Italy Road Trip: Our Last Day in the Vercors.

This morning dawned bright and clear, although there was still a real chill to the air. Wondering what to do with our last day in the area we elected to return to the Vallon de Combau. Although we had been here before it was only a brief visit and we had thought the area would reward further exploration. Also the next three days are largely driving ones back to Zeebrugge, and, although there were many tempting places yet to discover, we decided to stay local rather than spend a lot of time in the car. So after breakfast we packed the daily picnic and set off. On the way I couldn't resist a quick visit back to Archiane to take some photos of the cirque with sun on it. I was also still looking for river shots. Although the water in the main valleys are cloudy with sediment, these high mountain streams are filtered through the limestone rock and crystal clear. I found the perfect spot, an ancient bridge spanning a sparkling river with a waterfall in front of it; magical. Distractions out of the way we continued up the exciting road into the Combau. At one time it would have been a road where daughter Beth would have insisted on being let out to walk while her suicidal father drove on alone. Now she has driven up and biked down 'The Most Dangerous Road in the World' in Bolivia, featured on Top Gear, this would have been nothing!! The most spectacular section is the 'gates' to the valley; huge towering cliffs on either side, the unbelievable entrance to a hidden high mountain valley of alpine pastures where transhumance is practiced. From the parking area we set off on foot, first up a wide track to a high summer farm, as yet unoccupied, and on, up ever smaller tracks to the Combau mountain refuge. From here we continued across alpine pastures and up to, first a col and then a minor summit at nearly 6000 feet. It was bitingly cold up here and when cloud blew in we 'enjoyed' a brief flurry of snow. We were amazed to find the pine trees high on the valley sides dusted with hoar frost. The temperature cannot have been much above freezing!! In the meadows around the parking area and also the higher meadows were large numbers of great yellow gentians. Unfortunately these do no flower until June and this year are a couple of weeks behind anyway. When they do come into flower, the sight will be stunning. We also found dwarf wild daffodils, poet's narcissus, carpets of cowslips and white alpine buttercups ( amplexicaule buttercups) and something I have never seen before oxlips. There were delicate blue mountain pansies, spring and trumpet gentian and, where the snow was melting, crocuses. We glimpsed vultures on the high cliffs, large flocks of alpine choughs and wheatears flitting about amongst the rocks. Perhaps the most exciting sighting though was a marmot which trundled along the path in front of us. We had been hearing their high pitched whistles for a while and, although generally very shy, this one posed beautifully for photographs occasionally popping down into its burrow in a snow filled hollow.
When we reached the col and our tiny summit the views over to the snow covered Ecrins mountains and, closer, the lost world-like Mont Aiguille and snow covered Le Grand Veymont at over 7000 feet were magnificent.
Eventually it was time to make our way down, meeting on the way my flower photography friend from a few days ago who again insisted on telling me that the winter had been too long and things were fifteen days behind. We also met up with a large group of friendly French walkers who shared a sweet sugary pastry delicacy with us. After a reviving cup of tea at the car, and photographs of the marsh marigolds and globe flowers, we set off for the long trip down to the warmer temperatures of the campsite for a welcome beer (or two - a bird never flew on one wing) before tea of ravioli out of a (big) tin, baguette and vin de pays.