Friday 8th July: Slightly overcast then blue skies 15°C to 24°C
Ville Vieille to La Chalp: 10k walk: 8.20am to 1.20pm: 5 hrs
Accommodation: La Fere d’Izoard, La Chalp
Fort Queyras
Meadows, pine trees, Bois de Roue
Oh Lonesome me!!
.2k to Belvederes - Great Views!
To the left Fort Queyras
To the right Alps and Col Fromage
Storms building in alps
Lunch at La Ferme d'Izoard
Down to Arvieux for supplies
The haul - 24 meals for 90 Euro
The result - ham, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, bread and wine
A beautiful but short day, our second last walking day on the GR5. Through a beautiful forest track to the Bois de Roue where the high point is not too high at 1857m, then down to the picturesque valley with the Torren d'Izoard racing through.
Awake at 7am and have a shower in a small cubicle in our dorm room for 6 persons with just two of us - Jenny and Graham have the same set up. Breakfast at 7.30am is really nice with home made bread and butter and hot coffee. We say goodbye to Anne and Phillip after chatting about their ultra trail running exploits and leave at 8.20am to walk back over the bridge to the boulangerie to buy two loaves of bread - one long baguette and one country round.
The main road, the D947 is too busy and too dangerous to walk down so we go back to the grassy path on the other side to walk the 2.7k back into Chateau Queyras to the point where we left the GR5 yesterday. Then it's up the road, past the Fort Queyras which doesn't open until mid July, along the main road for 200 metres then up the steep GR5. It's quite steep as it winds its way up a stony forested track with views back to Fort Queyras. It takes 2 hrs to get to a wooded plateau called the Bois de Roue, with a carpet of meadow flowers beneath pine trees. It's a cool 18°C and 11am, and we're looking for a morning tea spot. The only obvious place is a flat area amongst the yellow flowers. There's signs nearby that tell us we've reached the high point of 1857 metres in the Bois de Roue and only have about 2 hrs to walk to La Chalp. So it's a lazy morning tea sitting in the flowers.
Setting off 40 minutes later, I check the other side of the sign near where we had been sitting to see that it says 300 metres to the Belvederes – the Lookouts! It's worth the extra bit and in 5 minutes we discover we'd missed a golden opportunity to have morning tea with a choice of two fantastic views - complete with seats. One view was back down the valley to Fort Queyras, and the other back to Col Fromage where we had walked yesterday. Oh well, we can't win all the time picking the best coffee spot.
Back on the main track, we follow a forest road to the small village of Les Maisons where we see only half a dozen elderley people and finally La Chalp, a small modern village comes into view not far below. A five minute walk brings us to our hotel for the next 2 nights, La Ferm d'Izoard, a 3 star Logis hotel. We're too early to check in so we kindly ask the manager if it would be ok to buy 4 beers and sit in the beer garden with our picnic lunch. She says ok and we do. And then the storm we have seen looming sprinkles just 10 drops of rain on our umbrella.
Half an hour later, our rooms are ready. They're really nice - they'd need to be at 115 euro per room per night. Ian and I sort out some emails then walk the 2k back down to Arvieux to the only shop in the valley. It's only a 20 minute walk down the road to buy enough supplies for 24 meals over 2 nights for 4 people - 8 dinners, 8 breakfasts, 8 lunches - for 90 euro. But only tinned tomatoes!!!!! NONE OF THE THREE SHOPS IN THE VILLAGE HAVE ANY TOMATOES!! DAMN!!! We return with loaded backpacks in time to watch the last 20 minutes of the Tour de France. Stephen Cummings from BMC is the winner. Not a terribly exciting race but it's amazing to see the throngs of people on the Col d'Aspin.
A shower, some photo sorting, and at 6.30pm time for a beer and wine that we've stashed in our small fridge in our mini kitchenette. Jenny and Graham join us and soon we're having dinner of fried onions, tinned tomatoes, chunky ham, fresh lettuce with cheese and egg, washed down with wine followed by dark nutty chocolate.
Bed time at 9pm. Ian and I are hoping to climb the Col d'Izoard. Jenny and Graham. Hmmm?