The Serre-Ponçon Conclusion

Time to say goodbye to the Serre-Poncon area

At time of writing, I am sitting at the caravan at the lac de Saint Apollinaire campsite on a warm afternoon, having just finished our last walk in the area. Tomorrow we will be heading to the Vanoisse area of the Alps.

That walk was one last ascent to the Aigilles de Chabrières. Being the closest and most walked point in the area, it seemed appropriate to visit one last time before we leave the area.

Having climbed through one of the hottest mornings of the ten days I have been here, to get to the viewing table felt doubly special this time around. It was also probably the quietest we had seen it: the lack of people meant we could listen to the chirps of birds and marmots.

While climbing slightly higher than the viewing table, I found an outcrop overlooking the Lac de Serre-Ponçon and its surroundings which had a formation of stones which made for a perfect bench. With arguably the best seat in the world, I began to look once more at the views this clear summers day had gifted me. From my viewpoint I could see those hills I had scaled and those I had only seen: Mont Guillaume; Le Meale; Pic de Morgon; Le Pouzenc; Dormilouse; La Viste; the pointed peaks of the hills above Réalon and its accompanying fort. The view was even more extensive: I could see as far as Mourefroide in the Ecrin national park; the Brec de Chamberons on the border between the Queyras national park and Italy; Mont Ventoux all the way down in Provence; I could see hills and mountains I had never seen before. In the midst of all of this was the Lac de Serre Ponçon, its brilliant blue the constant reminder of the beauty of the area, its ingenuity and its contrasts. Outside of the national parks and therefore untouched by many walkers, the area deserves to be discovered purely so this gorgeous lake can be viewed.

Before heading back down, I took one last look at the Aigilles de Chabrières themselves. I had come up here five times now and every time I have noticed something different about it; a new take on an old friend. That is why it is important not to treat hills, mountains and areas as check-lists: even in places you know well there is always new aspects; there is always something new to discover.

That's enough retrospection though. Onward to the Vanoisse!