The French Alps (Les Ecrins)

Having visited the Italian Alps in at least seven different areas (see previous trips), I thought it was time to try the French Alps. I chose the Ecrins National Park area because I wanted to avoid the overcrowded and expensive Mont Blanc area and because the handy Cicerone guide-book had tempting pictures of three adjacent valleys that reach into the heart of big mountains. The valleys in question are Valgaudemar, Veneon and Romanche. Although they start from widely separated points, they all end up next to each other amidst the Massif des Ecrins.

Valgaudemar is the most southerly of the three and goes east from the village of St Firmin along the Severaisse River, with La Chapelle as the main resort. Vallee du Veneon is in the middle of the three and runs south-east from the town of Le Bourg d’Oisans along the Veneon River to the summer resort of La Berarde. Vallee de la Romanche is the most northerly, also starting from Le Bourg d’Oisans but runs east along the Romanche River, turning south at the village of Villar d’Arene.

Click to enlarge the map.