VERCORS ❘ ACTIVE FRANCE
“ALTHOUGH AT FIRST I CLING ONTO THE ROCK LIKE A BARNACLE, I SOON FIND MYSELF SCRAMBLING UP CRAGS WITHOUT MUCH HESITATION. ”
accessible for all and well-maintained. We cross over the Bourne river and follow the trail alongside the Méaudret towards Méaudre; parts of the path are gravel and some are boardwalk due to sections being zones humides (protected wetlands). While the boost the electric mountain bike gives feels odd at first, it’s great being able to move so quickly, cover more ground and see much more without being so tired. You can appreciate the scenery without being breathless, and zoom up hills without feeling lazy, as you’re still pedalling. Along the way we stop at L’atelier créatif petites fées, a pottery workshop run by former cross-country skier Hélène Rochas. The plates she’s currently working on are etched with the silhouette of the mountain range she sees from her studio.
Hélène is one of a number of artisans dotted along the ViaVercors who welcome visitors. We are also introduced to Marion and Yannick Rochas (unrelated to Hélène) at La Ferme du Pic Saint Michel in Lans-en-Vercors. Here we meet their herd of 60 Chamoisée goats, each with names beginning with a different letter depending on the year they were born –Yannik tells me his three favourite names this year are Sue, She and Shakira. After sampling some goat’s cheese, we get back on our bikes and head along the route of the old Grenoble- Villard tram to Lans-en-Vercors. The ViaVercors is very well laid out and offers an excellent way to discover the scenery without worrying about traffic, and a chance to get to know the people of the area and their artisanal way of life.
FACE YOUR FEARS
On the only rainy day of the week, sheltered in the woods above Autrans, high up in the trees I find myself hurtling along ziplines and springing from platform to platform, strapped up in my safety harness. It’s a fun activity in which you challenge yourself and slowly gain confidence as you ‘learn the ropes’. I’m not scared of heights, but I’m not a fan of them either and so it was a relief to know there’s a variety of courses according to ability, and children as young as four are able to do it, something I remind myself of whenever I hesitate. I won’t lie: I was rather anxious about the prospect of a via corda in
the Vercors. In contrast to via ferrata’s fixed cables, steps, ladders and bridges, via corda has only a couple of carabiners located along a cliff side. Instead of being directly attached to the rocks, you are tied to other members of your group, with a rope running between you that is then looped through the fixed carabiners – it’s a true test of teamwork and cooperation. We set off in a chain of nerves from Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte through the woods and towards the three rocky needles – Les Trois Pucelles – which can be seen from Grenoble and which, according to legend, were once the daughters of the Lord of Naves who were turned to stone by Charlemagne.
On our ascent we pass the graffiti-covered ski jump from the 1968
Winter Olympics in Grenoble. Thanks to the accrobranching in Autrans, I had some experience with a carabiner, and although at first I cling onto the rock like some sort of barnacle, I soon find myself scrambling up crags without much hesitation. I also wasn’t too eager for the abseiling part – lowering myself backwards off a 20-metre ledge isn’t something I’d ever jump at the opportunity to do, but I have to say it is exhilarating. Encouraged by Jehan Roland’s pep talks
Clockwise from top left: Saint-Marcellin, nestled into the Vercors landscape; well- deserved refreshments at a cabane; enjoy a swim and admire the waterfalls at Pont- en-Royans; the Musée de l’Eau and its restaurant; Bournillon waterfall; the beautiful village of Saint-Marcellin
and motivational singing – think French Beyoncé in a safety helmet – I clamber up rock faces and try to find footing on narrow ledges that I doubt even a mountain goat would be happy to perch on. The reward is spectacular: at the top we are greeted with a panoramic view of the Vercors – a patchwork of coniferous forests and a Bleu de France sky with cotton clouds. We look towards the Valley of Grésivaudan and Grenoble sprawled out beneath us and the sheer height we are at finally sinks in. Seeing the landscape from such a high point, admiring the Vercors, the Chartreuse, Belledonne and even Mont Blanc all at once is an incredible experience that makes me reluctant to leave. Especially when the way down is via zipline…
WHAT GOES UP... There’s something much scarier about a completely horizontal zipline between two rocky needles than a slanted one that pulls you along quickly. It is onto this glorified washing line (it’s safe, of course, just horribly horizontal) that I clip my harness and pull myself across – until I reach the halfway point and Jehan shouts “STOP!”. Thinking the worst and that I’m about to fall into the expanse
below, relief floods through me as Jehan shouts, “Smiiile!” and snaps a picture of me clinging from a wire with Grenoble in the distant background. It’s a great shot, although I don’t think my parents will be too keen to see it! We return to the car full of adrenaline and a huge sense of accomplishment, and pop to the bistro in Saint-Nizier for some well-deserve nourishment. It is here, on tucking into the famed Ravioles de Royans, that I gasp as I look up at the needles between which I’d been ziplining only 15 minutes earlier.
From the dizzying heights of the peaks we plunge to the depths of the earth via the Gorges de la Bourne, a balcony road – made partly by pickaxe, partly by sheer force of will – which meanders down
❯❯ Aug/Sep 2022 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 89
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