This summer, we headed off to the Vercors for a 4-day roadtrip. With its legendary passes, hilltop villages, spectacular gorges and bivouacs under the stars, the trip was a breath of fresh air. The next objective was to go up to Burgundy for a family event.
Here's our day-by-day programme, and a practical summary with the overall budget.
🚗 Day 1 - Home → Die
We started the day with a stop in Gap to pick up the last of our missing gear from Decathlon. Once equipped, we headed for the Col de Grimone to truly enter the Vercors.
The Gâts gorges were on the programme, but the previous day's weather had turned the water into an uninviting brown torrent. So we decided not to linger there for either the walk or the picnic.
However, we did take the time to stop off at the (abandoned) hamlet of l'Église. It was an opportunity to discover a geocache and enjoy a pleasant little walk in a green setting.
The afternoon continued in Die, where we wandered through the historic centre. Between the cathedral, the old streets and the Clairette wine, the visit offered a wonderful immersion in the local heritage.
For the night, we obviously opted for a bivouac. Not question of clumping at the crowded Col de Rousset: so we headed back down the other side to find a quieter, more intimate spot, perfect for a peaceful end to the day.
This is roughly our your first real night in a tent... and you realise that a shower tent wouldn't have been out of place 🥲
🚗 Day 2 - Col de Rousset → Pont-en-Royans
Early in the morning, we set off again across the Vercors plateau. Our first stop is Vassieux-en-Vercors, where we refill our water tanks before putting on our hiking boots.
It was a sporty day, with two hikes in quick succession. The first, a beautiful 11km route with 500m of ascent, gave us a good workout. Later, at La Chapelle-en-Vercors, we indulged in a shorter walk to round off the afternoon. Unfortunately, I haven't kept the Visorando links for these routes so I can share them here.
Exhausted but happy, we finished the day at La Cabane Café, in Choranche. The concept of this unusual place is simple and ingenious: you choose your drinks and a few products from local producers, then settle into one of the cabins provided, all with a splendid view of the surrounding mountains. The warm welcome from the manager made the experience even more memorable. She even offered to let us stay in the car park if we left late, or to go to wilder spots if we got back on the road quickly.
Finally, we pitched our tents in a secluded field, lulled by an incredible sunset over the peaks. It was the perfect way to round off a busy day.
🚗 Day 3 - Pont-en-Royans → Gouffre d'enfer → Sanvignes-les-Mines
The natural alarm clock went off very early, so we were up at 6am to make the most of the sunrise. After this special moment, we set off towards the St Etienne basin to discover the Gouffre d'Enfer, an idea spotted thanks to recommendations from Nuggets from France (LPDF).
Getting there wasn't easy: major roadworks were blocking the car park and the signposted diversion was barely visible. After a few detours, we finally reached the site and discovered two impressive dams. The Gouffre d'Enfer dam, inaugurated in 1866, was at the time the highest in the world - a technical feat that commands admiration.
In the afternoon, we continued our journey towards Burgundy, stopping off at Chassieux, Once again inspired by LPDF's suggestions, we wandered around for a while. Then the sky darkened and a violent thunderstorm broke out. Luckily, we ended the day at Simon's brother's house: with all the water that had fallen, we were particularly grateful to be able to sleep in a dry, sheltered place.
🚗 Day 4 - Sanvignes-les-Mines → Clamecy
For this fourth day, we had initially planned to head for Lac des Settons in the Morvan. But the weather didn't cooperate, so in the end we decided to head back up towards Clamecy, making several short stops along the way.
We took the opportunity to do some geocaching in Montigny-en-Morvan, Chassy and Corbigny. It was in Corbigny that we found (well, actually it was a tip from Simon's mum 😂 ) an excellent restaurant, Aux Deux Amis, With a complete starter-main course-dessert menu for just €15.90, this is a great surprise for a gourmet meal at an affordable price.
In the afternoon, we made a stop at Bazoches to visit the home of Vauban, He was an illustrious military engineer of the 17thᵉ century, famous for having fortified numerous strategic locations in France. This nod particularly spoke to us since, in the Hautes-Alpes region where we live, several of his emblematic buildings can still be seen, such as in Briançon and Mont-Dauphin.
The day ended more peacefully, with another night in the shelter, this time at Simon's parents' house.
The following days
The next two nights were spent in our roof tent, directly on the car park-field of the farm where the family event was being held. The atmosphere was friendly and it kept us close to the heart of the festivities.
Finally, it was time to get back on the road home.
Budget (for 2 people)
Conclusion
In the end, we only really explored the Vercors for two days, but this short interlude was enough to win us over. The diversity of the landscapes, the wealth of walks and the unique atmosphere of this massif won us over. We'll definitely be back for a longer stay, to take the time to fully immerse ourselves in this fascinating region.
What we particularly liked was the tranquillity of the area. Unlike the south or even the Hautes-Alpes at the height of summer, the Vercors was not crowded. The spots were easy to get to, but still very private. And a nice touch: we always parked the car without worrying, which made the experience even more serene.