Traversée du Mercantour Est: Fri, 22nd Jun 2012 - Fri, 29th Jun 2012
The Parc National du Mercantour has it all: rugged peaks, deep gorges, alpine meadows, lakes, forests, Bronze Age engravings as well as a rich arrray of fauna, including Ibex of the four legged variety. This long narrow park, created in 1979, extends for 80 km South East from the town of Barcelonette to the road across Col du Tende into Italy. Its northern limits partly share the Italian border, which this traversée will cross on days 2 and 3.
The six walking days will take us from the ski resort of Isola 2000 (partly reachable by public transport from Nice with the last 17 km by taxi) to the small town of St Dalmas de Tende (which is conveniently located on a SNCF line with frequent trains to Nice). Most of the way is along the GR52 or its variants. We will be carrying our rucksacks and staying in CAF and CAI refuges most nights (these provide beds, food and drink). The scenery will be nothing short of stunning, the weather should be at its best and the food, even in the refuges, is guaranteed to be absolutely scrumptious. Walking will be between four and six hours per day on "undulating" (occasionally steep) rocky paths (maximum daily ascent is 940m on day 3, longest descent is a whopping 1430m on day 6). In terms of difficulty, the trip can be described as on the whole relatively moderate with quite strenuous bits in between.
If you are interested, please send me, Diane, an email between 27th November and 20th December (as I will be away before and after those dates). I will then send you more info and ask you for a deposit of £150. Please note that you will have to book your own transport to and from Nice (best done as early as possible).
Approximate cost: 350 euros. This covers all the transfers, accommodation and food (not the drinks but wine is cheap in that part of the world). To this, one should add the cost of transport to and from Nice (about £100.00 for an EasyJet flight if booked very early).
More Information
You should contact the organiser of this club event - Diane Dejaeghere - to enquire about spaces available.
| Deposit: | £150 (balance calculated during trip) |
| Accommodation: | Various |