Читать книгу Tour of the Queyras. The GR58 and GR541 in the French Alps онлайн

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The major town of the Queyras is Guillestre, on the southwestern outskirts of the district. Several large villages or small towns in the region – such as Abriès, Saint-Véran and Ceillac – have expanded over the last few decades to accommodate the growing skiing and tourist industry. The nearest large town to the Queyras is Briançon, 34km (21 miles) north of Guillestre on the N94 along the Durance valley.

The classic road approach to the Queyras is via the famous Col d’lzoard (2361m/7740ft) on the D902 from Briançon and Cervières. This is one of the most impressive road passes in the Alps, providing spectacular views, but usually made impassable by snow from October to May. The other approach is from Gap and Embrun to the southwest, then through the Combe du Queyras on the D902 to Château-Queyras, and on up the Guil valley to Abriès.

The mountains effectively prevent a southern approach to the region, and the peaks and high cols forming the Franco–Italian border isolate the district from Italy. There is one route through the heart of the Queyras and over into Italy. It runs from Château-Queyras to Ville-Vieille and on past the Demoiselle Coiffée (a natural feature that consists of a high earth pillar surmounted by a large boulder), continuing to La Rua, Molines-en-Queyras, Pierre Grosse and Fontgillarde, and up to Col Agnel on the border with Italy. On the author’s previous visits in the 1980s, the latter stages of this ascent were on an unsurfaced track, requiring the use of a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Now this track is fully metalled, and links with the road descending from Col Agnel to Chianale in Italy and so on to Turin. The route is an ancient one, and many believe it to be the line taken by Hannibal and his elephants in the legendary crossing of the Alps.