On my climb towards the Vallonnet glacial cave in Haute Maurienne Vanoise within the Savoie region of the French Alps, the landscape was pristine and the silence profound – it was a stillness I had never experienced before. There was no wind, no animal sounds, no people, no traffic. Nothing.
The snow is abundant – the villages of Bessans and Bonneval are both at around 1,750m and north-facing – but the climate is changing, and this shadowy threat looms large above the valleys. The glacier in which the ice cave lies has shrunk visibly over the past 40 years, and the rate of its deterioration is increasing. I might want to disconnect myself from the natural patterns of the year, hiding away from the winter, but the world keeps warming, the snow keeps melting, and all too soon there will come a time when it has gone. I want to see it now, to feel it, to bear witness.
Haute Maurienne Vanoise
Haute Maurienne Vanoise is a region where working with nature, rather than against it, is a way of life. Communities here don’t try to stop avalanches, which happen a lot because the mountains are steep and there aren’t any trees. Instead, they ensure that their houses are avalanche proof. There are houses in Bonneval made of sheep dung – freely available and with great insulating properties! – and before the advent of central heating, people used to sleep with their cows. Some still do.
Come twilight, my guide Karine, who I was staying with, headed up into the mountains. I followed, strapping on my snowshoes and stomping in an ungainly fashion through the snow until I found my rhythm. Our destination was Bonneval sur Arc, which is often declared to be the most beautiful village in France. The Col de l’Iseran access road from Val d’Isere is closed for the entirety of the winter season, and in any case, many of the historic streets are too narrow for cars. The only way is on foot.
Bonneval sur Arc
Arriving in Bonneval sur Arc after nightfall, you feel like a time traveller, and Karine is the perfect guide for any century. Together, we sipped on homemade Genepi; the mixture of alpine herbs which are infused in this fiery liqueur from the mountainside. Almost everything you eat and drink in Haute Maurienne Vanoise is made by the villagers from locally sourced ingredients.
The 40 or so dairy farmers here all have small herds, so have formed a cooperative to produce and sell their famed Beaufort and Bleu de Bonneval cheeses. Handmade charcuterie and alpine honey grace the lunch table, and amongst the hearty Savoyard classics like raclette, fondue, and tartiflette, you can also feast on a more geographically restricted delicacy, Farci de Bessans. The common description of this dish as “a poor man’s meatloaf” fails to do it justice. It’s a staple on the menu at the excellent Chalet de la Séraphin.
Staying with Fabrice and Melanie at Chez Mamie Anna is the link between people and place. They live in a pretty chalet and you are guests in their typical village home. The flagstone floors have been hewn from the Earth, and found treasures like pine cones provide decoration.
Breakfast is made wholly of local fare, something many places claim but few genuinely deliver on. And by local, I mean really local. Fabrice makes the yoghurt himself.
Embracing slow travel in Haute Maurienne Vanoise means embracing a harmonious relationship with the natural world. It offers us a reminder (and perhaps an awakening), of our own place within it, a chance to reconnect and reflect.
Haute Maurienne Vanoise: Need to know
Rooms at Chez Mamie Anna start from €119 for a double room with breakfast. Bessans is one of six resorts within Haute Maurienne Vanoise, and lift passes are discounted if you arrive by train.