The Huez en Oisans round trip (Circuit n°9)

This almost 43 km circuit start in Bourg d'Oisans.

Alpe d’Huez was originally just a summer hamlet with around sixty pasture chalets. The villagers lived in Huez during the rest of the year. Even though the resort has taken on an international dimension, the village fiercely defends its identity, with its steep streets and old stone basins.

On the road between Huez and Villard-Reculas, you can stop off at the
spectacular belvedere overlooking the Bourg-d'Oisans plain. On a sign at the edge of the rockface, you can read “Pas de la Confession”, or “Confession Pass”, as it was better to brave this formidable passage with a purified soul. Even with a car, care and attention are definitely called for!

Thanks to its strict building regulations, the village resort of Villard-Reculas has kept its charm and not been abandoned by local people leaving for larger towns. Don’t miss ↘the goats’ cheese farm (la Chèvre…rie) at the entrance to the village, where Clément will offer you a guided visit of the farm and welcome you to his shop where you can buy goats cheeses, goat’s milk and free range eggs.

Continuing along the road, you go down a lovely quiet and shady road towards Allemont, its refreshing lake and the ↘nautic base. You can stop for a stroll on the shore or go out on the 75-hectare hydroelectric reservoir on a pedal boat, a canoe, or even a windsurf board.

Go back towards Bourg-d'Oisans. As you leave Allemont, turn left towards Villard-Reculas. Just before the road starts to climb up, turn right into the hamlet of Raffour. Just a little further on, you’ll see ↘the Ferme de Chatillon where Elisabeth and Jérôme will show you around their farm, explaining how they process milk into cheese and give you a chance to taste their produce, including goats’ cheese and dairy cows’ milk products.

Finally, before arriving in Bourg-d'Oisans, stop off at the ↘3 P’tits Points sewing workshop in Sables, where Séverine will happily share her passion for needlework with you. You will see the various stages of her design work (sketches, patterns, prototypes, cutting and fabrication) from "the idea to the finished item" (please phone ahead).