Queyras: GR5 from La Chalp to Lac de Roue

After yesterday’s more demanding loop trail, we just wanted an easy walk to stretch our legs. But we also wanted a nice trail and some great views. The walk from La Chalp Arvieux to the Lac de Roue and the two viewing points nearby ticked all the boxes.







We started the walk straight from our hotel by the D902 road in La Chalp (1685 m). Incidentally, the mythic long-distance trail GR 5 ran right behind La Ferme de l’Izoard, our lodging. We followed the signposts and after a few hundred meters forked left in the woods where the trail proper started to ascend, heading south. We passed the village of Arvieux below us, and came to a hamlet called Les Maisons. We followed the white and red GR signs, and ascended a bit more, now along an open verdant hillside.

A little before Lac de Roue (1847 m), the GR itinerary followed a dirt track. A beautiful larch forest surrounded the lake, and there were picnic tables installed. We continued a bit, heading south in the woods to the viewing points, signposted as Belvédères, and also marked in the IGN map. We reached them after a brief ascent and descent, and had some nice views down to the Guil River Valley. Even Château-Queyras was visible.

We returned to the lake for our picnic, and took the same trail back to our hotel. In spite of the modest elevation differences, there were several ascents and descents, and our log showed 435 m elevation gain at the end of the hike.

Distance: 11 km

Walking time: about 4 h

Map: IGN 3537 ET Guillestre

Burrata salad

Italian parmesan and mozzarella cheeses are well-known all over the world, but burrata was long unknown to me until I came to Nice. Burrata can be seen on local restaurant menus demonstrating well the strong culinary connection between Nice and Italy.

Burrata’s outer shell is of solid mozzarella while the inside is soft and creamy. It goes well with salads sliced open so that the thick cream flows out. Tasty tomatoes, olive oil, and black pepper heighten burratas fresh and buttery flavour.

The following recipe is for a summer salad to be enjoyed with some good country bread. In winter, burrata is nice when opened over roasted vegetables and sprinkled with olive oil for a simple but tasty lunch.

2 servings burrata salad

2 generous handfuls of baby salad leaves
2 tasty tomatoes, chopped
1 burrata, about 200- 250 g
1 small tin of anchovies in olive oil
8- 10 black olives
2 tbsp. French salad dressing
2 tbsp. olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Basil leaves and pine nuts to decorate

Soak the anchovies in a small bowl of water for about 10 minutes to reduce saltiness. Then dry on a kitchen paper.

Divide the baby salad leaves and chopped tomatoes on the plates. Drizzle with French dressing.

Slice open the burrata and place one half on the centre of each plate. Drizzle with olive oil and grind over some black pepper. Divide the black olives and anchovies on the plates. Decorate with basil leaves and pine nuts. Serve with a good country bread and enjoy.

Summer hike near Valberg

This easy, agreeable walk starts from the village of Beuil (1450 m) in the upper Cians Valley near the Valberg ski resort (1680 m). We modified the itinerary described in the Randoxygéne guide a bit by making a somewhat longer loop as described below, and did not go up to the summit this time.

Good paths cross larch woods and alpine meadows. The trail circles Tête du Garnier (1906 m), and it is possible to take a short detour to the summit. This hike is especially great if you wish to experience the start of the summer in an alpine environment with Mont Mounier (2817 m) looming in the background not that far in the north.

At the entrance of Beuil from direction of Valberg we located signpost #31, our starting point. We ascended to a meadow full of spring flowers. There were tracks here and there. Passing a watering trough, we saw signpost #39 partly hidden. We were supposed to continue more or less straight but there was not a clear path. We took a longer route that forked slightly right heading north. We soon came to a forest road that descended quite a bit to signpost #42, then turned west and started to climb. Passing some huts, we came to an intersection where signpost #38a was supposed to be. We did not find it, but saw the yellow-marked trail that ascended through the woods to Col de l’Espaul (1748 m).







Now halfway through the loop trail, near signpost #7, we found a perfect spot for picnic.

The trail continued south, passing Lac de Beuil (signpost #37), and the intersection of the trail to the summit. From here, the trail gradually descended to Col de Ste-Anne at Les Launes by the RD28 road. The last part of the hike back to Beuil followed the GR52A just under the RD28 road.

Length: 11 km

Duration: 3h 30 walking time

Vertical climb: 470 m (170m more with the summit)

Map: “Haut Cians” 3640 OT

Squid tagliatelle

In spite of the name there’s no pasta in this recipe; the sliced squid replaces the pasta. The Italian word tagliare means to cut.

The recipe is adapted from Julie Andrieu’s TV-programme, Les carnets de Julie avec Thierry Marx, in which an Italian lady cooked her Seiche tagliatelle in France. NB! The dish contains raw eggs like the famous Pasta alla Carbonara. That is why I think that it is important to choose organic eggs from free-range chickens, because these chickens are much healthier than battery chickens. If you wish to have less liquid in the dish you can very well omit the egg.

Like the Italian lady said this dish offers culinary tastes that are pure enjoyment.


2 servings

3- 4 cleaned large squid
50 g pancetta
1 tbsp. olive oil
A generous handful of chopped parsley
1 clove garlic
A small glass of white wine
Black pepper
Grated zest of 1 organic lemon plus about 2 tsp. lemon juice
1- 2 organic eggs
About 4 handfuls of finely grated parmesan

First make the parmesan- egg paste. In a bowl, whip 1- 2 organic eggs and mix with about 4 handfuls of finely grated parmesan to make a paste. Place the bowl in the fridge. If you wish to omit the egg, just grate the parmesan.

Cut the pancetta into small pieces. Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and sauté for a few minutes. Wash and dry the squid and cut into rounds. Add the squid and the minced garlic to the pan and sauté a few more minutes. Add the white wine, lots of parsley, and black pepper. Cook gently for about 10 minutes.

Remove the frying pan from the heat and add the egg- parmesan paste from the fridge. Mix well and add the rest of the parsley, lemon zest, and 2 tsp. lemon juice. Mix and divide on the plates.

Serve with good whole wheat bread to mop up the sauce, and a green salad for a simple but tasty lunch or supper.

Mediterranean Pasta Sauce

Mediterranean antioxidant-rich diet has been shown over and over again in several scientific studies to be the best nutritional strategy in preventing chronic diseases.

This tasty lactovegetarian pasta sauce recipe is inspired by a dish cooked by a chef in Antibes on the French TV’s Télé Matin. This is a summer recipe to be made when the tomatoes, bell peppers, and basil are at their best. Use your best olive oil for the dish. Heart healthy olive oil is a vital component of the Mediterranean diet.

The recipe makes two generous servings for main course, four servings if a smaller amount of pasta is served before the main course the Italian way.

2- 4 servings

1 aubergine
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 small tomatoes
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. lavender honey
Freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of salt
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 180° C.

Wash and dry the aubergine, bell peppers and tomatoes. Peel the onion. Line a large ovenproof tray with baking paper. Cut the vegetables into halves and place on the tray. Peel two cloves of garlic and add on the tray. Sprinkle the vegetables with 1 tbsp. olive oil and 2 tsp. lavender honey. Roast in the oven for 40- 45 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven and let the vegetables cool for a few minutes. With a spoon scoop out the inside of aubergine. Peel the bell peppers. Transfer the vegetables into a blender, add black pepper, salt and chopped basil leaves. Save a few basil leaves for decoration. Purée the vegetables into a thick consistence.

Meanwhile cook the pasta, preferably whole wheat pasta for added vitamins and fiber. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and pour into a large bowl. Add the vegetable purée and mix. Divide the pasta into individual bowls, decorate with basil leaves and serve with grated parmesan.

From Tinée Valley to Roure

Climatically, the village of Roure (1104 m) above Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée (500 m) has a beneficial location. The south facing mountain side between the two villages has plenty of sunshine, and terraces have been built during centuries to cultivate figs, olives, walnuts and chestnuts.

Some parts of the GR5 trail from Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée to Roure date from Roman times. In 1927 a cable car for agricultural purposes linked the two villages, but it was as late as in 1935 that a road reached Roure.








We started ascending from Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée from signpost 170. We crossed the Tinée River along an ancient Roman bridge following the familiar white and red GR markings. We crossed the M30 road several times. Seen from the starting point, the slope between the villages looked rather steep, but the good trail zigzagged nicely making the ascent quite easy. We walked past signposts #232, 234, 235, 237 and 238, respectively. In the old times Roure was famous for its production of dried figs, but nowadays we didn’t see any trace of cultivation except some olive trees. The landscape by the trail certainly proved that there’s a microclimate. In front of one hut, we saw a palm tree at almost 800 m! Approaching the village, we passed the first houses, many of them built with slate roofs, typical of this region.

We walked past the church and climbed to the viewing point (belvedere du Castel; 1104 m) just above the village. From here, we had a great view of the verdant Tinée Valley, the still snow-capped mountains, and Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée 600 m below us.

We descended back to our starting point along the same trail. It is also possible to fork right at signpost #235 on the way down and descend to River Vionène, a Tinée tributary, and continue back to Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée along this smaller path.

Hiking time: 3h 15

Climb: 630 m

Distance: 8,5 km

Map: Moyen Tinée 3641 ET