Enough is enough we decided. After almost two weeks it was time to have a wild camp. We were heading for the high mountains in the Oisans and found reference to a spot above a high village.
Somehow the route takes us into Grenoble and I’m not sure if that was planned. As we drive through I wonder if they have any clean air driving restrictions. It’s too late to check on the Green Zones app that we use. By being older than 1997 this vehicle is automatically sent to the bottom of the Crit Air pack, into #9, which means we are the first to be banned from any zones whether permanent or temporary.
It’s too late and we just drive and hope that we’re aren’t in a zone and that if we are, the gendarmes aren’t ready to pounce.
Nothing happens and so we are clear. Unless there’s a letter from la France when we get home. Apparently following the recent ‘Dynamic Reset’ in relations with them, we are again sharing naughty driver data across the boundary with the EU. Sir Kier didn’t mention that in his speeches.
The road up from the north looked typically twisty and there was a possible route down the other side too, although that was less certain. So in great weather we turned south, some km before Bourg d’Oisans and eventually took the 10km road up to Villard-Reymond. This is narrow and the hairpins tight, so only smaller camper vans would go up I imagine.
At the top, instead of driving into the hamlet, we took the road around it and stopped at the col, which is the end of the tarmac. This is at about 1,700m. Here there’s a 360 view. It’s staggering and as long as it doesn’t get too cold it will be perfect. There’s a few people around and one or two cars, including a Discovery hybrid driven by a chap from not far away.
We decided to climb the nearest peak, Prégentil (1,938m) which is about 250m above us and it is an easy walk of 2km with a very steep ending. We catchup with Discovery man and his three companions and soon are given top tips for going down the other side to Bourg d’Oisans as well as other 4x4 routes that he suggests. We can see one across the valley and it looks rather too exposed and the other “might still be blocked with snow”. It’s useful to know about the gravel road off our col though.
We feel ok about our quick climb up to the summit and so once back at the col, we carry on down to the village and discover that the auberge is open and we have a drink. Someone else with whom I’ve struck up a Franglais conversation has said that most houses are owned for holidays and typically they are really only occupied in July & August.
As we enjoy Limonade Nature, the ‘Rain Viewer’ app suggests that those black clouds are coming this way and so we make a quick getaway back up to the Landy and prepare to stay inside. In fact I rush around trying to get ready in case we have to drop the roof but this industriousness is interpreted as ‘panic’, which makes for a fraught period as the rain starts and the lightening begins.
We’ve been in enough storms to know that you need to be ready for anything and so we sit and cower and hope that it’s ok to park on our own at 1,700m on a col with nothing on either side. At least there are mountains around that will catch any nasty flashes. We hope.
Dinner is made by the Star Chef, again from raw ingredients but she’s going all modern and AI. This recipe for Shakshuka came from ChatGPT by asking “what main meal can I make with eggs and courgettes?” and then “what’s the full recipe?”.
The temperature plummets and the rain lashes down and then it decides to hail. It’s not too bad though and as we get used to it, things calm down and it stops. As it gets dark we begin to like it up here again.
We can see l’Alpe d’Huez opposite, at the same height and the. away to the right, up the valley, towards les Deux Alpes, the snow of huge La Meije and the other high peaks of the Ecrins.
Nothing happens overnight except that it rains a little more but by morning the sun comes out. It wasn’t cold either. We have breakfast outside and plan a proper walk into the mountain bowl next to the hamlet. Wikiloc helps, as someone has published a loop route and it looks like it will be great.
The hard bit is done whilst still under the trees and so although it’s a bit of a pull, we aren’t too stressed by the sun when we finally get up to the ridge. It’s not long before we are amongst snow patches and we actually climb higher than the loop path to be sure that we get to about 2,150m and then we have coffee and the last pieces of cake 😢. (If you know, you know).
It’s a great walk and we continue round, past the shepherd’s hut that isn’t yet in use. It’s a heck of a place though, with a flue for a very nice wood burner inside I presume and a solar panel too. There was no evidence of a Starlink antenna but it’s not needed as bizarrely we can get 5G all the way up here.
Apparently the sheeps will be brought up in a couple of weeks. I assume that’s to make sure that there’s enough growth. It already looks very nutritious; way better than anything available in our high hills.
The only animal we see is a chamois and it’s just there! It sees us before we see it and it’s already moving away but walking slowly. So we have a few seconds to look and feel good.
The meltwaters are tumbling down. Every snow field and patch is creating water and when it has combined, the cascades are tremendous. The main one off the face off Grand Renaud (2,776m) is inaccessible but we have a good look from precarious positions to the side.
Then we are back at Villard-Reymond and the Chilli con Carne on offer at auberge L’eau Blanc is too good to resist. There’s three cyclists here (downhill from now) and some ‘locals’ who spend a lot of time kissing other arriving ‘locals’, as they walk past.
The weather forecast is not good and yesterday’s storm was just the hors d’oeuvres and we get packed, making a joint decision to go down to Bourg for the next storm.
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