rucksacks. Just above is Punta Tre Vescovi, where a lot more was at stake during the culinary competitions held by the ‘three bishops’ who would spread out their feasts of cheese and wine on the rock slabs on the top! The outlook’s not bad either, though a short way along, at 2495m Passo del Maccagno, things open up superbly to the awe-inspiring icy sprawl of Monte Rosa.
However, not only is the vicinity of the landmark massif exciting, but the GTA is also about to enter Valsesia, homeland of the ancient Walsers who migrated to here from the North with their distinctive language and culture. Their picture-postcard timber houses have survived the ravages of time, with a little restoration, their shaded terraces and window boxes draped with bright red geraniums.
Alagna Valsesia is a perfect place for forays onto the immense southeastern flanks of Monte Rosa dotted with all manner of mechanised lifts and refuges. As a destination 3153m Punta Indren is hard to beat, set amidst green-tinged tarns and glaciers and a jumping-off point for Capanna Margherita, the highest manned hut in the whole of Europe. At 4554m, it stands on renowned Punta Gnifetti, named in honour of the parish priest who first ‘conquered’ it in 1842 in order to dispel the long-standing myths depicting it as the abode of wandering spirits.
Back on the trail, spreads of raspberries and bilberries make a tasty distraction from the fatigue of continual ups and downs en route to the peaceful traditional villages of Rima, Carcoforo, Rimella then Campello Monti, where walkers are put up in the spotless old school house, where bunks have replaced the desks. On these five final days, the GTA edges its way around the easternmost fringes of Monte Rosa to its conclusion in Valle Anzasca. Here a bus can be caught to the Alpine village of Macugnaga for close-ups of dramatic icy landscapes beneath the southeastern face of majestic Monte Rosa.
Near the trek’s conclusion, this view from Bocchetta dell’Usciolo overlooks the Ossola valley through to Switzerland
TREK 2
Tour of the Queyras by Alan Castle
| Start/Finish | Montdauphin-Guillestre in the Durance Valley, 34km south of Briançon |
| Distance | 186km |
| Grade | Moderate |
| Time | 12 days (a shortened version of about 8 days is also easily possible) |
| Terrain | French and Italian Alps between Briançon and Turin |
| Max Altitude | 2921m (3208m optional ascents) |
| Guidebooks | Tour of the Queyras by Alan Castle (Cicerone Press, 2009) |
| Accommodation | Gîtes d’étape and mountain refuges, with occasional optional hotels |
Contained within a fortnight’s holiday, this tour would make a splendid introduction to the Alps – and to the joys of Alpine trekking – for the keen hillwalker. Isolated and unspoilt, villages and valleys of the Queyras region will be as memorable as peaks and passes as the route weaves a meandering course, nudging against the Italian border in the French département of Hautes-Alpes. Of the many tantalising peaks on show, spectacular Monte Viso (Monviso to the Italians) entices the trekker across the border to give an optional diversion, while several summits accessible to walkers add further excuses to stray from the basic tour. But it is the fine scenery and unique cultural heritage of this comparatively remote area that makes the Queyras truly special and worthy of its status as a Regional Nature Park, and this multi-day tour unearths its essence.
Tour of the Queyras
The view from Col de l’Eychassier
The 7 Degrés Est gîte d’étape at l’Echalp
Where to go for a first Alpine trek?
If you are unsure of your abilities you wouldn’t want to plunge in at the deep end by choosing a very demanding and exposed trail. But several areas of the Alps would fit the bill, and I always advise first-timers to look seriously at an area of the French Alps that lies adjacent to the Italian border – the Queyras. Although in sight of Monte Viso, one of the most dramatic and iconic giants of the Alps, the quiet, unassuming, seductive Queyras, despite being very popular with the French, is largely unknown to outsiders, and is one of the Alps’ best kept secrets. Sheltered to the west by the high peaks of the Écrins, it is one of the sunniest areas of the Alps, with a mass of Alpine flowers early in the season. And what a thrill it would be to explore this magical wonderland for the very first time! The Tour of the Queyras requires little or no scrambling ability, and no more exposure than might be expected on an average walk in the mountains of Britain, although some of the route is over areas of schist which can be rather loose and slippery, particularly in bad weather conditions.
Not only is the Queyras a good area for an Alpine walking novice to explore, but as there are no glaciers and most of its summits are at a relatively low altitude, it’s a great place for competent hillwalkers and non-technical peak baggers who want to climb a summit or three without the necessary climbing equipment, experience or guides.
I’ve known the Queyras for well over 20 years, visiting it many times, but rarely have I seen other British walkers, for they flock to the popular regions further north and west, and miss out on one of the true gems of the Alps. The great beauty and allure of the Queyras, the friendliness of her people, the abundance of her charming hamlets, villages, gîtes and refuges, make it an extremely special area, and I feel a deep love for this land which, as a foreigner, I am quite at a loss to explain.
I hope you will choose the Queyras for your next walking holiday, and embark on a special journey through an enchanting region, over high cols, up remote summits, through scented pine forests, along lush Alpine valleys, across high pastures and flower-strewn meadows. To see the region at its best there’s nothing to beat a refuge-to-refuge, or gîte-to-gîte, walking tour. On such an adventure you will be sleeping each night high up in the mountains, where gorgeous sunsets can be enjoyed, or in one of the many tranquil, age-old hamlets and villages in the Alpine glens of the Queyras.
The main Grande Randonnée trail here is the circular GR58, and for the most part our trek follows this, although on the first and last day we make use