Winter walking & snowshoeing, France
| country: | France |
| location: | Mercantour, French Alps |
| trip type: | Moderate/strenuous walking holidays |
| departures: | |
| price: | From £395 (8 days) for gîte format, excluding flights & transfer. Also available in B&B or HB hotel option with transfer from Nice. Tailor made and small group trip options available, see departure details |
| offers: | Self catering and self guided walking weeks available until the end of March for just £175pppw. Includes equipment hire. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Winter walking & snowshoeing, France
Want to escape the winter gloom and get some clean alpine air? Want to mix walking and snowshoeing away from the hoards in the Savoie? Just one hour north of Nice Airport lies the heart of one of the best kept secrets in France. The Mercantour National Park encompasses most of the Alpes-Maritimes, boasting breathtaking unspoilt alpine countryside.
Join us in off the beaten track walks and snowshoe treks surrounded by majestic peaks rising to over 3500 metres against clear blue skies – see for miles in this stunning corner of South East France, where tranquility is guaranteed, and other humans are a rarity on our days out.
Guided Walks
Centered in and around the town of St Martin Vésubie in the Vésubie valley, the locality offers several destinations for starting circular walks which are just a half an hour drive from the town. In the valley of La Madone de Fenestre, which lies on the old salt trading route between the French coast and the Piedmont plain, you can snow shoe from the mountain refuge at the Madone Sanctuary over the Baisse de Cinq Lacs and around the impressive bowl of the Lacs des Prals, in the shadow of the Cime de Gelas – the highest peak in the Mercantour.
Trek over the Col de Salese and visit the village of Mollières – totally cut off from motorised transport during the winter months; or snow shoe over Camp Soubrane to Lac Negre, spotting various animal tracks in the snow, including those of wolves, now once again flourishing in the area.
Visit the old town of Utelle, with its sanctuary at the Madone d’Utelle, and enjoy its obvious relationship to Templar activity during medieval times. Walk the Grande Route 5 over the Brec d’Utelle with fantastic views of the length and breadth of the Alpes Maritimes.
Snow shoes will be provided, but if you have your own please feel free to bring them. We ask you to bring your own trekking poles and ensure that you kit yourselves as you would for winter walking in the UK. All activities are lead by fully qualified mountain leader/specialist activity personnel. Accommodation is available in comfortable self catering gite, B&B or hotel options.
Winter activity / skiing packages are also available, as well as weekend and short breaks.
Join us in off the beaten track walks and snowshoe treks surrounded by majestic peaks rising to over 3500 metres against clear blue skies – see for miles in this stunning corner of South East France, where tranquility is guaranteed, and other humans are a rarity on our days out.
Guided Walks
Centered in and around the town of St Martin Vésubie in the Vésubie valley, the locality offers several destinations for starting circular walks which are just a half an hour drive from the town. In the valley of La Madone de Fenestre, which lies on the old salt trading route between the French coast and the Piedmont plain, you can snow shoe from the mountain refuge at the Madone Sanctuary over the Baisse de Cinq Lacs and around the impressive bowl of the Lacs des Prals, in the shadow of the Cime de Gelas – the highest peak in the Mercantour.
Trek over the Col de Salese and visit the village of Mollières – totally cut off from motorised transport during the winter months; or snow shoe over Camp Soubrane to Lac Negre, spotting various animal tracks in the snow, including those of wolves, now once again flourishing in the area. Visit the old town of Utelle, with its sanctuary at the Madone d’Utelle, and enjoy its obvious relationship to Templar activity during medieval times. Walk the Grande Route 5 over the Brec d’Utelle with fantastic views of the length and breadth of the Alpes Maritimes.
Snow shoes will be provided, but if you have your own please feel free to bring them. We ask you to bring your own trekking poles and ensure that you kit yourselves as you would for winter walking in the UK. All activities are lead by fully qualified mountain leader/specialist activity personnel. Accommodation is available in comfortable self catering gite, B&B or hotel options.
Winter activity / skiing packages are also available, as well as weekend and short breaks.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive Berthemont les Bains for gite accommodation or pick up in Nice. |
| Day 2: | Snow shoe along the old salt route at Col de Fenestre. |
| Day 3: | Enjoy a day in typical Provençal country Madone d’Utelle and Brec d’Utelle – with fantastic views of the Mercantour massif to the north and the coast to the south. |
| Day 4: | Free day to relax. Excursion to Nice can be arranged, or if you’re still feeling energetic, we can advise on short walks local to the town. |
| Day 5: | Back to the high ground for the Lac de Prals circuit. |
| Day 6: | Snow shoe through “chamois alley” in the Vallon des Erps. |
| Day 7: | Scout for wolves in Camp Soubrane, Lac Negre and Col de Fremamorte. |
| Day 8: | Depart from Berthemont les Bains gite, or drop off in Nice. |
traveller reviews for Winter walking & snowshoeing, France
A good balance of challenging physical activity in a beautiful environment with fantastic food, wine and company. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
 As permanent residents in the Mercantour, our business is fully integrated into the community in the Vésubie valley – using local qualified guides paid a living wage, and individually run hotels which ensures that all revenue generated is beneficial to the life of the area. In line with the published code of the National Park, our clients are encouraged to treat the region with respect and thus uphold the standards of conservation required in such a fragile area. Our gite As we await permission to fulfill our vision for our centuries old farm house and land, we are keen to implement as many environmentally sympathetic measures as possible. We encourage the preservation of our pure water which comes straight off the mountain and use our splendid climate for laundry drying outside. As much waste as possible is re-cycled, including pony manure which goes straight onto our vegetable patch. We aim to be as self sufficient as possible from your own garden. Gite guests are welcome to help themselves to fruit and vegetables. When meals are provided they are prepared with local produce only, often solely from the Vésubie valley. Vegetarians are willingly catered for. Energy efficient bulbs are used throughout the house. We try to minimise the use of paper in our office. Guests are encouraged to shop locally and of course to respect the integrity of the National Park. Working relationships We only work with qualified guides for all activities. These passionate locals create a genuine and rich experience for our visitors. They are paid the appropriate rate for professional guides. Our local accommodation partners are chosen for their warm welcome and a willingness to share their love for the region. Business development In the longer term we will use abundant natural resources (wood and sunshine) for heat and light as well as providing alternative accommodation on our land. A project for three bases in the Alpes-Maritimes is underway. This would provide an inspiring holiday venue for young and old alike. Access for the handicapped would be included. We are planning to use pack animals so our guests can share their adventures with a faithful companion, and leave directly from Berthemont. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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