Tuesday 5th July: Blue skies, a few fluffy white clouds, 15°C to 22°C
Fouillouse to Maljasset: 11k walk: 8.20am to 11.50pm: 3 hrs 30 mins
Accommodation: Auberge de la Cure Maljasset
Leaving Fouillouse
An easy short 11k, 3hr walk along the valley road to Maljasset. A beautiful deep valley and highlight was getting to Maljasset early at 11.50pm and meeting Klyte, an Australian girl married to Hubert, a French cook, who both manage the Auberge de la Cure.
An early morning shower at Auberge des Granges in Fouillouse, because we can, then down to breakfast at 7am. Our 4 French friends walking south on a section of the GR5, are already there as they have a long hike to Larche, our walk yesterday. Breakfast is muesli and yoghurt, bread jam and butter with hot tea or coffee. I pay the 269 euro bill in cash, and we're down the road at 8.20am.
Petite and Grande Serenne in valley of St Paul/Ubaye
Deep gorge
Tunnel down from Fouillouse
River L'Ubaye
Morning tea
Down on a road but still magnificent
Alps all around
Arriving in Maljasset at midday
Lunch at Auberge de la Cure
Maljasset from Marble Quarry
Massive slabs of rock Marble Quarry
Embracing the simple pleasures aka missing out on quarry walk
Auberge de la Cure
The morning is a cool 15°C and the entire walk today is on the valley road. There's no alternative except to do 2 high cols across to Italy that will take us two days not one day into Maljasset. We can see Petite Serenne and Grande Serenne, two small villages down in the valley. In 2012 Ian and I were only 20k away across the alps walking the GR6 to the Lac de Serre Poncon, the man made lake near Embrum.
The road zig zags down 300 metres across a small bridge spanning an enormously deep gorge before meeting the valley road at the bottom where we turn right onto the road up the Vallon du Maurin along the L'Ubaye River. It's a very narrow pretty valley with tall mountains on both sides and the road ascends 300 metres gradually as it rolls up the valley. There's quite a few cars travelling on the road to Maljasset and we have to step aside to let them pass.
Jenny and Graham are sprinting ahead on this easy walk while Ian stops to take photos and after 2 hours we join them sitting on a rock overlooking the village of La Barge. It's a beautiful spot sitting on a rock under a shady tree for morning coffee with the mountains ahead, behind us and on either side, and a creek rushing below.
La Barge is only 2k from Maljasset, so it's an easy stroll down the road to the village of a dozen houses and we soon come to the Auberge de La Cure, where Klyte greets us. She’s an Australian who married Hubert, a French chef, and they manage the Auberge. It was founded in 1986 by Michel and Marie-Rose Longeron, then taken over in 2007 by their son Hubert and his wife Klyte.
It's 11.50am and Klyte, who broke her leg skiing, is hobbling around on crutches, and is about to shut up their little drinks/icecream store until it re-opens at 2pm, but she gives us the WiFi code which we all use immediately to contact home after 3 days without. There's tables where we can have an early lunch of cheese, 2 tomatoes and the stale bread we bought 2 days ago from the camp ground in Larche.
At 2pm, Klyte opens the doors and shows us to our 4 bedroom dorm with a small cubicle shower. It's cosy. We're looking forward to dinner tonight as Hubert is a French chef. Klyte tells us about a short walk up the mountain to the Marble Quarry, which Ian and I do after dumping our bags, whilst Jenny and Graham snooze in the hammocks. It's a really nice walk along the valley, across the stream and up to the mountain quarry which has been deserted for 60 years. There’s huge slabs of rock precariously perched a hundred metres above us, and it's a bit quesy standing below. The view down the valley to Maljasset with a back drop of alps is beautiful. You could say today has been beautiful and different but just as stunning as being in the high alpes.
We're back at 4pm, in time to have a shower, do some washing and sort some photos. Jenny and Graham have already started the afternoons session with a red drink of some description. I renege, as anything to drink too early, and my blog becomes too bloggy. Dinner is nice and filling, certainly not a Michelin Star Restaurant, more refuge style with lasagne and lots of salad.