Tuesday 26 July 2022
| Distance (km) | 12 kms | |||
| Distance (time) | 4 hrs | |||
| Climb / Descent | 450m / 730m | |||
| Hard / Soft surface | 30% / 70% | |||
| Landscape |
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| Weather |
 32° 1 Bft
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The third day of our 3-days start of this year's walk. We have negotiated with the hotel owner that we can have breakfast at 6:45 so that we have time
to get organized and take the 8:00 bus to Pian del Colle from where we then can take the 8:30 bus to Les Granges again. So we have it all sorted out and indeed
take the 8:00 bus as planned. What was not so planned is that the first bus to Les Granges is at 9:00 and not at 8:30. Why...nobody knows. And so we have to wait 35 minutes. Half an hour later the next bus from the city arrives and this time it brings a looooot of walkers. At least 3 couples and a group of 7-8 Argentinians. We know that the shuttle to Les Granges has only 8 seats, so that will be a bit of a fight to get on board. So when the shuttle arrives we're fast to cue and a nice Italian couple points out to the drivers that we were here first and they were second...and so we and the other 3 couples go on board and the group of Argentinians will have to wait 30 minutes for the next bus. Of course it makes sense that most people want to use the first bus and it would have made sense if the first and last bus of the day would have been bigger. But hey, there is at least a shuttle. And so we step out at 9:15 in Les Granges and start our walk. It immediately starts climbing to Col des Thures, but were yesterday was steep and warm, today's climb is gentle and winding through the forest. We leave together with two elderly ladies accompanied by an elderly man and the ladies have a lot to discuss in the forest. They climb faster than we do and we can hear them talk and talk and talk a few hairpins above us. But all that talking takes oxygen and at some point they're having more mini-breaks than that they are walking and we pass them again. Now the forest opens up and with a last short climb we enter a wide open plateau with a small lake that does have water: Lac des Thures. We decide to have a small break here to have something to eat as we can pleasantly sit here with a cooling wind and a few over the small lake. Now we do have some concerns about the descent, considering the steep parts yesterday. Today will again be a gentle descent through the pastures before it drops down into the Clarée valley and it's that drop that might be ugly again. But by the time we get there it is in fact a very well maintained path going down. Sure, it's a bit steeper here and there and when two girls with horses want to pass us we have to squeeze ourselves against a tree to create the necessary space for them, but all together we're quite happy. Close to an impressive sand stone pillar the path splits. To the right used to be the GR5, descending a bit further before following an old forest track to Roubion. However, since this year the GR5 goes straight ahead following a narrow track with serious descent at the end. Old track or new track....what should we do? We decide for the old GR5 and descend to the Torrent de Roubion from where the path is indeed an old forest track. But very old and quite stoney. A bit further down some attempts have been done to civilize the torrent a bit by building a very large spillway that now blocks our road. I guess this is why the GR5 now takes a different route, but it's a bit late to return now. And so we have carefully lower ourselves 2-3 meters into the dry river bed at the foot of the spillway, cross it, and climb up the steep shorebank on the other side. It takes some time and drops of sweat, but we're back on our way. We enter Roubion and join the new GR5 track again. There is a nice bench in the shadow here and since my stomach is screaming for another snack again we have a short break. We have plenty of time to make it to Plampinet. The last hour walking is through the valley of the Clarée and is mostly very warm through the woods, but without having much shadow unfortunately. We arrive in Plampinet and find the only little spot of shadow next to the parking where we have to wait half an hour for our taxi to bring us to the camping site. We agree with the driver that he will bring us back to Plampinet on Thursday at 7:00 so that we can continue again. But for now we have to fast shower and organize ourselves because at \ 16:45 there is a bus to Modane that we want to catch to recover our car. And yes, this time the bus does show up...and 3 hours later we're back on the camping with our car. In the end it worked out fine, apart from the 63 euro toll then. |
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