The human body is a steed that goes freest and longest under a light rider, and the lightest of all riders is a cheerful heart.
- John Burroughs, Exhilarations of the road (1923)
After passing through the fortress of Mont-Dauphin, the Chemin de Compostelle / GR 653D / Via Domitia crosses to the opposite side of the valley, right across from from Plan de Phazy. But to get there, I had to cross two rivers: first the Guil, on a highway bridge with a sidewalk, after which I rejoined the path of the GR 653D to cross the Durance on a small one-lane road bridge beside a railway bridge. From here it was only a short walk to the Fontaine Pétrifié, a dramatic mineral formation created by the same springs as feed the Source de Phazy. Both sites are located on the Durance fault line.
The trail zig-zagged up the slope above the Fontaine and came out onto a paved road with magnificent views over the the Durance valley, the fortess of Mont-Dauphin and the plain of Le Plan de Phazy, with the house where I had spent the night.
The road serves several small communities and is part of the Les Balcons de la Durance cycling route; it is dotted with facilities such as benches, drinking fountains, even a book exchange!
The road zig-zagged back down into the valley toward Saint-Clément-sur-Durance, and as soon as I stepped out of the sunshine and into the shadow of the mountain across the valley, the temperature dropped several degrees and a cold wind blew down from the mountains: I had to stop right away and put my jacket back on! But after passing through the village - where the only inhabitants I met were two cats and a flock of sheep - the trail climbed back up the slope and into the sunshine. Off came the jacket again! A very tall, slender, tanned older man passed me on the trail, saying hello and asking if I was going to Compostelle before striding on ahead up the hill: his legs were about twice as long as mine, his backpack a tenth of the weight. The trail continued to climb and turned into a side valley, then followed a gravel road sloping gently uphill and heading up the valley for a couple of kilometres before crossing the Torrente de Couleau on a wooden foot-bridge.
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| Looking back at the tower of Saint-Clément-sur-Durance |
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| Heading into the side valley |
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| Underneath the mistletoe |
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| Crosing the Torrente de Couleau |
On the other side of the stream, the shady side, the trail was no longer a gravel road but a footpath through a beautiful coniferous forest, carpeted in pine needles: much softer underfoot. The trail rounded a corner high above the main valley of the Durance, where I stopped for a leisurely lunch break sitting on a rock in a panoramic spot.
A spectacular section of narrow trail hugging the hillside followed, with amazing views over the Durance valley - though much of the time I was watching my feet, both to stay on the narrow trail and to avoid stepping on the praying mantises who inhabit it!
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| The Durance, the railway line, the highway... |
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| ...and the trail! |
The trail came out onto a paved road, which I followed all the way into Châteauroux-les-Alpes, having missed a turnoff on the GR trail that probably would have taken me back onto a footpath... and slowed my progess. The road was fine, with very little traffic, and soon I was at the local bar in Châteauroux enjoying a well-deserved end-of-stage beer!
As I was finishing my beer and writing up this account, Marion, my hostess, called me to say she was coming to the school to buy a pumpkin for a school fundraiser. The school was right across from the bar where I was sitting, so we met up and walked down the road to her place, where I am again sleeping in a vaulted cellar: this one is a home office, and my bed is just behind the photocopier 😅
Châteauroux-les-Alpes seems to be a lively village with a strong community life: we stopped in at a bookshop where there were posters in the window for various events coming up, including concerts both tomorrow and Saturday night. People were coming to the school to buy pumpkins, and going in and out of the town hall: Marion's husband Thomas went out at seven to attend a meeting there. Marion and Thomas are members of
Servas, an association to which I also belong, for the exchange of hospitality as a way of promoting peace, solidarity and understanding among people of different backgrounds and nationalities. Members can write to other members and request hospitality when travelling, or just ask to meet up to get to know local people and be shown around town.
I took advantage of this home stay to do a load of laundry - I was in a different country the last time my clothes saw the inside of a washing machine! And hand-washing in the sink isn't quite the same.
Marion and I had dinner with their two children, Maëla (12) and Nans (6 1/2). I stumbled my way through dinner conversation in French, but perfectly understood Nans' presentation he had made for school, about the
TARA Ocean Foundation. He did a trial run of his presentation for me, and Maëla played the piano; then it was bedtime for all!
It was great to be part of a family for an evening, and to enjoy a home-cooked dinner together around the table!
Le Plan de Phazy - Châteauroux-les-Alpes 21 km
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