Transhumance festival in the southern Vercors
Duration : 5 days
France, Northern Alps, Southern Alps
Level : good hiker
from 550 € / p. from 6 to 25 persons
Infos & Booking
Description
For over 30 years, the Clairette de Die region has been celebrating the transhumance of its herds as they make their way up to the mountain pastures.
Accompanied by our pack donkeys and forming a small transhumance caravan, these 4 days are an opportunity to leave the Die valley and climb the Vercors mountain pastures. We also take part in the Fête de la Transhumance and its many events, which is an opportunity to discover the pretty medieval village of Châtillon-en-Diois. The program can also be extended over 2 days (please contact me).
Throughout the summer, I also offer:
- a 5-day family trek with donkeys in the Baronnies of Provence,
- a family trek with donkeys in the Vercors,
- a trekking with donkeys on transhumance trails in the Southern Alps or Ubaye and
- a 4-day trek with donkeys in the Baronnies.
Program
D1: Die - Romeyer (500m) - Valcroissant (650m).
Meet at 8.30am at Die station before a short transfer to Romeyer. We meet the donkeys who will be our companions on the trails. After finalizing preparations and balancing loads, the caravan sets off for the Cistercian abbey of Valcroissant. We pass over the Col de Ginayes and the Serre-Jean meadow, walking at the foot of the imposing walls of the Glandasse mountain. The abbey, founded in the 12th century and protected by a clue of hard rock, now houses a farm and gîte in a cool, serene and inspiring setting.
Distance: 7 km, positive altitude difference: 300 meters, negative altitude difference: 500 meters.
Overnight bivouac.
D2: Valcroissant - Châtillon-en-Diois (560m).
If we haven't done so the day before, we visit the Valcroissant abbey with Martine and Rémi, the owners of the site. Then we reach the Pas de la Roche, climb up the Paradis valley, cross the Col de l'Abbaye and reach the small village of Laval-d'Aix. Then, through vineyards and at the foot of the emblematic local mountain of Glandasse, we reach the medieval village of Châtillon-en-Diois, recently classified as one of the "most beautiful villages in France", and a place that left its mark on the work of writer Jean Giono.
Distance: 14 km, D+: 400m, D-: 550m.
Night in bivouac.
D3: Transhumance festival in Châtillon-en-Diois - Menée (631m).
We spend most of the day in Châtillon, discovering the wine-growing village and taking advantage of the festival's activities: herds passing through, dog and shearing demonstrations, events, tastings, conferences, exhibitions, meetings... In short, you'll know everything there is to know about pastoralism!
At the end of the day, like the flock of ewes, we head for the Vercors plateaux.
Distance: 7.2 km, D+: 300m, D-: 250m.
Overnight bivouac in Menée.
D4: Menée - Combeau valley.
We head for the village of Nonnières, following the Sareymond river for a while, before starting the real climb to the high plateau. At the Moutière meadow, we join the party for a country-style meal.... After a siesta, we set off again for the Combeau valley, bypassing the Serre de Beaupuy via the Col de la Lauzette. We reach the magnificent place where our donkeys spend the summer in summer pasture. Here, the wide-open spaces of the Vercors high plateaus open up, where shepherds and their flocks of sheep spend the summer months.
Distance: 12 km, D+: 1000m, D-: 250m.
Transfer back to Châtillon, then to Die station by 6pm.
The price includes
- Supervision by the mountain leader.
- Full board accommodation.
- Donkeys rental.
- Tents and common camping equipment (cooking).
- First and last day tranfers.
The price does not include
- Transport to and from Die, about one hour and a quarter drive from Valence and 2 hours from Grenoble.
- Drinks.
- Personal expenses.
- Cancellation and repatriation insurance.
- Visits and activities not planned in the program.
- Anything not mentioned in "The price includes".
Accommodation
Bivvy.