Day 5 – Route des Grandes Alpes – Briançon to Guillestre
What a fabulous day! The threatened rain did not materialise and we set off from Briançon on a fantastic, clear sunny morning. Almost before leaving the town we hit the 20km marker for the ascent to Col d’Izoard and we began. We climbed steadily for the first 10km and then it became steeper as we wound our way through lovely pine forests offering some much needed shade. We arrived at the Col by noon delighted that the climb had not seemed so difficult – perhaps we are getting fitter🤣.
Descriptions of the descent had promised some marvellous scenery and we were not disappointed. The road hairpinned down through the ‘Casse Déserte’ described as a moonscape and certainly very arid with multiple enormous landslides. It then dropped through a beautiful verdant valley, home to numerous farms and some tiny ski resorts, before joining the main road to Guillestre. We expected this to be the least scenic part of the route but were astounded as we entered a narrow, high rocky gorge lined with autumnal trees. The gorge was so narrow and steep that we were dodging rockfall pock-marks in the road. It became even more spectacular as the river widened to the deepest teal blue pools and then dropped far below, as the road became ever more narrow and vertiginous, clinging to the mountainside. It took us through a series of tunnels barely wide enough for single lane traffic as we scooted through hearing the ominous sounds of lorries behind us. Finally we left the gorge and he valley opened out revealing the beauty of the Queyras National park.
