Col du Parpaillon

Having just bought the Adventure, I've been digging out some maps of the local roads in the Alps, and looking for little roads or tracks for sorties next year once the snows melt. Came across this beauty here...

http://www.rsf.org.uk/routes/parpaillon.htm

It's basically a gravel track over the Alps via a tunnel at the top, built by the military, and still useable, though no tarmac. So, perfect for big heavy Adventure bikes )
Question is, has anybody ever done it? Definitely rideable, as during searches, I've found articles on Land Rover enthusiasts etc, so it's obviously open to allcomers. I'll try it in June and send some pics in...Stroll on the summer...

Looks a nice one - no mud!!

I believe that the Michelin maps have a road legend (red and white dotted?) that indicates routes like this.

Worth a look?

Iain

Yes, the "parcours difficile ou dangerous" seems to be lined with red dots, but the map I've got (Michelin 1/100,000) doesn't show this...just a white dotted track. So, must be easy...I'll get some bigger scale maps of the area and check it out. Sometime in the Spring, early summer, I'm going to find a wee hotel in Barcelonette for the weekend and bag as many Cols as possible round there. A varied selection indeed, including some of the highest in Europe..could be good.

Franco

There's a comfortable family run hotel in Barcelonette that we stayed in last June. From my photos it looks like 'La Grande Eperviere' (with a downward sloping thing over the second to last e). It's about a 5 minute walk to the town centre.

I won't embarass myself by trying to guess the date the main building was built but plenty of history, antiques and black and white photos of walkers and skiers from pre-war.

Nothing special about the quality just a nice feel to the place and reasonable cost. The owner even moved his M3 to let us put the bikes in his sizeable garage.

HTH although you probably have more knowledge of the place than I do.

Adam

Looks good to me.... Although I don't fancy riding it in the gear the he/she on the right is wearing in the lower picture for that sort of "road".....

adamski49 said:

Franco

HTH although you probably have more knowledge of the place than I do.

Adam

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Wouldn't bet on it Adam. When it's on your doorstep, you tend not to take advantage of it. Now I've got the new bike, I'm all enthusiastic and planning many an Alpine sortie next year...Expect a plethora of stunning, yet arty-farty shots coming your way...

Check out a great route from Sestrierre to Susa over the tops of the mountains on the French road atlas. Bloomin fantastic!

I'll look into that one too..cheers. Is it a road or track? The wife is keen to come along and experience a few tours too. That must be why she never went mental when I phoned her from the We'll have to wait till summer school when both kids are away all day...hurrah!!

Madmountainman said:

Check out a great route from Sestrierre to Susa over the tops of the mountains on the French road atlas. Bloomin fantastic!

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Took me ages to find out where these were. I'd dug out my French road atlas and couldn't find them, so tried all sorts of alternate spellings. Then tried the excellent http://www.viamichelin.com and found out they're both very close to France, but in Italy....Now, when I looked up around Briancon on the French atlas, I can see the road you mean. It's so close to the border they've included it in the French atlas, but not in the index of places..It's marked as a green road, so very scenic, and also in the red/white dots we've discussed here, so a bit wobbly....sounds perfect. I might get up there this year. If I manage to fulfil all these planned sorties, I'll have the highest mileage Adventure out there...Did you stay in either of those two places? Looking at the map, it seems feasible to do the Col de Parpillion, then down the other side , then head over to Guillestre, then through the beautiful parc regional du queyras to Briancon via the Col d'Izoard, then it's a green road to Sestriere...I feel a mega Alpine weekend coming on next summer...Get to Barcelonette for the night, after heading there from the coast via a couple of Cols, then do the Parpillion, then over to your suggestion...La vie est belle....n'est pas?
I'm off to bed with the Atlas, and leave the wife writing our Christmas cards

Cheers../Rob

franco said:

Took me ages to find out where these were.

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You need autoroute...took me 20 seconds.

We need to call a halt to this....I`m trying to finalise my tour dates for next year and you people keep comimg up with even better places to visit. Enough already!

Dave Hall said:

You need autoroute...took me 20 seconds.

We need to call a halt to this....I`m trying to finalise my tour dates for next year and you people keep comimg up with even better places to visit. Enough already!

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I need to drink less wine of an evening and maybe I'd be able to focus on the map
Don't worry Dave, if you can't make it down here, I'll keep sending up loads of photos showing you what you missed (or not). Wherever you go, you know it's gonna be fun. Can't do it all.
Oddly enough, I was watching some Scottish tourist program on Sky the other night (I get Grampian TV), and they were showing the Ft William to Mallaig road and Skye...(I'm sure Iain Hogg knows it well ) and I felt drawn towards an Adventure tour there....sun must be getting to me

Cheers../Rob