The six valleys of the Oisans
The six valleys of the Oisans
This is high-mountain country, sheltered by the massifs of the Ecrins and the Grandes Rousses, and dominated by the Meije and the Pic Blanc.
Allemont lies at the entrance to the Eau d'Olle Valley, the most wooded of the Oisans valleys. Worth visiting are Grand'Maison dam (water sports on Le Verney lake) and its museum of hydropower, Hydrélec.
Head on to Villard Reculas, an authentic mountain village which has remained unspoilt. Join the Sarenne valley via a tricky, narrow road that leads up to Huez-Alpe d'Huez, one of France's finest ski areas. Take the Pic Blanc cable-car for panoramic views of the Grandes Rousses. Stop off at the church of Notre Dame des Neiges to see its Stations of the Cross painted by Arcabas.
Take the road leading to the altiport and continue on to Clavans. You are now entering the wildest valley of the Oisans, the Ferrand valley. You will see numerous old houses that used to be owned by pedlars from the valley. 4 km along the road is Besse, a high-mountain village with winding narrow streets and typical Oisans-style houses with wooden balconies and traditional lauze-tiled roofs. The next stopping point is Mizoën, on a promontory from which you can almost reach out and touch the Meije.
From here you can reach the plateau d'Emparis, a famous belvedere with a nature trail and a waterfall called La Pisse. The road then takes you down to Chambon dam. When it was built, between 1927 and 1935, three hamlets were submerged for ever.
Stop off at Le Freney with its tufa bell tower. Then drive down the section of road known as the "Rampe des Commères" (the "Gossips' Incline").
Clapiers is at the entrance to the Vénéon valley, the most legendary valley of the Oisans.
The first village, Venosc, used to be the capital of flower pedlars. A cable-car provides a link with the resort of Les 2 Alpes. A remarkable feature of Venosc is its 14th-century church with a tufa bell tower and baroque altarpiece.
Next you will drive through St Christophe en Oisans, where several generations of famous mountaineers have been buried in the cemetery. Visit the museum of mountaineering.
The end of the road is at La Bérarde, considered the "Mecca" for mountaineers. It is a starting point for numerous magnificent walks and climbs in the Ecrins National Park.
On your return stop off at Bourg d'Oisans, capital of the Oisans, before continuing back to Grenoble via the Romanche valley. This impressive and austere valley is dominated by the sheer sides of the Belledonne and Taillefer ranges. The river Romanche has been harnessed to produce hydropower, which used to fire forges and furnaces.
Worth seeing :
Lauvitel lake
Le Chatelleret refuge (starting from La Bérarde)
Industrial sites in Livet and Gavet
Worth tasting :
Mountain trout
Diots (small sausages)
Crozets de l'Oisans (small cubes of pasta based on soft wheat flour)
