Some 340km from our starting point in Thonon-Les-Bains, this notional half-way stage on the marathon 684km itinerary is accompanied by a transition to the climatic influence of the Mediterranean. The relentless descent through the Romanche valley and into La Salle les Alpes and Chantemerle eases on the final approach to Briançon.

Europe’s highest city is impressive in any season, and it ’s tempting to assume that, having made it this far, the best senery must now lie behind us. Proof that this is certainly not the case comes shortly after continuing towards the Cerveyrette valley, where tiny hamlets sit among more classic mountain scenery. A little further along the valley we pass Cervières, a sheltered centre for peaceful, cross-country skiing (ski-de-fond) on pistes flanking the Italian border and which in other seasons serve as footpaths. We now power our way up to the Col d’Izoard (2360m), the tortuous route climbing through dense forests of giant, multi-coloured conifers, beneath vast steel-blue skies. 

A landscape for heroes...

Beyond the Col another hidden valley unfolds against the vast mountains of the Parc Natural Régional du Queyras. Considering the merciless gradients in either direction (and the fact that the route wasn’t surfaced until 1963), it’s hard not to be impressed by this classic Tour de France stage.

The nearby Réfuge Napoléon contains a small Musée du Cyclisme. A further series of hairpins drops through a ruggedly beautiful landscape of eroded limestone, gypsum and Dolomitic rock, known as la Casse Déserte. Further down we pass the route to Saint-Véran, at 2050m, the highest commune in Europe. Next we pass Château Queyras, whose medieval fortress was conceived in response to repeated incursions by pillaging bands up from Provence. The impressive outline visible from the roadside today dates from much later, however, reflecting military engineer Vauban’s massive campaign of works during the 17th Century to strengthen the line of defences sited along the vulnerable frontier with Italy.

From here things close in for the Corniche-style run through the Combe du Queyras and Gorges du Guil, where a small lay-by provides a welcome opportunity to pause and look back at the narrow route, snaking through dark tunnels and swerving around rocky outcrops along the sides of the deep canyon. The tunnels were cut back in 1949, opening up what was once a simple pack-mule track.  Substantial sections were cantilevered out from the sheer rock faces on massive stone arches, and the engineers’ original timber formwork is still visible. Beyond Guillestre, long celebrated for its October foire des Bergers, we begin another wayward ascent, this time past the linked Southern Alps ski resorts of Risoul and Vars, whose ski domain is known as le Forêt Blanche. In autumn, though, it’s a startling vision of fiery golds and yellows, as whole mountainsides of larch woodland give their all in the late autumn sun. The effect, reflected in the shimmering waters of a small lake at the roadside, is like having been suddenly transported to the Canadian Rockies. Nearby stands another Réfuge Napoléon.

Over the ‘new’ Col...

The Route present climb to the Col de Vars (2109m) is relatively gentle, unlike that of its predecessor, the Col du Parpaillon, and is followed by an exhilarating hairpin run down past the Redoute de Berwick and the picture postcard village of St Paul. The military theme continues under the detached gaze of the vast Fort de Tournoux, constructed between 1843 and 1890 high above the point at which the river valley of the Ubaye is joined by that of the Ubayette. Pressing on past the elegant architecture around Jausiers we reach Barcelonnette, a remarkable town whose truly unique story is told in the Musée de la Vallée, housed in Barcelonnette’s Villa la Sapinière. Overlooking the valley is the ski station of Pra Loup, while the Route continues into the Gorges du Bachelard. It’s a tight squeeze, and was a key stage in the creation of the Route when it opened (unsurfaced) to motorists in 1913. It remains a difficult place in which to pause safely, but the scenery finally softens and the valley begins to broaden near Fours Saint Laurent, before the ascent to the Col de la Cayolle (2327m). 

Conclusion: From The Vallée de l’Ubaye to Menton