Day 12: Roya 29th June

Wednesday 29th June: Blue skies cold to warm, 5°C to 20°C

Roure to Longon: 22k walk: 8.00am to 5.00pm, 9hrs

Accommodation: Gite de Roya

It's my turn for water

Leaving Hidden valley of Longon

Ibex on the hills

Blue skies and mountains

And again

Through fields of flowers

Springtime in teh Mercantour

This is just beautiful

More blue skies

Morning tea looking back to Bueil

A spectacular, stunning day. Highlights began walking through the valley of Longon, then reaching the Col de Moulines at 1981m with views to the ski fields of Beuil, then climbing to Mt Mounier at 2687 m with 360 ° spectacular views. Ian took 120 amazing photos of which I have selected only a few.

We’re awake at 6am to noises from the kitchen next door. It's 5°C and freezing so we have another hot shower to warm up. Breakfast at 7am is basic but nice - hot coffee from farm fresh milk and 3 hunks of bread with slabs of home made butter and jam. We say goodbye to Sandrine and her 4 lovely children.

The GR5 Cicerone Guide says this section has no water so we fill up at the trough near the dairy, and I fight with a cat at the water spout. Then through the meadows where the sun shoots the temperature to 15°C. The valley is so beautiful, hidden between mountains with flowers, sheep, cows, goats, sprinkled with marmots scurrying away. Did I say the valley was beautiful? It's beyond what a photo will reveal!

In 30 minutes we’re at the Portes de Longon and stepping down to stone houses of Vignols in the valley. Day hikers who have parked their cars are coming towards. More up on a stony path to Col de Moulines at 1981 metres. At 10.00 am we’re at Col de Moulines - morning tea with a view to the Beuil ski fields. From there it's 600 metres up to Mont Mounier. The landscape soon becomes moonscape devoid of trees.

The next 1 hr 30 minutes is up a graded track which crosses a flat before rising sharply to Mont Mounier. Ian and I reach La Stèle Valette at 2587m, the high shoulder of Mont Mounier with 360 °views of snow capped Alps. We have a cuppa waiting for Jenny and Graham who arrive 30 minutes later. Ian takes a myriad of photos before descending to Col de Crousette at 2480 metres where I’d read about lingering snow. But there's only a patch. The start down is like Eddie the Eagle at the top of a 90 metre ski ramp. It's so steep you balk at the first step. I go first. It's steep for 30 minutes but softens to giant stony steps.

In the valley, there's sheep and goats across our path. Ian and I approach the animals with trepidation. With good reason. As we get close, two sheep dogs rush toward us with gnarled teeth. Ian says "easy boy" I say "where's the camera". We back off and the dogs close their gums. All is good until a third dog joins the action and we retreat quickly downhill. We signal to Jenny and Graham to walk off track ASAP and we all end up in a swampy meadow. Ian, Jenny and Graham walk up and I walk down and we meet several hundred metres along the track. There's signs all over the Mercantour Park to be careful of sheep dogs. The signs say, "Don't yell, Don't throw stones, Wait for them to walk away". There was no sign of these dogs just walking away so we had to quickly do a serious detour downhill to the gully.

20 minutes later we're on a steep stony track to a forest through a gorge lined with sedimentary layers of rock called Barres de Roya and soon we see the village of Roya on the opposite side - we need to walk down and up - again. We recognise the Red umbrellas of the Gite de Roya, a converted school in a small village of only 10 houses and one church. There's already 6 hikers enjoying a beer. It's 5pm when we arrive and need an icy cold beer. After an hour of recovering, we're shown to our 4 bunk room. The WC and shower are opposite so in no time we've had a hot shower and go downstairs for another drink. There's no WiFi. TGFT. Graham "needs" a break from Alan Jones.

Dinner at 7.00pm is wonderful. A pizza, thin beef soup, pork filet and pasta with fresh bread, and lemon sherbet or creme panache. We chat to the hikers. Five are school friends from 1968 when the Winter Olynpics were in Grenoble, a lone hiker is walking 40k per day on the Via Alpini. He left today from Larche at 4.15am to walk 40 km. Thin as a rake, he'll do another 40k tomorrow to St Dalmas where he'll decide whether to do the GR52 or the GR5. Bed at 9pm.